C.A.M.P.  Stalker Universal Crampons

This was my first set of crampons for the Angeles National Forest and surrounding areas. Snow varies from hard-packed/ice to 1-2 ft. deep. These crampons are great for the price. Easy to put on my regular Lowa boots. After adjusting the sizing bar, just step in and tighten. Straps are snug and haven't loosened yet. Tightening them is not easy with gloves on, but they are quick to remove. I feel like a mountain goat with these on, and feel quite secure on the snowy trail. Great product!

Bought this pair for a winter hike from Marion Mountain to San Jacinto (and plan to take them to San Gorgonio, Baldy, Baden-Powell & Whitney). Easier to put on than first suspected; after you mess around with trying it on the first time, I got the hang of it rather quickly. Crampons didn't really have any effect on foot comfort either way. As far as fit goes, definitely try and fit your boots to the crampons before purchase. My size 11 Asolo leather hiking boots fit inside the crampons snugly, almost too snug around the heel -- however, both the plastic toe and heel brackets rotate, and I was able to get a snug and secure fit by pulling heel plate against boot and pulling straps tight to lock brackets into place. A larger heel'd boot may not fit well. Some portions of our hike, we had to cross streams with banks at close to 45-degree grade; using the crampons properly along with ice axes allowed us to traverse the streams and the fragile banks safer than I had expected. All in all, cannot complain at all for the price; for a mixed alpine hike or moderate-to-strenuous climb up mountains during winter/spring, you cannot find a better value option!

Bought these to replace my old-school strap-on crampons that don't work with anything but stiff climbing boots. Was a bit skeptical that such an inexpensive crampon would function well. But this crampon worked great for our climb of Middle Sister! Very light and comfortable; easy to put on and take off (which we had to do several times due to snow conditions); survived a short section over rock without damage. These worked great with my mid-weight hiking/backpacking boots for climbing over snow/glacier routes. We did not have any truly icy conditions, so not sure how well they function on that.

I bought these for spring snow climbs after tiring of borrowing gear from friends. I'm very satisfied with them, especially considering how much less expensive they were than other brands. Durability will take some time to know, but so far they've held up great and performed on par with more expensive Petzl and Grivel models that I've tried.

I bought these crampons for added security during cold mornings on the Cascade volcanos - mostly a planned ascent of Mt. Adams. They worked well for that purpose. The crampons are sharp enough to bite into crusty, hard snow and easy icy patches for added security. You won't be doing alpine ice climbs with these guys, but they definitely added peace of mind on sketchy, icy slopes of moderate angle. One thing to note - if you have a boot with a wide heel, please try them with the crampons first! The heel on the crampon is fairly narrow, and my La Sportiva Thunder IIs barely fit, though I wear a 12.5 so they are fairly big to begin with. They are heavy - but cheap! At least the option exists compared to the expensive Grivels for people only using them a few times per year like me.

I purchased these because I wanted a cheap crampon (grad student on a budget) and you get what you pay for. They stay on my winter hiking boots quite well for several hours without needing adjustment so I am pleased with this, but they definitely rust (they are not stainless steel!). I've had them for a year or so and almost all of the points on the bottom have significant signs of wear. I try to be careful and rinse/dry them after use, but to no avail! I will continue using these until I run them into the ground, but if you want a long-lasting product I'd go with stainless steel.

I bought these crampons after finally realizing that my microspikes weren't too great for traversing over ice. I was looking for an inexpensive pair, strap on design (for use with hiking boots) and with steel spikes (for durability). Aside from these two things however, I wanted flexibility. Most people you ask will say that crampons should be used with stiff mountaineering or alpine boots so that the crampons don't flex. This pair however has quite flexible center bars which can be used with a rigid hiking boot (Asolo Fugitive GTX in my case). The are however a little bit narrow in the heel; my boots touch all but one of the contact points in the back, but they still stay in place and don't move one bit! I will say that the only downside is that they are tad bit heavy (you'll definitely feel the weight for a bit when your first put them on) and they are not as low profile as the Black Diamonds or Grivels. But still, big bang for your buck!

I goofed people, and didn't try these on my boots in the store. Found out on trail that the heel on my boots (RIE Backpacker II) is too wide for these crampons. I handled some Grivel, Petzl, Balk Diamond in stores also, and when these were on sale last year, it didn't seem there was any reason to pend more money. So as another reviewer stated, the heel on my boots is too wide for these. Lesson learned I guess.

I tried them couple of times on packed snow/ice, ice, snow/ice/rocks and they worked very well. They are a bit heavier, so you will feel them. One thing, I don't like that much - I have small size of boots and front tends to get a bit loose and slip sideways, especially when going uphill. You have to make them really small or to use boot with wide front. Otherwise, for the price, great!

These are a pretty good pair of crampons. I have used these on lots of climbing trips where there was just too much ice to climb without them on. I mostly use these on peak-bagging trips and sometimes peak-skiing trips. They seem to be in pretty good shape after all the hell they've been trough. Overall good for beginner climbers or backpackers who want to get close to the glaciers.