KahtoolaMICROspikes Footwear Traction for Winter Trail Hiking & Ice Mountaineering

I held off buying these for a long time because I never thought I needed them for the few snowy hikes I do early season here in the PNW. I ended up getting them for a super steep hike that I knew I would have trouble stabilizing on the way down and my knees had been having issues. If you are on the fence, BUY THEM. They are worth having even if you do one epic climb/hike and end up using them. It was SO much easier to make it up, but really saved my knees and legs going down from potential injury because they worked so well. The only time I would say none of this type of gear works is low elevations where the temp is well above freezing and you're starting to get melt out, then really, nothing works and you might slide a little but even these held up for a good amount of slush at some points. Easy system to get on and off for varied terrain! Compact and light to fit in a jacket pocket. Great traction. WAAAy better than something like Yaktrax.

These work great in the snow and ice.

These are so awesome!! I hiked a really steep and slippery climb in Zion National Park called Angels Landing in the winter time where most of the trail was covered in ice and or snow. The drop on either side of the narrow trail atop a slice of canyon wall was about 1500 feet down to either side. I wouldn't have been able to make it to the top without these. I wasn't even nervous with them on. I felt like a mountain goat, my feet were super sticky even on the ice and snow. I debated between these and YakTrax and I am so glad I picked these. I saw other climbers who had made it to the top with Yaktrax and then they busted! Which to be up there without any harnesses and now no traction footwear would be terrifying. I watched them basically slide down the cliff on their belly, the whole time thanking the Lord I got the microspikes. Lol.In my opinion, Yaktrax are great for home or everyday use, out walking the neighborhood or shoveling the driveway BUT if you intend to do any winter activities or varied terrain go for these. I noticed that the Yaktrax were breaking when people got to terrain that didn't have any snow or ice and were walking on rock. They did fine on the snow but if walking on hard ground without any give the springs would cut into the rubber and cut it. There is no where on the miscrospikes that the metal meets the rubber where you are putting any pressure which I think is the main reason they are more reliable or sturdier. I liked these so much that I wore them pretty much everywhere I went in Utah during the winter, even though I knew it probably looked dorky.

Excellent product. Size XL fits my 11 boots nicely. Wraps around the boot very well...does not want to come off while walking. Excellent grip on very slippery surfaces..sheet ice. Comfortable to walk on. But this is not a product for slippery city street if you are in dress clothes. Yaktraks might be better for urban wear. Best for winter hiking on slippery surfaces. Deep snow can stick to the spikes, I used silicon lube spray from the hardware store to keep that to a minimum, but for deep snow, better off with snowshoes or better yet some backwoods x-crounty skis.Be advised I only have about 15 miles/ 2 months on these, so I don't know how they will hold up to higher mileage and time. With all the snow we have, I'm on skis most of the time.Hope that helps.

When my Yaktrax wore out and broke, I quickly found myself on Amazon, shopping for another pair. That's when I realized that there are other shoe chains available. I'm not sure what sold me on the MicroSpikes in particular, but I'm extremely happy that something did. They are a HUGE upgrade from the Yaktrax. I feel much safer doing my hikes up the side of my favorite local snowy/icy mountain that is life-threatening without shoe chains (the Yaktrax did okay, but didn't provide the secure footing that MicroSpikes do... and the Yaktrax slipped off on occasion, and needed to be re-mounted). The rubber the MicroSpikes are made of is amazing. It feels soft, and is extremely easy to mount to your boots (it stretches very easily), but has never slipped off or out of place once. Plus, it has done no damage to my boots. And that's after doing about 50 miles of snow and ice climbing/hiking so far. The rubber really captures your boot by wrapping high on the sides and over the top, whereas the Yaktrax only mount to the sides (clearly the reason for their slipping off on occasion). Wearing the Microspikes on hard surfaces will increase your height a bit, whereas Yaktrax are very low profie, and you forget you're wearing them. Another huge plus is the way the MicroSpikes attach to my backpack. There are slots at the front and back of the MicroSpikes that are the perfect size and location to feed the straps at the bottom of my backpack through them, so that they are held flat against the pack, and can drip-dry when necessary. It's just amazing that it worked out that way when I'm not sure it was an intentional design. I couldn't be happier with my MicroSpikes. In fact, after recommending them to my sister, she bought a pair for her husband, who in turn, bought her a pair... so I'm responsible for three purchases of these so far, and everyone is very, very happy with them. Still, I think I will buy another pair of Yaktrax, because they are very easy to drive a car with while wearing, and are extremely small to store. And when something is easy to store, you're likely to have it when you need it unexpectedly. But my MicroSpikes are sure to be used the most. They deserve seven stars. I wish that was an option.