Introducing RENAgaiter™—Take On the Trail Less Traveled
Introducing RENAgaiter™—Take On the Trail Less Traveled
Our radical new gaiter features three boundary-pushing breakthroughs: Our tough, easily adjustable, DuraLink™ instep strap, burly new fabric, and our protective Aegis™ rock guard.
Canyoneering, scrambling, navigating steep mountain slopes. Until now, these rugged adventures weren’t where you would expect a gaiter to shine—sharp rocks would make short work of any part that came close to the ground, and heavy materials made gaiters cumbersome and uncomfortable to wear during fast-moving, high-output activities.
For us, that was a problem, because extreme adventures are exactly where gaiters can make a real difference. Being able to keep dirt, rocks and other debris out of your shoes or boots is essential—even a small rock or burr can, at best, be uncomfortable, and at worst, cause real damage to your feet. And perched on the side of a mountain or rappelling down a narrow slot canyon are the last places you want to stop to empty your boots—we’ve been there.
Relentless adventure calls for a gaiter that can not only keep up but make that adventure safer and more comfortable. Unfortunately, nothing lightweight and breathable existed that could take the abuse, so we decided to design a new kind of gaiter—one that would be at home in extreme conditions and during high-output activities. To get there, we had to push the limits of what a gaiter could, and should, be.
Our all-new RENAgaiter™ ultra-tough gaiter is the result, and thanks to three exciting new innovations—our DuraLink™ instep strap, Aegis™ rock guard, and a new grade of ultra-durable fabric, it’s ready to keep you pushing your own limits through the most demanding conditions.
DuraLink™—Rooted in Comfort and Durability
As the part of a gaiter that spends the most time in contact with the ground, the instep strap has always been a weak point. When we introduced our lineup of gaiters in 2018, our instep strap was revolutionary. It was made of ultra-durable thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) so it could be thin and unobtrusive—even fitting up inside the lugs of aggressive footwear—yet very durable at the same time. It was also rounded, which gave it the ability to glance off of abrasive objects, rather than get caught on them. And finally, it was easily adjustable. Just a click or two and the strap could be sized to your chosen footwear. It changed the way people were able to use gaiters for the better.
Then the idea for RENAgaiter™ came along. An ultra-tough gaiter was going to need an instep strap to match, and while we already had the most durable and functional instep strap on the market, we saw room for improvement. So our design team began the work of improving its ease of use and durability.
Kahtoola product designers Chris Bunch and Brad Lever came up with two major improvements to create DuraLink™. First, they added adjustment points to both sides of the instep strap to increase comfort and durability. This allows the sides of the gaiter to be evenly adjusted so that the fabric and the wider adjustable portion of the strap aren’t being pulled unevenly toward the ground where they can come into close contact with abrasive surfaces and debris.
Second, to improve ease of use, pull tabs were added to both ends of the strap, making adjustments with cold or gloved hands easier. The interface where the strap clips onto the gaiter body has also been refined for easier adjustment. These may seem like small improvements, but in extreme environments, where manipulating anything is often more difficult, they can make all the difference.
Our Aegis™ Rock Guard Shines Where Others Fear to Tread
Few things out on the trail are as damaging as sharp rocks. Along with other debris, they can attack a gaiter from all sides, and the more demanding the adventure, the more likely this is to happen. So we needed to make sure that any point of weakness on RENAgaiter™ is protected – shielded you could say.
That was the basis for the design of our innovative Aegis™ rock guard. It protects the point where the instep strap attaches to the gaiter fabric. This is important because at that connection point, the fabric forms a lip, which can catch on rocks, branches, or other sharp or abrasive objects. To combat this, Aegis™ forms a shield-like TPU cover that guards these connection points, so you never have to hold back on account of your gaiters.
In addition to being made from bombproof TPU material, Aegis™ boasts two other highly innovative design features. First, RENAgaiter’s DuraLink™ instep strap is threaded through the Aegis™ rock guard, so that as the strap is tightened, the TPU shield curves inward creating a rounded surface for rocks to glance off of. Second, Aegis’ stitching is designed with durability in mind. To minimize contact with sharp and abrasive surfaces, the stitches that bind the Aegis™ shield to the gaiter body run along a channel that is recessed into the TPU rock guard itself.
Taking Comfort to the Extreme
A gaiter built for demanding adventures needs to be durable, but it also needs to be comfortable, and that can be a difficult balance to strike when choosing the fabric that will ultimately tie everything together.
Our material choice drew inspiration from our INSTAgaiter™ ultra-light gaiter, which uses a water-resistant, DWR-coated stretch-woven nylon fabric. It’s ultra-light, breathable and allows for an extended range of motion—perfect for high-output activities.
For RENAgaiter™, we opted to use a significantly beefed-up version of this versatile material, but one that doesn’t sacrifice INSTAgaiter’s benefits. This new stretch-woven nylon is only 14% heavier than that used on INSTAgaiter™ but is 60% thicker. This, combined with higher nylon content, makes it significantly more durable. At the same time, its breathability is virtually identical to that of its ultra light-weight cousin. The result is a radical departure from tradition. A gaiter material that will confidently take on extreme terrain, repel moisture and stay comfortable all day long, even during high-output activities.
Relentlessly Committed to Design
Like each gaiter in our lineup, RENAgaiter™ ultra-tough gaiter has a purpose and personality all its own: it’s designed to push the limits of adventure and succeed where others fail. Our DuraLink™ instep strap, Aegis™ rock guard and use of cutting edge fabric ensure that RENAgaiter™ will be there for you no matter where you go or how you choose to get there.
Take on the trail less traveled.
