Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Importance of gaiters in June?

My hike is rapidly approaching (June 15th) and I seem to have everything all ready except for one thing which I could use your assistance on. I live in a suburb of Cincinnati, OH so we don't get much snow up here for my climbing expeditions so I currently do not own gaiters.

So, on to my question...In your opinion is it worth buying gaiters only for this hike? If so are there any ones people recommend. I was looking at the Outdoor Research Flex-Tex. Would those do, or should I get something even more beefy?

I've been checking out a lot of pictures recently and it appears that there is still enough snow to make them useful. I doubt there will be that much snow in 2 weeks. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Since the trail is more or less open, these should be ok, based on BobR pix.

Short gaiters are useful all year round, esp. for keeping sand & gravel out of the boots on scree slopes, sandy trails, etc.

I never take them unless I am going to be in moderate snow, but that is my own personal preference. I figure whenever we take a rest I can slip my shoes off and shake them out, but I also use trail runners and not boots. You will probably appreciate having gaiters, but also won't ruin your trip if you go without.

Thanks guys,

It looks like I forgot to mention that I'll be heading up the Mountaineers Route, I'm assuming snow conditions will be similar between the two. I've been checking Bob R's pictures and everyone else's to keep up to date on the snow level.

Does anyone have a preference if it's the Mountaineers Route vs main trail?

During the summer months I use very lightweight gaiters made by DIrtyGirlGaiters. They are very useful for keeping small rocks and scree out of your shoes. They weight nothing and are cheap!
Check them out:
DirtyGirlGaiters