Customer Reviews Kahtoola MICROspikes

Excellent light traction - These are a big improvement over Stabilicers, which serve essentially the same purpose (traction on thin ice in shoulder seasons, when full crampons are overkill, but bare boots leave you vulnerable to slipping), but are more awkward to put on and take off and bulkier to carry. They snap onto boots quickly and easily and provide great grip. Easy to carry and light in weight. Highly recommended for late fall and early spring in the mountains.

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.

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 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.

Brought these on the John Muir Trail this past summer. The record breaking, and late, snowfall made July travel on the JMT extremely snowy, and I considered bringing full crampons. No need! These excelled in the early morning ice and soft afternoon. Several passes I wore them for 6-8 miles straight, and they showed no sign of wear. I think they'd last another trip or two on the JMT! Bought another pair for my wife and I to do some trail hiking in local mountains. Except for deep snow conditions (snowshoes/skis needed) these are now my go to equipment!

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!