Until I was a Hash House Harrier member I had never heard of Gators. This is a brand name of a type of things that covers your shoe and sock and skin and man oh man does it make a huge difference in comfort as far as running or just walking in the jungle is concerned.
There are many different styles of these things but the ones that I have and that I purchased after not having them for a long time and regretting that decision, are made of some sort of material that feels almost like plastic and almost nothing can stick to it.
I don't know if you call them spurs, burs, nettles, prickles, or whatever, but they are a part of nature and are super annoying when they get all up in your shoes.
There's lot of different kinds of these things but the one pictured above is likely the worst kind. These things just seem to gravitate towards anything that it can it simply will not let go. The spikes dig into your foot through your sock and they seriously hurt. There are other kinds that flake off of a plant as your foot makes contact with it, and there are other sorts of plants that will just straight up cut you on the trail as well.
Even if you don't get cut by them, good luck ever getting them all out of there. They just try like crazy to stay put and refuse to leave. You basically have to spend a long time pulling them out one by one.
Now the ones on the laces, there really isn't anything that can be done about that, but with Gators, you can keep them out of your socks and out of the top of your shoes where you are most likely to be affected by them.
I'm sure there are some luxury brands for this sort of thing but from what I have seen here in Chiang Mai, there really isn't a difference between the 50 dollar ones I've seen, and the $3 ones. I think it is just all about letting people know you have money because yours says "Patagonia" on it instead of nothing.
I'm not like that. I have the cheapest ones you can imagine and I love them. I haven't had a single instance of a burr or sand spur getting caught in my socks ever since starting to use them.
You don't have to be a Hasher to appreciate this sort of thing. You just need to be the kind of person that enjoys nature and doesn't like having their feet cut up. I would get some if you spend any sort of time outdoors. Now what are we going to do about the dogs that come along on our runs? They get covered in these things worse than any socks do!
We are still doing 3 runs a week at minimum. If you are ever in Chiang Mai and want to meet some great friends and have a jungle adventure, come and join us!