Gaiters are items worn on the lower leg and used primarily as personal protective equipment; similar items used primarily for display are spats. // Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other gear designed to protect the wearers body or clothing from injury by electrical hazards, heat, chemicals, and infection, for job-related occupational safety and health purposes, and in sports, martial arts, combat, etc. ... Spats are a type of shoe accessory worn in the late 19th and early 20th Century. ...

Etymology and terminology

Gaiter comes from the French Guêtre.

In Army parlance, a gaiter covers leg and bootlacing; a legging covers only the leg. In RAF parlance, gaiter includes legging. The American Army during World War II had leggings, which were gaiters. Above the knee spatterdashes were cotton or canvas, as were many gaiters of varying lengths thereafter. Leather gaiters were rare in military, though sometimes a calf-length cotton gaiter had leather kneecaps added. Leggings, however, were very often made of leather, but also canvas. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

On foot

French Navy Petty Officers wearing white gaiters (2005).

Gaiters are a type of protective clothing for a person's ankles and legs below the knee. Gaiters are worn when walking, hiking, running (especially orienteering and rogaining) or equestrian riding outdoors amongst dense underbrush or on snow, with or without snowshoes. Gaiters strap onto the hiking boot and around the person's leg to provide protection from branches and thorns and to prevent mud, snow, etc from entering the top of the boot. Gaiters are similar to puttees, a part of numerous military uniforms. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 412 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1336 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 412 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1336 pixel, file size: 1. ... A Petty Officer is a noncommissioned officer or equivalent in many navies. ... For a review of anatomical terms, see Anatomical position and Anatomical terms of location. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Two hikers in the Mount Hood National Forest Eagle Creek hiking Hiking is a form of walking, undertaken with the specific purpose of exploring and enjoying the scenery. ... For other uses, see Running (disambiguation). ... The international orienteering symbol. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Look up equestrian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Snow (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Snowshoe (disambiguation). ... Two pairs of hiking boots: one (left) old, patched with duct tape and showing serious wear; the other new. ... A puttee, also spelled puttie, is the name, adapted from the Hindi patti, bandage (Skr. ...

Originally, gaiters were made of leather. Today, gaiters for walking are commonly made of plasticized synthetic cloth such as polyester. Gaiters for use on horseback continue to be made of leather. For people named Leather, see Leather (surname). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... SEM picture of a bend in a high surface area polyester fiber with a seven-lobed cross section Polyester (aka Terylene) is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. ...

On horseback

Main article: Chaps

Gaiters worn by equestrians have a wide variety of styles, and some polo players' kneepads resemble gaiters in that they extend down the calf. Half chaps, a popular style of equestrian gaiters (not chaps), are widely worn by children in horse shows and by trail riders. Chaps are sturdy leather coverings for the legs. ... Look up equestrian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Polo (disambiguation). ... Fox McCloud wearing knee pads Kneepads or knee pads are protective gear worn on knees to protect them agains injury during, e. ... Chaps are sturdy leather coverings for the legs. ... Chaps are sturdy leather coverings for the legs. ...

Half chaps and jodhpur riding boot

In Latin America, from Chile to Mexico, gaiters extending over the knee are traditional.

Chilean rodeo rider, wearing gaiters over the knee

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1184 KB) Chilean cowboy. This rider prepares to participate in the May 21 celebrations in the city of Vicuña. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1184 KB) Chilean cowboy. This rider prepares to participate in the May 21 celebrations in the city of Vicuña. ...

In the church

Gaiters formed a part of the everyday clerical clothing of bishops and archdeacons of the Anglican Communion until the middle part of the twentieth century. They were made of black cotton, wool, or silk, and buttoned up the sides, reaching to just below the knee where they would join with black breeches. Gaiters would be worn with a clerical apron, a type of short cassock reaching to just above the knee. The purpose of this vesture was originally practical, since archdeacons and bishops were presumed to be mobile, riding horses to various parts of a diocese or archdeaconry. In latter years, the clothing took on a more symbolic dimension. Clerical clothing is non-liturgical clothing worn exclusively by clergy. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      This article... For the Major League Baseball player, see Maurice Archdeacon. ... Main article: Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is a world-wide affiliation of Anglican Churches. ... This article is about the garment. ... Clergy in Cassocks A Roman Catholic priest from Belgian Congo wearing the Roman cassock. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ...

Notes