Kahtoola  MICROspikes Traction System

I run and hike a lot of local trails that tend to get packed down and/or extremely icy due to lots of use, and some are quite steep. I'd tried other cheaper traction devices and they worked okay MOST of the time, but were never 100% trustworthy. Meaning, they'd slip on occasion or even fall off on steeper terrain. I've had none of those problems with my Kahtoonas. They grip even the hardest, steepest ice every time, and you don't even notice you're wearing them while running. Snug fit, very minimal extra weight, and the confidence to run and hike on ice and hard-packed snow as if it were the middle of summer. One of the best investments I've ever made.

These worked amazing on packed snow and also one ice. Used them at the Ice Caves last weekend. Walked on all kinds of ice and snow surfaces, never once slipped. Perfect on solid ice. Never had snow build up in them. Easy to pull over boot. I have a size 11 winter boot, and the large was perfect. Girlfriend has a size 8 smaller winter boot, she had on the Medium but I think a Small would have fit too. They are big and the rubber does stretch a lot. They are great, I was very happy with them. Spend the extra money to get the better product! In this case you will be happy you got the MicroSpikes!

Hooked on these traction devices! The one piece elastomer binding slips onto the boots with ease and remains snug and unmoving throughout hours and miles of varied terrain and conditions(up/down, snow, ice, mud, rock, etc.). Stainless steel teeth aggressively bite into and grip that terrain too while the connecting chains add secondary traction. A must for winter hiking. Works best on bare ice and frozen ground with minimal or powdery snow cover where the teeth can work as designed. Works worst in above freezing and deeper snow accumulations where soft and sticky snow tends to compact and ball up between the teeth and chains requiring periodic clearing. The pros far outweigh the cons though. Highly recommended!

These were a Christmas present years ago for walking my dogs and they are wonderful in new england winters where you never know what the conditions are going to be from moment to moment. I wear them everyday for my hour plus walks in the nearby parks whenever there's going to be some ice or snow on the ground. They've gotten a lot of use in all kinds of conditions: gravel, rocky paths, slush, deep snow, smooth ice, lumpy ice, (usually several conditions combined) and they're still in perfect shape. They stay on my feet and give me grip. They aren't great on paved parking lots but they're so easy to take on and off I usually put them on right on the trail. I love my kahtoolas.

I use these in Alaskan cities, towns and bush villages. These are on the more agressive side of the many more-or-less urban traction aids available for boots & shoes, and can reach through substantial new/loose snow to reach the underlying packed snow or ice. OTOH, they are awkward once you come to a bare spot, or hard glare ice, for the same reason. The rubber parts are much more substantial than other types. Good security is the plus; bulk and a narrow fit range are the minuses. Be sure to try these on the boots you intend to use them on. Recommended as a part of one's winter walking tools; not always appropriate, but very useful over a narrow range of conditions.

I LOVE this product. I purchased them after doing a 14ner in CO and watching the guy in front of me sail down the snowy icy trail in his spikes as I slipped and slid along. My first use was on Mt. Sterling in the Smoky Mountains and they did great. We started out in snow and ice and as we descended it became slushy wet leaves for 6 miles and they performed perfectly. I was worried that they would be uncomfortable or feel weird when on rock or hard surfaces but did not feel them at all through my Asolo boots...may have been a different story with a softer boot.

I bought these immediately after yaktrax pro when I was training for and competing in the Frozen Snot. I bragged them up to other hiking friends and a half dozen more pairs have been bought. We all LOVE them - so durable, easy to slip on and off and they stay put. They have excellent traction and are tough suckers - google frozen snot and check out "the beast" these got me up without a single bent tooth. They still look as good as the day I bought them. They do not work well in soft sticky snow as they gum up, but give me rocky, icy and steep terrain and these will get you up the mountain. Very compact and not that heavy to add to your gear.

These traction devices are the next best thing to full crampons. I have worn them on very long climbs on Colorado 14ers in snowy, icy and rocky conditions. They have just enough bite that you can walk easily on solid ice. They also are small enough that walking on rock/dirt isn't a problem. The are of course not for any technical work, but for trail hiking, they are wonderful. Like any traction device, they don't help that much in true powder snow. They also tend to ball up if the snow/ice is slushy or muddy. A quick smack with your pole fixes that though. These are well worth the cost. There's simply no comparison between them and the cheaper models that just have a coiled spring, etc. These are a great middle ground between those cheap models and real crampons.

I just used these on 4 miles in snow up to 12". I had carried them for several weeks in my pack in a canvas shopping bag several times and finally got a worthy chance to put them on. Mainly broken trail snow here in the Sandias. The spikes performed flawlessly, only slipping in powdery stretches where the sheets broke like baby avalanches. I kept them on descending the lower stretches and they were good on mud and rock too. I could feel the extra tension in the cross-training shoe and my left big toe has to get used to that. Definitely a must have for snow and ice environments.

The Kahtoola Microspikes are intended to be attached to hiking boots during winter conditions, in order to provide better traction. The Microspikes provide excellent traction on ice and snow, some traction in slush, and little or no traction in mud. Microspikes can be worn on trails of clay, sand, or loose gravel. Use on hard surfaces, such as asphalt or concrete, is not recommended, as the hard surfaces and spike tips will both take a beating. If the proper size is purchased, the Microspikes will not shift around, and they do not affect the comfort or fit of the boots to which they are attached. Microspikes are intended to fit snuggly to the user's boots, so can be a bit challenging to attach or remove.