Kahtoola MICROspikes Review

MICROspikes are the reason the word "microspikes" exists. Twelve heat-treated stainless spikes per foot, roughly 10 mm long, hanging from welded stainless chains under an elastomer harness you stretch over any shoe. About 340 g a pair in medium. That is the entire product, and almost nothing has changed about it in years, because there is very little left to fix.

On frozen trail, packed snow, glazed rock and hard-frozen mud they convert nervous shuffling into normal walking. They go on in under a minute with gloves, roll into a jacket pocket, and survive being dragged over rock in a way that nothing softer does. If you buy exactly one traction device, this is the one to buy.

They are also not crampons, and that distinction is a safety matter rather than a marketing one. Short spikes, no front points, and a flexible sole underneath mean they belong on rolling ground, not on slopes where a slip would keep going.

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Sizing ranges above are approximate. Confirm against Kahtoola's current chart using the exact footwear you plan to pair them with — a size that fits a running shoe may be tight over an insulated boot.

Grip: what 10 mm of steel does

Spike length is the single number that predicts how a traction device feels, and 10 mm sits at a deliberate middle. It is long enough to punch through the glazed crust on a frozen trail and into the firmer snow underneath, and long enough to catch on rippled river ice. It is short enough that you can walk a mile of bare pavement without the device feeling like stilts.

The spike pattern matters as much as the length. Kahtoola runs the spikes around the perimeter of the forefoot and heel rather than clustering them centrally, so the device resists rolling when you edge across an off-camber icy traverse. On a side-slope, that perimeter layout is the difference between the foot holding and the foot sliding out from under the chain.

They are excellent on packed snow, very good on frozen dirt and rock-hard trail ice, and adequate on smooth blue ice at low angles. They are poor in deep fresh snow, which no traction device solves — that is a snowshoe problem. And they do nothing useful in slush.

The other quiet advantage is that they work when you stop thinking about them. Most winter falls happen on the transition you did not notice: the shaded corner, the last hundred metres of a car park. Because MICROspikes are quick to put on and comfortable to leave on, people leave them on. Gear you keep wearing protects you.

Fit, harness and durability

The harness is the part that separates Kahtoola from cheaper chain-and-spike devices. It is a thick thermoplastic elastomer that stays pliable in serious cold rather than turning into a rigid hoop you cannot stretch over a boot with bare hands. Cheap knock-offs use a softer rubber that stretches out permanently after a season and then migrates off the toe on descents.

Fit is snug by design. A correctly sized pair takes a firm pull at the heel and then sits taut, with the chains centred under the sole and no slack loops hanging at the sides. If you can spin the harness around the shoe by hand, it is too big. Reversed or twisted chains are the most common user error — lay them flat before stepping in and check the toe loop sits across the toe box, not up the vamp.

The chains and spikes are welded stainless, and this is where the price shows. Steel spikes on carbon-steel chain rust; stainless does not, so a set left damp in a pack for a week comes out the same as it went in. Spikes blunt slowly on rock and, unlike crampon points, are not really user-sharpenable — but blunted MICROspikes still grip acceptably on packed snow for years.

The failure points, in order of likelihood: the elastomer eventually splitting at the toe after heavy use, a chain link parting after a lot of rock contact, and losing one in deep snow when it pulls off a boot that was a size too large for it. Kahtoola backs them with a two-year warranty and honours it, which is worth something in a category full of anonymous sellers.

MICROspikes vs Hillsound vs Yaktrax

These are the three things people cross-shop, and they are not really the same product.

Hillsound Trail Crampon runs longer spikes — around 17 mm — plus a velcro strap over the instep, and weighs meaningfully more. The extra length and the strap make it the better choice on steep, hard icy trails, particularly on descents where a device without a strap can creep. It is also bulkier, harsher on pavement and slower to fit. If your winter is steep New England or Scottish hill trail, the trade is worth it; for general use, MICROspikes are the more pleasant device. Head to head in MICROspikes vs Hillsound.

Yaktrax mostly are not spikes at all. The Walk and Pro use coils; the Diamond Grip uses hardened steel beads on cable. All of them are gentler underfoot on shovelled sidewalks and shop floors, cheaper, and considerably less capable on trail. For a dog walk and a commute, Yaktrax are the sensible buy and MICROspikes are overkill; for anything with a gradient, it is the other way round. See Yaktrax vs MICROspikes for the full split.

Kahtoola EXOspikes are the in-house alternative: tungsten-carbide tips in a TPU matrix, lighter, far better on mixed ice-and-pavement running, less grippy on pure ice. Covered in the EXOspikes review.

Who should buy MICROspikes

Buy them if you hike, run or walk on trails that ice up in winter and you want one device that handles almost all of it. Buy them if you already tried coil-style cleats and found them wanting on real trail. Buy them if you carry traction as insurance on shoulder-season peaks where a north-facing gully might still hold hard snow.

They are also the right thing to keep in a car, a pack lid or a hut bag. Compact, immune to rust and indifferent to being ignored for eight months. Our microspikes roundup ranks them first for these reasons.

Who should not buy them

Anyone heading onto steep snow or alpine ice. This is the important limit. MICROspikes have no front points, sit under a bending sole, and place short spikes on a flexible platform. On slopes above roughly 30°, on hard alpine ice, or anywhere a slip would accelerate rather than stop, they are not sufficient — you need stiff boots, real crampons, an ice axe and the training to use it. The line is drawn properly in microspikes vs crampons and when do you need crampons. If you find yourself front-pointing in microspikes, you are already in the wrong equipment.

Pavement commuters. If nine-tenths of your winter is sidewalks, shop floors and car parks, MICROspikes are heavier, noisier and harsher than you need, and will wear down on concrete. Bead or coil devices are more appropriate.

Winter trail runners. These work, but they are the heavy option and the spike pattern feels intrusive at pace on mixed surfaces. Lower-profile carbide devices are the better running answer — see the winter trail running spikes roundup.

Deep-snow hikers. Traction is not flotation. If you are post-holing to the knee, no spike helps; you need snowshoes.

Check price on Amazon

Counterfeits and lookalikes are common in this category. Check the seller, and check the size against the footwear you will use — sizing is by far the most common reason people are unhappy with an otherwise excellent product. The rest of the range is compared in our Kahtoola guide.

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