Kahtoola

Four years later: I wrote a review on these awesome spikes on as Anonymous on 1/7/2008 -- it's toward the end of reviews. These have held up beautifully over IN ice and winters. No breaks. I wear them on our tile and hardwood floors, on our cement porch and steps on the way to walk. Dry pavement, rocks, frozen mud, snow, etc...nothing mars these spikes! I was really worried when I first got them but am here to report that 4 years later, they still look brand-new. I store them hanging out of season, and they're hanging by the fireplace to dry after each walk. Great product. Buy two pair and keep one in your car; it's the best money you'll ever spend. Pay attention to sizing and they'll fit great. Fit over my size 11 W snowboots tonight. Still makes a satisfying "crunch" sound when walking. I tell everyone about my Kahtoola microspikes. I posted this Zappos page on the Kahtoola Facebook page. Yours seems to be best price around -- plus free shipping!

These are simply fantastic! Finally, a pair of cleats that are lightweight but tough, easy to put on, take off. They beat anything else out there. I am so pleased. I live on Lake Superior; need I say more? There is lots of ice here. And spring conditions can be hazardous! These were the answer to my "in a perfect world" pair of cleats. Get them. Do not bother with any of the others. I am retired and broke but my health and staying upright at my age is worth every penny!

By far the best ice spikes I've ever owned. I live in northern Alaska, wind polished ice was a huge problem and very dangerous in 80+ mph wind storms. Not anymore, 100% rock solid traction 100% of the time. I wouldn't trade my Kahatoola MICROspikes for any other ice spikes bar none!

These are the absolute best traction spikes. They go onto your shoes easily, and last a long time. This is my second pair, and I walk about 4-5 miles a day in them in the winter. The first pair lasted a few years until I came down hard on an exposed rock and broke a metal link.

I got these to replace my last set of spikes which were the ones you stretch over your shoe. I wanted something that would hold up to real hiking. The Kahtoola's rock! I have used them on a few winter hikes now and they are great in snow awesome on ice and even give good traction on rock/boulders without feeling weird. I know the price is a bit steep but the seem like they will far outlast any micro spikes and definitely give more traction. So if you like winter hiking and the snow does not call for snow shoes, you need these.

Perfect for New Year's Day Grand Canyon Snow hike. Comfortable and great traction on ice and snow. Speedy Zappos delivery as usual.

These are great and really keep you stable during ice and snow events! They are easy to slip onto your snow shoes and feel very natural. A real lifesaver when you have to walk around on snow and ice.

After much comparisons of the YakTrax and the MICROspikes, I went with the MICROspikes, as they seemed to have better durability based on customer reviews. I've used them running on snowy and muddy trails, and walking around slippery winter streets. They're great! I feel like I could climb a wall with these things on! I do think they're best used on trails and cross-country, unless you've got a thick ice patch to walk across on cement. I worried about dulling the spikes when the ice got pretty thin or disappeared in patches altogether, leaving me walking on just the pavement. YakTrax would be better for that situation, in my humble opinion. These slipped on and off easily, but stayed well-put for a 4 mile run on snowy and muddy trails. You just need to remember to lift your feet a little higher, or you can trip on the spikes (or maybe it's just klutzy me!).

Wore these recently on a winter hike in the Adirondacks. They work great! With only light snow cover over ice, Microspikes were much better than snowshoes.

This is the one that everyone should have in their bag or purse during ice cold season. No more worries.

Have to admit that I haven't actually used these on the trail, yet. I first saw them being used by other hikers on a trip into Grand Canyon last January. After watching them in use, seeing the ease with which they went on and off and hearing hikers speak highly of the traction they provide, had to get some for myself. They are very easy to put on and seem much more secure on my boots than other traction devices (Yaktrax & Stabilicers Lite) that I've used. The chains on the bottom are much less likely to fail than the rubber on Yaktrax (have had the steel coils cut thru the rubber when walking on rocky sections of trail). Looking forward to giving them a workout.

Lived up to their high ratings on various internet sites. Relatively easy to stretch on, and very easy to take off. Held well in ice and 6-8" of snow, and on soft trails and rocks. Spikes are very durable, even if walking across asphalt.If you are between sizes on the sizing chart, go for the smaller one as it will stretch for a tighter fit.

The micro spikes are the best for outdoors hiking in icy conditions. Take it from someone who slides all over the place when hiking in winter. My micro spikes are a necessity!

I have tried several traction devices and these are the best by far! They fit over your boot, not just around the edge so they stay on securely. The flexible chain link design sheds snow build up better than others. They perform best on packed snow and ice where snowshoes aren't needed. I now have two sets, one for me and one to loan out.

After being dissatisfied with Yaktrax (insufficient grip) and Stabilicers (screws won't stay in) I found two Kahtoola products that I am happy with. I hike 2 miles around a reservoir with the dog EVERY day, all year long. I have been doing this for years. In winter, the trail becomes hard packed and icy. There are a variety of icy conditions to be encountered over the course of a winter. I have had the aluminium crampons for a year now. It took some time to get the strap adjustment right but once finalized, the crampons are stable and comfortable. Grip on snow is super. Grip on hard ice is sufficient. I actually prefer the grip of my Kahtoola microspikes on hard ice. The microspikes are a bit sharper and harder and seem to better penetrate glare ice. It may be that the steel version of these crampons holds better on hard ice. I find that the microspikes perform better over a broader range of conditions. In addition, the microspikes are less likely to injure the dog who is always under foot. One warning, I once caught the spike of one crampon against the strap of the other and took a nasty fall. More my fault than the crampon's. Overall, I am very satisfied with these crampons and look forward to many years of use.

As a recent transfer from California to Frosty Central NY, I tried numerous products to increase my traction on the snowy trails. My purpose was simply in training on the somewhat packed snow of the Erie Canal Tow path - a long and flat dirt/gravel pathway. I first tried the YakTrax Pro which markedly improved my traction over bare shoes. I then tried the Kahtoola Microspikes which I believe improved traction a deal more - which is logical given the much more prominent spikes - but it wasn't to the point that I ditched my YakTrax. I went back and forth between the two products for several weeks (largely because getting the YakTrax on an off of a pair of shoes was difficult enough that I just left them on) and came to the conclusion that the Microspikes did a slightly better job on flat terrain. They went on and off shoes easier and I could even do it with a pair of gloves on. On the downside, my left foot often scurbs my right ankle or the collar of my right shoe while running, and with the MICROspikes on, this allowed the links of the chain to scrub my ankle once in a while. The first few times are hardly noticeable but by the 25th time this happens, it HURT! This may be a non-factor for others with a better stride (the collar of my right shoe often gets worn away within 20 miles or so when I'm running in the summer so obviously I have a stride issue). Nevertheless, when it came time for my 24-hour race on the tow path, I ditched the MICROspikes in favor of the non-painful YakTrax Pro. The MICROspike appear to be significantly more durable than the YakTrax Pro but they are also more costly so you would need to balance this for yourself. Lastly, the MICROspikes would be very cumbersome to wear on asphalt for any length of time beyond simply crossing a road due to the prominent spikes. I was worried the spikes would bend under such force but that never happened. Other reviews I read indicated some people had problems with the products coming off - I had no such issue with either product and have put many hundred miles on both. I did find that I often looked down to make sure they were still on as you do tend to lose any feeling of them (probably a good thing).

These Microspikes give one the confidence to tackle almost any slippery situation. I owned Yaxtrax before and never did feel the same level of confidence. I would recommend the Microspikes to anyone that wants a quick and easily applied traction device.

These traction devices work very well. They are easy to put on and do not come off like some other products I have seen. They really grip on solid ice. The only issue I had was when walking on bare uneven rocks a chain link got bent and fell off. I had to swap them out for another pair.

These are absolutely outstanding for traction on ice and hard pack snow. They fit perfectly over trail shoes and boots...I use mine on Montrail running shoes. They really dig in for superior traction on even the slickest surface. The only downfall is that they do not work well if there is a combo of ice and dry pavement as the latter will quickly wear down the micro-spikes.

Very happy with the product. First use was while shoveling my icy driveway. No slipping. Can’t wait to try them on an icy trail! Only comment is do not wear them on concrete floor since they will not grip on the smooth hard surface.