Gaiters on the OT in November?

[Nuts]

besides the sunbeaten scrub scratched knees you can get crap in the top of gaiters, long pants are the G-O not that there will be much scrub on the OLT, if there is ... Worry!

[Strider]

besides the sunbeaten scrub scratched knees you can get crap in the top of gaiters, long pants are the G-O

Don't your legs get hot? I am sweat ridden enough in shorts and gaiters as it is.

[Nuts]

I like the montane terra pants, they have a big thigh vent (it catches scrub but is easy to do up.. the pants are nice and light anyway).. with Teflon bits in the right places and were lasting long enough.. (they tend to get fuzzed up with scrub scratches on the thighs.. but yeah... otherwise last long enough). They come in different leg lengths, I buy them long so they cover down over boots. I find they are actually cooler than long shorts (around the vital areas)

[tibboh]

Chance of snow / slush in Feb is low, and snakebite far lower, especially with the amount of traffic on the main track at that time of the year. It's almost a duckboarded highway for large sections. There are some older boggy bits though (Windemere to Pelion and Kia-ora to Waterfall Valley turnoff) which could warrant some mud / debris and extra snake likelihood protection. The Main use for me as mentioned earlier is the lesser used sidetrips like Pelion West which is pretty scrubby on the legs. Even Oakleigh is a gaither area even though it gets heaps of traffic. The only snake I saw last time in March was on the last day half way along the Lake near Echo Pt.
Take them and wear them.

[Watertank]

The Answer. I finished the OT today. I took my gaiters and wore them from about the second day. Some folk managed without them but they made it much easier trudging through mud and water and calmed my mind just as I stopped before stepping on a snake... Thanks for all the helpful advice. And wow what a great walk!

[Onestepmore]

Sounds like you enjoyed your trip. You're in the club now!
I can't wait till Feb