Kahtoola MICROspikes Footwear Traction for Winter Trail Hiking & Ice Mountaineering

My first pair had more robust rubber and a metal crosspiece up front. As one other reviewer noted, the question is: will this change be as durable?

I am very happy with this purchase. I often go walking in the woods with my dog and had been having issues with ice. I slipped and fell a few times on ice patches that were hidden beneath a thin layer of snow. Worse than falling was when I almost fell but caught myself, wrenching my back or knee in the process. Ice is especially a problem on hills. Since I got these spikes, I can walk on any surface with complete confidence using my normal gait. I dont even bother walking around ice patches anymore. I normally wear these with my hiking boots, which look similar to the boots in the picture on Amazon. They slip on and off easily, about the effort required to put on a pair of socks. If I need to walk on pavement to cross a street, I usually take them off. They are very comfortable when walking on dirt, leaves, ice, and snow. I dont feel the spikes at all. Occasionally, when I walk on a hard surface for an extended period of time, such as crossing a frozen pond, I start to feel the spikes on my feet, so I would guess that these might become less comfortable to wear if you were to use them on solid ice for an extended period of time (like ice-fishing). I have had these for almost a year now. I have worn them about 25 times. So far, no signs of premature wear and tear. Update: I have had these for three years now, and used them through parts of four winters, probably about 100 walks in the woods (no hard-core hiking). The rubber harness on one of them recently broke. It did not break where the chain is attached to the harness, which seems to be pretty well reinforced, it is in the middle of the strap between two chains on the side of the shoe. I fixed it using a zip-tie attached to the two chains, so I am keeping them for now. The metal parts are still like new and there has been no rusting. Still happy with my purchase, but given that these are priced more than double the other similar looking brands, I cant help wondering if the cheaper brand might be a better value. I was partly sold by reviews from people who had them for 6 years, so I am disappointed that mine only lasted 3 years.

Amazing traction on ice! I was worried rocks would be slippery with these on, but it wasnt the case. Great traction even on rocks.

I bought Micro Spikes for my first winter in Bethel, AK. Everyone I asked around here told me to get a product with spikes; the ones with coils on the bottom just dont seem to work here. Ive been walking around sure-footed on the ice ever since I put the Micro Spikes on my boots. Seriously, I feel like I could do the elementary school shuttle run with these things on. They are easy to take off when going in the grocery store. One downfall is that they sometimes catch when walking on metal grating, so step carefully. My girlfriend has been here 3 years, has no ice cleats and refused to let me buy her a pair even after seeing how much I love mine. As luck would have it, she slipped on ice in the driveway and broke her wrist. The break was so bad that it took a flight to Anchorage, a plate and 8 screws to fix. If shed had these Micro Spikes on her boots none of that would have happened. If you walk where its icy, you need these.

I run on snowshoes, yaktrax and now Kahtoolas. While the Kahtoola microspikes are well made, easy to use and durable, they have a possibly fatal flaw. There is a significant and I feel dangerous hole in spike coverage in the center of the back of the heel. The first time I ran with them, all was well because there was a some fresh snow. But when I was running on icy surfaces (which these were designed for given the huge spikes), I was motoring along in blissful ignorance until I headed downhill heel-first. My leg shot out from under me since no metal came in contact with the ice. It scared me to death! If you look at the pic here, you will easily see the dangerous hole in coverage. To avoid slipping, I had to run downhill landing either flatfooted or on my toes to make sure I stick to the ground. Frightening. I plan on modifying my kahtoolas with an extra wire pulling the chains closer together base of the heel like what was done at the toe. I cannot believe that this hole in coverage was not addressed earlier. Unless of course, the primary users/designers dont really run on icy mountains but rather on flat crusty trails. Yet, given the huge spikes and aggressive appearance, its too bad that the heel is so unprotected given that almost every step downhill lands on or near the heel. Oh, but uphill, these things scream. But looking at the picture of the spikes while I write this, I wonder if I put them on backwards it would help since the extra wire connector at the toe was likely a fix from lack of coverage on that end of the shoe.

Compact and light. Surprisingly easy to pull on and off. Not sure how long the rubber will last, but so far, everything is good.

I’ve had old microspikes from Kahtoola that have lasted over 10 years. I decided to buy some new ones to go on winter hikes. Trust me the price is worth it. I purchase other knock off brand spikes and after one hike the chains broke. These ones last a long time and give you great traction

These are the best of all the others out there. Ive tried a few of them. Dont waste your money on the ones with the springs. Living up north in NH, been walking all winter on our dirt roads covered with thick ice since November. These saved my sanity!

I bought this product after the major ice storm that hit tx last year I have not had a chance to use them yet but I am hoping they will keep me from busting my butt all day at work next time we get ice they seem to be well made from what I can tell but you never know till you put them to use

They are easy to put on and remove, they are very stable, grippy, and durable. I bought these for my partner. My own are 5 years old and show no signs of wear (I *do* try to walk only on ice and snow with them so as not to dull them on rock, but am not super careful about this). I would buy no other brands or types of hiking crampons.