How to Measure for Half Chaps

To measure for half chaps you need two numbers: your calf around its widest point, and your leg height up to the back of the knee. Sit with your knee bent at 90 degrees, wear the pants you ride in, and have a helper hold a cloth tape. Then follow the method of the brand whose size chart you use, because brands measure height in different ways.

This tutorial is part of our guide to motorcycle leather chaps.

What half chaps are (and what they aren't)

Half chaps are leather gaiters that run from the ankle to just below the knee. Horse riders wear them over short paddock boots, and they usually close with a zipper or hook-and-loop on the outside. They give grip and keep sweat and the stirrup leather off the leg. Motorcycle gear shops sell them too.

Watch the name. Some western riders call chinks "half-chaps": those hang from the waist and stop 2-4 in (5-10 cm) below the knee, so they are measured like chaps, not gaiters. If you want full-length leg cover from the waist down, use how to measure for full-length leather chaps instead.

Tools and setup

• A flexible cloth tape measure
• A helper, for the most accurate numbers
• A straight, sturdy chair
• The pants you ride in. Motorcycle riders measure over their pants or jeans; a thicker or thinner pant changes how the half chap fits your calf
• Your riding boots, if the brand's method asks for them (see below)
• Pen and our printable card

Step-by-step

1. Sit down. Sit on the chair with your feet flat on the floor and your knee bent at 90 degrees.
2. Find the widest part of the calf. Have your helper slide the tape up and down the calf to find it.
3. Measure the calf. Wrap the tape around that point and write the number down.
4. Measure the height. Follow your brand's method. Dover Saddlery measures from the floor to the tendon at the back of the knee. Ariat measures from the floor to the back of the knee, then deducts your boot heel height. Team Motorcycle measures from the ankle bone up to the bend in the knee.
5. Match the chart. Find your calf number first, then the height in that row; the point where they meet is your size.
6. Write down how you measured. Note the pants, footwear and height method next to each number, so you can repeat it for the next pair.

Where brands disagree

Two details change from brand to brand, so don't mix one brand's method with another brand's chart.

The footwear point is a real disagreement: Dover says stocking feet, Ariat says boots on with the heel deducted. Use whichever method the chart you are reading comes from.

If you ride a motorcycle in heavy jeans, measure over those jeans, not over thin pants. We are measuring how much the layer changes the number.

How tight should half chaps be?

Snug. New half chaps should feel very snug, with any elastic panel fully engaged. Ariat says they sit high at the back of the knee at first and may even be hard to zip, then stretch and drop slightly. The fit eases over the first few days as the leather molds to your leg.

Loose is the bigger risk. Half chaps that start loose become baggy with wear, and a pair that doesn't fit smoothly over the calf sags, wrinkles and can rub. A 2011 test also noted that stitching at the top limits stretch there, so the top should feel comfortable from day one.

Common mistakes

• Measuring over the wrong layer. Measure over the pants you will ride in, not shorts or thin leggings.
• Mixing methods. Using stocking-feet height on a chart built for boots-on, heel-deducted height.
• Standing up. Dover and Ariat both measure seated with the knee bent at 90 degrees.
• Sizing up "for comfort". Leather stretches; a loose start ends baggy.
• Measuring for the wrong garment. Chinks hang from the waist and are not gaiters.

If you want the whole leg covered

Half chaps stop below the knee. If you want cover from waist to boot, full-length chaps are the other option, and you can read what motorcycle chaps are for before you choose. Some readers also ask whether full chaps count as trousers; see are chaps pants.

Leather Collection does not sell half chaps. Its Leather Collection leather chaps are full-length, in standard or custom sizes.