I use these “boot bands” frequently and have mentioned them before; perhaps it would be good to share a picture and some details. I got this idea from Hugh McManners’ 1995 The Backpackers Handbook (Dorling Kindersley Publishers, New York. 157 pp.), where he suggested them as a means to avoid wet pants- legs. Although I wasn’t concerned about wetness, a light- bulb flashed and I had to try this idea. In my neck of the woods there are denizens of the grass and brush which will crawl up your legs and bite you. The ticks and red- bugs (chiggers) are always hungry. The fire- ants have given me much trouble when pushing a mower in tall grass and weeds. I also worry about spider bites, although those are a less frequent threat. I have tried various wrappings to seal off my pants- legs, with limited success. Duct tape left a gooey mess after the tape was removed. Masking tape broke or didn’t hold well. String or wire couldn’t stretch with movement and tended to come untied. Pony- tail hair bands were too tight. I even tried rubber bands a time or two, but they would get snagged and break. McManners showed rubber bands tucked into an inside pants- cuff. Eureka! That protected them from abrasion and snagging. I usually slip the rubber- bands over my socks before the boots, so less stretching is needed, and I don’t get popped so often by breakages. Pulling rubber- bands over lugged boot- soles can be particularly tricky. Anyway, I just slip on the rubber- band and tuck the pants’ hem under it all around, to form an inside cuff. Short- legged pants with gathered bottoms look a bit funny, but they do the job. Spray bug dope on pants and socks, or treat clothes ahead of time with one of the permethrin- based products. Rubber bands mesh well with my philosophies, too: they are lightweight, simple, cheap, and readily available. I prefer heavier rubber bands, but can double- up two skinny ones and make do. Spare rubber bands are best stored in zip- bags, to avoid oxidation and weakening of the rubber. In addition to crawly- critters, I was pleased to use this technique to keep mosquitoes from flying up my pants- legs; mosquitoes like to hide in my canoe, out of the wind. When I hop into the boat, the banded pants- legs can foil a concentrated swarm of hungry bugs that are just lying in wait, to bite my legs and ankles.
