Forty Below vs OR X-Gaiters?

Anyone have any information about the pros and cons of the OR X-Gaiters vs the Forty Below over boots?

For use with tech bindings and fully automatic crampons.

What about for ski boots? I use scarpa F1 LTs and don't really expect to be able to climb comfortably in less than 20F. I got some heated socks of geartrade (miracle) but in reality this will take me down to abt 10F with discomfort. I assumed the next step was 40below over boots. Anyone have other suggestions for cold weather climbing in ski boots? 

Yeah, my question is mostly for AT ski boots, but I also have Raynaud’s, so having an option to add for colder ice climbing days would be nice too.

I ordered some X-Gaiters. The fact that they were $185 on sale, in stock vs $269 for the Forty Below,  and I can try them on my boots, helped me decide.

Tjaard where are you seeing them on sale?

Tjaard Breeuwer wrote:

Yeah, my question is mostly for AT ski boots, but I also have Raynaud’s, so having an option to add for colder ice climbing days would be nice too.

I ordered some X-Gaiters. The fact that they were $185 on sale, in stock vs $269 for the Forty Below,  and I can try them on my boots, helped me decide.

If the X-Gaiters don't work out you could try these: https://www.mtntools.com/cat/techwear/Gaiters/mountaintoolssupergaiters.htm ($160). Supergaiters worked for me on Denali and Logan.

Another strategy is to replace the boot's stock liners with thicker after-market liners from Intuition or Palau. This depends on having a boot shell that's large enough for thicker liners. Most ski boot shells only come in full sizes; have a look at this chart to see if there might be room: https://www.evo.com/guides/ski-boot-sole-length-size-chart.

If you haven't already done so, try replacing the factory insoles with something thicker. Most factory insoles are pretty skimpy. I've had good results with Sidas Winter insoles but there are lots of choices out there.

Martin le Roux wrote:

If you haven't already done so, try replacing the factory insoles with something thicker. Most factory insoles are pretty skimpy. I've had good results with Sidas Winter insoles but there are lots of choices out there.

Insoles can make a big difference. I’d love to see some reports on how the xgaiters perform vs conventional overboots, but so much heat is lost to the ground, especially with crampons, that I’m skeptical.

If the Xs don't work and you want to try some of the supergaiters, I have both Mountain Tools (unused) and Black Diamond (lightly used) supergaiters I'd sell for cheap.

Long Ranger wrote:

Tjaard where are you seeing them on sale?

Als.com

Eli W wrote:

Insoles can make a big difference. I’d love to see some reports on how the xgaiters perform vs conventional overboots, but so much heat is lost to the ground, especially with crampons, that I’m skeptical.

I’ve heard this lots of times. For sleeping, I believe it. Most of the time, we don’t have enough insulation underneath us.

For clipped in winter biking? Also believe that, due to that metal cleat sunk halfway into the sole.

For ice and skiboots though? I’m not so sure. There is a lot of sole on a ice boot, typically several mm of Eva foam, an excellent insulator. And even a decent amount of thickness on a ski boot sole. When you are in skis, you are suspended by the tech fittings, so that should help.

Crampons also only touch the boot in a few spots.

I would love it if someone could take some photos with a thermal imaging camera of a person in boots, in cold weather,  with and without crampons.

In my winter walking/fatbiking boots, I layer thick insoles and closed cell foam padding, but in ice or ski boots, there is no room for that. I also use custom molded Bootdoc insoles for comfort, bootfit and performance in my ski boots, so not switching those out.

Back to my original question: does anyone have info on wether the X-gaiters or the Forty Below work better with step in crampons and tech fittings?
on Forty Below’s  website, they say that you need to use semi-auto crampons with leather ice boots.

Tjaard Breeuwer wrote:

Als.com

They have a 20% off coupon as well. "100years"

https://www.als.com/promotions

Thanks Tjaard. 

20% discount doesn't work on these FYI. Only XS to L, hoping to find an XL for my US 11.5 - 12 sized shoes. 

Tjaard Breeuwer wrote:

Back to my original question: does anyone have info on wether the X-gaiters or the Forty Below work better with step in crampons and tech fittings?

Overboots would no doubt be warmer than supergaiters, but there are a few things I'd be worried about when using overboots with tech bindings (apart from having to take a knife blade to a brand-new pair costing $260). With some of my AT boots there's only the tiniest clearance between the boot sole and the toe binding, and even the thinnest overboot sole could get scrunched up and interfere with toe rotation in walk mode.

You could test this by sticking a bit of 3M rubber mastic tape to the underside of your boots. With the boots in the above picture the tape was ripped to shreds after a single uphill lap.

I'd also be worried about lack of versatility, since overboots aren't made for hiking or scrambling over rock.

I really like my X-gaiters. I climb in old scarpa rebel pro's (kinda like sportiva trangos). Awesome boots. Super cold. the X-gaiters keep me much happier when it gets cold. Trusting your feet is harder when you can't really feel them.

Idk how they'd work with ski boots, but there's no issue with automatic crampons.

@Martin Le Roux, that’s a great idea to test the clearance with tape first. When I get the gaiters, I’ll do that once I have an idea of how and where they cover up the toe of the boot. That way I can still return the gaiters if its an issue, rather than putting them on, skinning with them and ruining the gaiters.

Well the X-gaiters only have some thin hypalon underneath  the boot sole, so clearance in a tech ski binding is not an issue.

I am still trying to decide how to cut access for the walk mode lever

Jake woo wrote:

What about for ski boots? I use scarpa F1 LTs and don't really expect to be able to climb comfortably in less than 20F. I got some heated socks of geartrade (miracle) but in reality this will take me down to abt 10F with discomfort. I assumed the next step was 40below over boots. Anyone have other suggestions for cold weather climbing in ski boots? 

In addition to the overboot (which will add a ton of warmth and are great, +1 enthusiastically for 40 below), you can put reflective ducting tape on the inside of your boot shells. Just cover the plastic, it adds quite a bit of warmth for no real penalty at all! Have used ducted F1 LTs down to -15F while moving with no overboot (got a little cold eventually when slowed down to set up camp).

If the overboots don't quite fit the tech binding clearance ita pretty easy to modify them to either flatten through heat molding or cut small patches out to expose the boot. They are so stretchy when sized correctly and a little bit of plastic exposed here and there is still much better than a gaiter. 

Jake woo wrote:

What about for ski boots? I use scarpa F1 LTs and don't really expect to be able to climb comfortably in less than 20F. I got some heated socks of geartrade (miracle) but in reality this will take me down to abt 10F with discomfort. I assumed the next step was 40below over boots. Anyone have other suggestions for cold weather climbing in ski boots? 

I wear Boot Gloves on my F1's and they add a lot of warmth. I haven't tested them with fully automatic crampons but it might work since the heel and toe welts are exposed. Definitely worth testing. The only tricky thing is I have to move the boot glove a bit to access the BOA knob, and I cut a small slit in it so that the metal D ring for leashes is accessible.

I have tried boot gloves in the past, they didn’t stay on my boot very well.

@Alex Styp, I meant cutting the holes  for the top of walk lever and the bottom “latch” on the AT boots, not for the tech fittings, those sit below the gaiter.

I like your reflective tape idea! Easy , cheap and reversible if it doesn’t work!