Gaiters for taipans

[daintreeboy]

So at me recent local town show I watched the snake show which the guy got out several dangerous snakes with the most notable dangerous snake in my area being the coastal taipan. Apparently these things have the longest fangs of any snake in Australia and will bite through just about anything!!! not to mention they are extremely quick and aggressive. This all got me thinking and now very worried I'm walking through rainforest off track completely in scrub where lots of time my feet are going through rotten logs etc and im unprotected other than shoes. Now looking at a pair of gaiters that might stop a taipan bite? Does such a thing exist? Id also hope they help with wait a while cuts as well. On a weekend walk off track I saw 2 snakes one being a massive python and one being a black snake that slithered off right in front of me.

[north-north-west]

First thought upon seeing the topic heading was "gee, it'd be a bugger getting them on the taipan." This is how my mind works...

There is a supposedly snakeproof gaiter around - if you use the forum's search function you should be able to find the relevant discussion - but short of wearing armour there are no real guarantees. A standard heavy-duty gaiter is adequate protection in most cases. If they're a bit loose, there's even less chance of envenomation.

Snakes generally aren't all that aggressive towards humans. A serious bite almost invariably will happen only if you disturb or harass them. After all, there's no point wasting venom on something they can't eat, so if you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone.

[trekker76]

Daintreeboy, I'd never dissuade anyone from safety gear, the more the merrier, but can say the 20 odd years I grew up in the region, and having returned here the last few, I have not seen anyone wearing them. This includes farmers, plantation workers, DPI, rangers , army(which I was in) and pig hunters.

Again I will never try and talk people out of safety gear but the way I see it is Snakes are fairly sensitive creatures, they can hear the approach of great lumbering mammals too large to eat and its an evolutionary benefit for them to move out of the way before you arrive and cause them potential crush injury. I think for every snake you do see, there may have been another dozen you never got to see, then the ones vanishing as you saw.

Another is in the rainforest, even off trail, often you can see the ground , compared to say grassland where you don't know exactly what you are putting your foot onto. Heavy rainforest especially, the necessity is you are scrutinizing the terrain to get through it, not just plodding along, speed may be down to just a few hundred metres an hour, a lot of time to scope the ground ahead, and for snakes to hear you. Normal safety provisos hold of course. I keep my eyes open on the trail, which is good practice anyway for stable foot placement, especially in the morning when snakes may be sluggish. I empty my boots before putting them on in the morning as snakes may crawl into things during the night for warmth( banana plantations are a classic, they wrap the bunches in plastic sacks for protection. When you go to cut them down in the morning, often out falls a sleeping snake ) and I prefer not to be tromping about in the later hours when I can't see the ground and critters start hunting.

Let us know what you come up with of course, would be interesting to see. I find wait a while is handled well enough with long trousers. I usually get some cuts building up at the outside of the back crease of the knee which is a bit high for gaiters anyway. Also long clothes are necessary if you are go hard off trail and crossing clearings or creeks etc as stinging trees will grow any area they can get a little sunlight.

[ofuros]

Better off with pressure bandage + Plb for a worst case scenario...and use the lighter bushwalking gaitors for scratchy, trippy, viney & spiny rainforest walks.
I've had heaps of snake encounters over the years, none have struck at me...reared their heads, but never a strike.

There is a couple of dedicated H/Duty snake gaitors out there on Aussie market...

[daintreeboy]

Thanks guys, I came across these called snake protex gaiters which are supposedly tested on taipans..... I realise you are probably more likely to have a tree fall on you in the rainforest however for $140 it may just save me and keep my wife happy.

[trekker76]

Mate give them a go and see how you like them. The other issue I can see is heat retention, not sure how these breathe when its 40+. For full leg protection from scratchies you will need trousers anyway or pants long enough to overlap the top of the gaiters, so it might get hot in summer.

[Aardvark]

Nothing is guaranteed. I go through rainforest, off track, and sometimes quite quick. Never been bitten. A few strikes over the decades.
I use bushwalking gaiters and shorts. I would always have doubt about snake proof gaiters and have never bought them for that reason. Any gaiter does give peace of mind when off track. Albeit misguided.
Keen to hear of someone who has tried those from Hunters Element. www.hunterselement.com.au/collections/gaiters.
They appear a snug fit which is bothersome.

[Stew63]

First thought upon seeing the topic heading was "gee, it'd be a bugger getting them on the taipan."

Snakes generally aren't all that aggressive towards humans.

Except for Eastern Brownies - they scare the sh1t out of me as they get agro in the blink of an eye.

[potato]

10 or years ago, the part of a group I was traveling with was chased back to a car by an Inland Taipan when we stopped for a break in the middle of Moon Plain SA. This snake was highly aggressive and kept close to the vehicle unit it drove off. I'm rather glad I got to see one in the wild (from the safety of my hilux) as they beautiful creatures.

I had a similar experience with a snake living in a fallen tree near Tin Mine Hut in KNP. It gave a good chase and I wasn't the only person chased as it was well documented in the huts log book. From memory the book said it was a tiger but I didn't test my luck going back to have a 2nd look.

Other than that, I've seen many snakes raise their head but most tend to get out of the way rather quickly.

[markg]

Just get some Snake Protex and relax. Little discomfort is better than possibly a bite from one of the worlds deadliest snakes. Moroka 30 make a snake gaiter too. Hopefully you won't come face to face with Mr Taipan.

[Wollemi]

$190 for one pair of gaiters. (At 250g - each gaitor). Crikey.
Maybe consider these, at $72 pair; https://www.anacondastores.com/footwear ... 50QAvD_BwE

[Aardvark]

Anaconda? are you having a laugh?
You get what you pay for.
$72 will get you a snake bite.
You can get that for free if you want.

[photohiker]

Anaconda? are you having a laugh?
You get what you pay for.
$72 will get you a snake bite.
You can get that for free if you want.

Just so people realise.

The Quagmire gaiters are sold by a variety of places including Mountain Designs, Snowy's, Paddy Pallin, Anaconda etc. They are made by 'Sea to Summit' and they are their hardest version of them, 'Quagmire'.

Some gaiters well made with parts is better than nothing, but no gaiters are 100% perfect including the Protex, the Hunterselement, or the Quagmire etc.

I use gaiters to keep out the grass parts, dirt, water, and stones out of my shoes walking around the hills. Occasionally see snakes but try to keep between them on my walks.

[slparker]

This subject comes up every couple of years. Snakebites are rare and, when they do occur, 50% are 'dry' bites containing no venom. Even when envenomated you will most likely survive with early correct first aid, although there is a subset of victims of brown snake bites who arrest within a couple of minutes.

Despite the zealous marketing, there is no evidence that special gaiters confer a real world benefit over standard gaiters, given the biomechanics of snak3 bite; I.e. rear wards facing fangs resulting in a shallow bite. Many people have said that simply wearing loose trousers confers a protection given that the fangs would hook into the fabric, I wouldn’t like to test this theory and, too my knowledge this aspect of Australian snake biting has not been studied well.

Given the low risk of being bitten, the moderate risk of envenomation when being bitten and th3 high survivability when treated correctly I wonder why anyone but a snake catcher or someone exposed to greater than ordinary risk would require special precautions.

Obviously 'peace of mind' is a real world benefit of wearing gaiters but I would be curious to know if anyone reading the forum has ever been bitten by a snake when bushwalking? Despite the 'i was chased by a snake' stories I have yet to hear of an actual strike on a limb resulting in envenomation from a bush walker on this site.

[daintreeboy]

Thanks everyone the snake protex gaiters should arrive this week. They may just be a placebo affect but I will feel more comfortable with them. Saw another snake on the weekend off track a couple of metres in front of me 860m up on a mountain in the rainforest was black colour the other walker I was with thought it might be a red belly black? That's 3 snakes (not taipans thank god) that Ive seen in 2 weekend walks in a row off track. Going off track certainly has a little more excitement then the paved trails including a wild boar which took off a million miles an hour

[trekker76]

There are quite a few RBB snakes around. As to comfort, let us know how they feel come summer. Everything needs to pass the summer comfort test here.Not many people do off trail in summer here anyway, well apart from drug growers and pig hunters so it may never be a problem for you. But I have a feeling that's when the real test will be mate.

[msrlo]

hunting snake proof gaiters


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCpWeql4yIY

[Heremeahappy1]

Im in Vic, bushwalk frequently. My many and varied snake experiences stand for naught for those who believe they require a particular level of protection.
Save your money for a car service, new tires or a blue tooth mic. Stats tell us the car trip to a walk is more likely to kill than a wriggler.

[bigwallclimber]

So at me recent local town show I watched the snake show which the guy got out several dangerous snakes with the most notable dangerous snake in my area being the coastal taipan. Apparently these things have the longest fangs of any snake in Australia and will bite through just about anything!!! not to mention they are extremely quick and aggressive. This all got me thinking and now very worried I'm walking through rainforest off track completely in scrub where lots of time my feet are going through rotten logs etc and im unprotected other than shoes. Now looking at a pair of gaiters that might stop a taipan bite? Does such a thing exist? Id also hope they help with wait a while cuts as well. On a weekend walk off track I saw 2 snakes one being a massive python and one being a black snake that slithered off right in front of me.

I spent 17 years in Infantry, never walked on tracks and we went through undisturbed bush and in that time I had to deal with one snake bite (not me). We would spend 8 - 9 months of the year minimum in the scrub.

Just go with your normal gaiters, the chances are very low but as others have said pressure bandage and PLB. I do the same now I am not in the Army but also look where I am stepping most of the time.

[trekker76]

what army was that, never walked on tracks and 9 months minimum in scrub??

[CBee]

Curious that all my close encounters with snakes happened on track.

[north-north-west]

Curious that all my close encounters with snakes happened on track.

Not uncommon. They like open, flat, sunny spots.

[ribuck]

Curious that all my close encounters with snakes happened on track.

Not uncommon. They like open, flat, sunny spots.

And you're moving faster when you're on track, so snakes are less likely to have moved away before you get there.

[CBee]

And you're moving faster when you're on track, so snakes are less likely to have moved away before you get there.

True. But on a track you have a far greater chance to see them before hand. I have come across some snakes coiled on the bottom of high grass and almost stepped on them.

[north-north-west]

True. But on a track you have a far greater chance to see them before hand. I have come across some snakes coiled on the bottom of high grass and almost stepped on them.

I have thrice stepped on tiger snakes when off track. The reaction (theirs) was always the same - flinch a little and crawl deeper into the scrub. My reaction was the same each time also, but mostly not printable.

[trekker76]

And you're moving faster when you're on track, so snakes are less likely to have moved away before you get there.

True. But on a track you have a far greater chance to see them before hand. I have come across some snakes coiled on the bottom of high grass and almost stepped on them.

The OP wont encounter much high grass in the rainforest, on the verges is about it. Funnily my closest encounters with snakes are on tracks because I am plodding away, mind in nuetral. They suddenly move, then I move

[Warin]

Funnily my closest encounters with snakes are on tracks because I am plodding away, mind in nuetral.

Yep. I think the snakes too are resting if not actually sleeping, so both minds are in 'neutral'.

As a guide (do what I say not what I do kind of thing), stopping every ~100 meters on a track and turning right around to get a good view can be helpful to get the mind out of neutral. Of course if your fogged in or obstructed from a view in some other way the motivation is not there.

[Neo]

My tasgear gaiters are fantastic.

Saw on telly this week, adders have the longest fangs. Not true adders, just look the part being shorter and stout, sit and wait for prey to go by.

Most other Aussie snakes have very short stabbers.

[Kuhr]

I have had a pair of the snakeprotex gaiters for some 18 months ago. Below is a link that shows exactly the pair I have:

https://highlandsworkwear.com.au/produc ... ve-gaiters

A green pair, which are nearly knee high and open at the top. My impressions are here:

PROS:
The gaiters are rugged and durable as all hell - these have taken a beating from varied terrain over time, including wait-a-while, stinging bushes, razor sharp jagged rock with not so much as a thread out of place. So their terrain protection capability is excellent. They apparently have several layers to prevent not only fang penetration, but venom dripping through should they become pierced. The rubber loop under the boots has been trod on many times but shows few signs of wear and is also very rugged. They also zip downwards, which supposedly prevents the zipper from repeatedly unzipping. Incidentally these gaiters are also excellent protection for yard work, particularly using a line trimmer. I would not be surprised if these are popular with council workers.

CONS:
The gaiters are heavy, very heavy. They are also very hot, and moisture tends to build up quickly within them - they do not seem breathable at all, I suspect because the layers that prevent venom dripping through also prevent moisture getting out. Because they are open at the top, in any sort of rainfall they tend to act as a funnel for water to your boots - and over time they tend to sag slightly, especially when wet and during rain, often the loop at the bottom will slip off from under the boot. The zip which zips downwards for some reason tends to unzip upwards over time up to 3-4cm. This is not much but creates an opening for which you are not protected from snakebite. True the odds of a snake hitting that exact point are even more astronomically small than your chance of getting bitten in the first place, but if you bought these because you feared getting bitten, this extra chance against you is not comforting.

The overall truth is that most of the time I hate wearing them, because of their weight, non breath ability, funnelling of moisture into my boots, and tendency to sag and slip off at the bottom.

However in certain conditions, ie scrub bashing routes, and/or routes where there is a large amount of jagged razor sharp rock present, I love these to bits, because there isn't anything getting through to my legs no matter how rough it is. So in these situations, these are highly recommended. I guess this would be true also in dense and/or high grass areas, where I cannot see where I am stepping well and I am worried stepping on snakes - which these are actually designed to prevent.

Final word - these are highly situational gaiters.

[daintreeboy]

I have had a pair of the snakeprotex gaiters for some 18 months ago. Below is a link that shows exactly the pair I have:

https://highlandsworkwear.com.au/produc ... ve-gaiters

A green pair, which are nearly knee high and open at the top. My impressions are here:

PROS:
The gaiters are rugged and durable as all hell - these have taken a beating from varied terrain over time, including wait-a-while, stinging bushes, razor sharp jagged rock with not so much as a thread out of place. So their terrain protection capability is excellent. They apparently have several layers to prevent not only fang penetration, but venom dripping through should they become pierced. The rubber loop under the boots has been trod on many times but shows few signs of wear and is also very rugged. They also zip downwards, which supposedly prevents the zipper from repeatedly unzipping. Incidentally these gaiters are also excellent protection for yard work, particularly using a line trimmer. I would not be surprised if these are popular with council workers.

CONS:
The gaiters are heavy, very heavy. They are also very hot, and moisture tends to build up quickly within them - they do not seem breathable at all, I suspect because the layers that prevent venom dripping through also prevent moisture getting out. Because they are open at the top, in any sort of rainfall they tend to act as a funnel for water to your boots - and over time they tend to sag slightly, especially when wet and during rain, often the loop at the bottom will slip off from under the boot. The zip which zips downwards for some reason tends to unzip upwards over time up to 3-4cm. This is not much but creates an opening for which you are not protected from snakebite. True the odds of a snake hitting that exact point are even more astronomically small than your chance of getting bitten in the first place, but if you bought these because you feared getting bitten, this extra chance against you is not comforting.


Hi mate thanks for that great review. I have ordered the new generation ones they are black I believe and supposed to be a bit lighter than the older green ones? Anyway will see how I go. Hopefully they have fixed the zip issue only time will tell I guess. I will most likely only wear them when I'm bush bashing, in saying that I'm doing more bush bashing than actual trails.
The overall truth is that most of the time I hate wearing them, because of their weight, non breath ability, funnelling of moisture into my boots, and tendency to sag and slip off at the bottom.

However in certain conditions, ie scrub bashing routes, and/or routes where there is a large amount of jagged razor sharp rock present, I love these to bits, because there isn't anything getting through to my legs no matter how rough it is. So in these situations, these are highly recommended. I guess this would be true also in dense and/or high grass areas, where I cannot see where I am stepping well and I am worried stepping on snakes - which these are actually designed to prevent.

Final word - these are highly situational gaiters.