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You know what its like….You see ice out on the trail when hiking or running and you instantly resort to the little dolly step shuffle with weird dancer arms accompanied by panic with every footfall, terrified that you will slip. The pain of slipping up backwards ( and how much of an idiot you look) is awful.
This review gives you a brief overview of the Kahtoola Microspikes that I’ve come to love ever since I first used them on a Frozen Lake Khovsghol in Mongolia last year. I’ve tried a few designs (and broke some) and these are now my go to spikes for the snow and ice.
Easy On and Off
Firstly even with gloves these are easy to get on and off. They simply pull on and off via a very rubbery and tough material that remains stretchy down to very very low temperatures. You can see in the short video below how easy they are to take off and put on. This is great because when trail running you can come across some road sections and bits that don’t have ice so you don’t need or want the spikes.
Grip
These aren’t really spikes. They are 12 whacking great 3/8 inch aggressive shark teeth shaped blades that smash into the ice and grip so well not only do I forget I’m on ice when I’m running, I actually run ore confidently than when its dry and I’m running rubber to rock. The grip is phenomenal. The chain links between them are sturdy as well and the design means they stay on with little fear of them coming loose.
They weigh about 11 oz and even come with a nifty little bag to store them in so the teeth don’t risk damaging a bag or pocket that you put them in when not using them.
Verdict
Avoid the less effective Nanospikes as I’ve tried them too and they simply don’t have enough grip. I’ve broken and snapped other makes in less than an hour, whereas these took 3 days and 100 miles of abuse at minus 47 F in Mongolia and were a joy to use in New England on an icy day a year later.
That’s it. Well made gear needs little explanation and persuasion. Buy them and banish the ‘little steps arms dance’ forever.
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Sizing
- Small fits Kids’ shoe sizes 4.5 – 7 / Women’s shoe sizes 6 – 9
- Medium fits Women’s shoe sizes 9 – 12 / Men’s shoe sizes 7 – 10.5
- Large fits Men’s shoe sizes 10.5 – 14
- X-Large fits Men’s shoe sizes 14 – 16
- Medium fits Women’s sizes 7.5 – 10 / Men’s sizes 6 – 8.5
- Large fits Women’s sizes 10 – 12.5 / Men’s sizes 8.5 – 11
- X-Large fits Men’s sizes 11 – 13.5
Features Summary
- Twelve 3/8 in. hardened stainless-steel spikes per foot dig into icy terrain
- Reinforced eyelets increase durability
- Integrated toe bales hold spikes securely in place
- Elastomer harnesses are 38% lighter than the previous version; harnesses stay supple to -22°F (-30°C)
- Stainless-steel flex chains help prevent snowballing
- Heel tabs for easy on / off
- Tote sack included
- Backpacker magazine Gear Hall of Fame (2017)
