YAKTRAX Pro Shoe Crampon

running on snow is tricky. i think these yaktracks do their job. they are just $25 and if they last a season that is great. they are not rugged. if you use them for going to the car and back on icey days they will most likely last for years and years. but if you run in them consider yourself lucky if they last one season.
as for performance i think they are great. i have put screws in my soles and worn running crampons. on some days the screws aren't enough and the crampons are too much. so these fill the middle role on those days when you just aren't sure just how much you might need them. they are light in the pack and don't take up that much room. just throw them in the backpack just in case and go.

Took these on a 2 day winter hike up mount mitchell and the black mountain ridgeline. Snow reports were 6-8 inches on the ridges so I knew I needed some extra traction. I wore these the entire time, with conditions ranging from slush to ice to deep snow. The yaktrax performed extremely well in all conditions. In 2 days I did not slip once, including going up a stairway of rocks that were covered with 2 inches of smooth ice with a 45 pound pack on. My only complaint on functionality is that wet snow will clump up very quickly and needs to be broken up. Other than that, these perform beautifully. But by the end of the 2 day trip, the rubber straps on each crampon had broken, which caused the metal coils to fall off. With only two days of use, these are basically disposable, one time use, which is not ideal.

I found that running in snow is not a good use for these. They fill up with snow quickly there in the NW. I'm now using screws in the bottom of my shoes cheaper and better.

The coils really do grip amazingly well. And the fit is snug, especially for casual use. But... the fact that this product says right on the box that it is marketed for "running" (also "light hiking and working on packed snow and ice") is a little deceiving. For flat runs, yes, they work great. But on the uphill portions of runs, the front section of the trax frequently flip up over the toe the shoe. I have to compromise by folding the front flap under the sole when ascending (which works well but isn't quite as comfortable). For down hill they provide great traction without any problems. Overall I like how easy to use they are. Maybe, the "running" should just be left out on the intended use section.

Someone recommended these as some extra traction on snow/ice on trail for hiking. While the weight and ease of use (even with frozen fingers) was great they kept popping over the front of my trail runners while hiking/stepping up on a rock or root. They did add some traction but this was outweighed by having to constantly fix them. I think they would be 5 start for the street, 1 start for the woods.

I want to first off say that this review is not for the above product! About a month ago backcountry offered a product similiar to this: 32North Stabilicers. I bought that product for my father becaues he is always outside during the winter and fell three times last year. He loves the stabilicers!! Everytime I see him, he praises them. The product had about 6 screws on the soles, which work great, according to him. I got him the large because he normally is wearing work boots outside(size 10), and wanted to make sure they would fit around them. Im sure the above product would work fine, but he loves the 32north, so keep your eyes open for them on the website.

I wrote an earlier 5 star rating for this. They work very well, but I was very disappointed last week when one of the rubber "webs" broke, springing the wire coil. I did a temporary fix with a twist-tie, but I will have to buy a new pair.

My husband and I walk daily. Before I found YakTrax I had to stop when the sidewalks got icy. No more! With these crampons, we walk in confidence on snow and ice. The only problem - its hard to take them on and off quickly, so I tend to leave them on in the store, and they are slippery on floors.

I've had my yaktrax for several weeks and have used them for two winter runs on snow and ice, as well as many walks. They are an outstanding piece of gear. When running I can barely feel them on the bottom of my shoes - an unexpected highlight. They are very easy to put on and take off. Unlike another reviewer, I have not yet found the coils to get jammed with ice. Sizing might be a bit odd. I wear a women's 9 and find the mediums to be just right for both running shoes and insulated snowshoeing boots. If I wore an 8 1/2 I would still want the mediums (as is the case of a friend of mine) - I think the smalls would be too difficult to put on. These are wonderful chains for your feet.

I took a pair of Yaktrax to the bottom of the Grand Canyon a couple of winters ago. There was a chance of snow when we left the rim for a week of backpacking. While we were at the bottom of the Canyon, the rim kept getting whiter and whiter. We knew that we would be hiking out in a ton of snow. I went with Yaktrax over traditional crampons because of their weight. Because I wasn't 100% sure that there was going to be snow, light-weight Yaktrax seemed like a good security measure. They were easy to put on, which I appreciated, and they gave me good traction on the way up the Canyon. The problem is that much of the trail was a mixed terrain--some very snowy patches and some rocky stretches. My pair of Yaxtrax lasted most of the way to the rim, but eventually the rubber wore through where it hit the side of my shoe's sole. This left me with a tangled mess around my foot as Yaktrax do not work at all as soon as one of rubber links break. So, in the end, I have to say that I like the weight and performance of the product over snow, but I would never trust Yaktrax in a pinch when quality gear really matters.

I live on top of a steep two-mile dead-end hill where salt trucks do not come and people do not deem it necessary to shovel their sidewalks. These are very useful. They sometimes get salt trapped in the coils, but this is a rarity. All in all, they work extremely well. I have been using these daily for a couple months and they have not come off yet, they have not lost their traction yet, the rubber has not cracked or ripped, nor have they been so tight as to cause me discomfort. The down side: I have noticed a fair amount rust in the two months that I've used these. This is a problem, obviously exacerbated the all the salt out in front of the library where I work, but I'm sure that anyone who wears these in an urban environment will experience the same situation. Due to the rust, I fear that these will perhaps last me two seasons. Not bad, but not permanent. Buy a couple at a time to save on shipping.

I have used these for years and recently have introduced them to friends and colleagues all of whom are impressed. They are superb in an urban environment and even when used under more severe conditions they are superior to other products particularly in that they are much less likely to work loose and be lost.

Great when everything outside turns to glass. Small, light, easy to put on and take off, non-marring when used over dress shoes, and I stay up-right - what more could I ask for in an urban setting.

Only recommended for urban use.