Kahtoola Microspikes Review: Best Hiking Traction Device?

Kahtoola Microspikes are footwear traction devices mainly made for hiking, ice fishing and trail running. They make hiking on icy surfaces a lot easier. Slip a pair over your boots and a glazed trail stops feeling like a skating rink.

Not every icy job needs that much bite, though. If you are looking to walk the dog or shovel the driveway, there are other traction cleats that are less aggressive and better suited to pavement, such as NANOspikes, ICETrekkers, Yaktraxs, and Stabilicers. If you're mountaineering, you'll most likely need crampons instead. If you do any kind of hiking where some areas can be slippery, including traversing frozen lakes and the like, Microspikes are intended to help you out.

Check price on Amazon →

Kahtoola Microspikes specs and grip

Aside from grip performance, we look at a handful of other factors, such as ease of use, weight, price and overall quality. Kahtoola Microspikes have seen some iterations and improvements over the years, and this review covers the newer design. Some retailers still ship older versions from old stock, so it pays to know how to tell them apart. The band and eyelet details further down are the clearest giveaway.

Quick specs

• Size: 5" x 3" x 2"in their included tote sack
• Weight: 11 to 13.5 ounces per pair
• Spikes: 12 per foot, 8 at the front and 4 at the back
• Spike length: 3/8"
• Material: heat treated stainless steel
• Colour: Black and red
• Usage: Hiking, ice fishing, and trail running

Here is the video overview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11HZ3YX8W9c

You may also like How To Choose Crampons

Grip

Grip is the most important factor in any traction system, especially if you like to climb challenging ground. Slips in the wilderness can be significant, and a small fall on a slope is rarely a small problem when you are hours from a road. Microspikes grip comes from twelve 3/8th inch stainless steel spikes, which bite into ice, snow and other slippery slopes. In some cases, Microspikes even provide traction on bare rock.

The spikes are short on purpose. A spike that length digs in under your body weight on every step, yet it is not so long that it catches your opposite boot or makes walking awkward. Because the spikes hang from chain links, the whole unit flexes with your foot instead of acting like a rigid plate.

The traction is so good that if you aren't used to lifting your feet properly while walking on sidewalks, you will learn to do so very quickly. Shuffling, the way many of us walk on pavement, is how you catch a spike on a boot or a trouser cuff.

Ease of use, band quality and sizing

Putting them on and taking them off

Microspikes are one of the easiest traction devices to use on the market. Thanks to the elastic band and the stainless steel chain links, putting them on and off takes only a few seconds, often without removing your gloves. Kahtoola also includes a small tote bag. Because the band is elastic and the chain is flexible, the Microspikes fold down and go into that bag easily.

See the video on how to put on Microspikes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO92R9arDak

Band quality and fit

The bands are flexible and fit almost any shoe or hiking boot. If you buy a size that is too small, you will have a harder time stretching the band around the boot, and that strain makes the band less durable. In older versions of Microspikes, the band was thicker in order to keep the eyelets durable. The newer design has an integrated TPU reinforcement disc in each eyelet, which allows Kahtoola to reduce the size and weight of the elastomer band while improving its durability. That is the quickest way to spot an older pair from old stock.

Sizing is simple, but only if you check it against the boots you will really wear. The guide below is the one to follow:

• Small: US M 5–8 / W 6–9.
• Medium: US M 8.5–10.5 / W 9.5–11.5. Fits most hikers.
• Large: US M 11–13 / W 12+.
• XL: US M 13.5+. For bigger feet or boots with thick outsoles.

A properly sized pair pulls on over any hiking boot with a firm tug. Too loose and they slip off; too tight and you'll rip the rubber within a season. Try them on over your actual winter boots before buying, because the elastomer stretches about 10% after first use. Bulky insulated boots need more room than a light trail shoe, so size for the thickest footwear you plan to use. If you are still deciding on footwear, our piece on whether hiking boots work in snow covers what to put under the spikes.

You may also like How to Pick the Right Snowshoes

Overall review and where they fit

Overall, Microspikes are one of the most popular traction devices on the market and are great for general hiking. Their durability is backed by a two-year warranty. Many hikers consider them a "don't leave home without it" item. The light weight and small size make them easy to add to your pack and slip on when needed. If you are hiking, ice fishing, or trail running during winter, Microspikes will provide the much-needed traction.

Check Price and User Reviews →

MICROspikes are the sweet-spot traction device between bare boots and full crampons. They sit in the middle of the winter traction spectrum:

• Yaktrax / Ice trekkers (low end): wire coils over rubber. Good for walking dogs on icy sidewalks. Slip off on real trail.
• MICROspikes (middle): 12 steel 3/8" spikes on chain links. The standard for hiking on packed snow and ice.
• Hillsound Trail Crampons (slightly more aggressive): longer spikes, stiffer frame. Better for steep icy trails.
• Full crampons (high end): 10–12 two-inch spikes, front points for kicking into ice. For technical mountaineering and steep ice.

For 90% of winter day-hiking in the lower 48 US states, MICROspikes are the right answer. They handle packed snow, refrozen slush, icy switchbacks and moderate-angle trails. They don't handle steep bulletproof ice or front-pointing up a couloir. I'd argue they are the first piece of winter kit worth buying, ahead of snowshoes, since icy trail is far more common than deep powder on popular routes. If you want the full picture of the high end, crampons are explained on Wikipedia, and our guide on how to choose crampons goes further.

When Microspikes aren't enough

Knowing the limits matters as much as knowing the strengths. Spikes that grip well on a packed trail can give a false sense of security once the terrain steepens or the surface turns to hard, clear ice.

• Unbroken powder over 6 inches deep. Snowshoes needed. Spikes give traction but no flotation, so you simply sink.
• Slopes steeper than 30°. You need to kick steps, and that requires full crampons.
• Blue ice. The kind on frozen waterfalls and alpine couloirs. Crampon front-points only.
• Mixed rock-and-ice scrambling. Crampons don't work on rock, MICROspikes don't work on ice. Pick one based on what predominates.
• Exposed technical terrain. Where a fall has serious consequences. Rope, harness, proper ice tools.

A useful rule of thumb: if you would want to kick the toe of your boot into the slope to make a step, you have already outgrown Microspikes. Check current avalanche and weather information from sources such as the National Weather Service before heading into steeper winter terrain, and turn around if the surface is harder or steeper than your kit can handle.

Microspikes competitors worth considering

Several other brands make chain-and-spike devices, and the right pick depends on how steep your trails are and whether you run in them.

• Hillsound Trail Crampon Pro: 2/3 inch spikes, more aggressive than MICROspikes. Best for steeper icy trails.
• Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultra: lighter (runner-oriented). 14 spikes on a flexible chain.
• Snowline Chainsen Pro: European equivalent, very similar. Often cheaper than Kahtoola.
• Black Diamond Access Spike: a newer entrant. 14 stainless spikes, reinforced chain. Premium price.
• STABILicers Run: budget option. Plastic body with replaceable studs. Runners like them for mixed ice and road conditions.

Longer spikes bite deeper on steep ice but feel clumsy on dry ground and wear faster on pavement. Shorter spikes feel more natural when the route mixes bare ground and ice. Whichever you choose, make sure the band suits your boot, because a device that slips off mid-hike is worse than none at all.

Care and longevity

Steel spikes and elastomer bands are tough, but winter conditions are hard on both. A few minutes of upkeep after each outing keeps a pair working for many seasons.

• Rinse after use. Salt from winter roads corrodes the steel. 30 seconds under the hose extends life by years.
• Dry indoors. Leaving them wet in a car freezes them into a block of rubber.
• Inspect the spikes annually. Worn-down or missing spikes reduce grip dramatically. Kahtoola doesn't sell individual spikes; replace the whole unit.
• Replace the chain if it shows rust. A snapped chain on a steep icy descent can cause a fall.
• Budget lifespan: 3–5 seasons of 20+ hikes per year. Casual users get a decade.

Also look over the band and eyelets each time you rinse them. Cracking, thinning or a band that no longer snaps back tight are signs the device could fail on the trail. Replace it before that happens, not after.

Packing and using them on trail

• Carry them on any winter hike. Conditions change within a trail. Even if the trailhead is dry, the shaded upper switchbacks may be ice.
• Put them on before you need them. Stopping to fit MICROspikes on a steep icy slope is when people slip and fall.
• Pack them in a small stuff sack. Bare spikes chew through pack fabric.
• Take them off on dry rock. Rubbing steel spikes on granite dulls them and slides awkwardly.
• Watch for balling up. In wet heavy snow, chunks can stick in the spikes. Tap them off with a trekking pole.

That last tip is one reason a pole earns its place in winter; our look at one trekking pole or two weighs up the options. Shaded sections hold ice long after sunny ones have melted, and a meltwater trail that refreezes overnight can be glassy first thing. If you are weighing up other footwear, see whether you can hike in snow boots. Land managers such as the National Park Service publish trail and seasonal condition notices worth reading before you go.

Microspikes FAQ

Are Microspikes worth it?

Yes, for any regular winter hiker. They transform an icy trail from "sketchy" to "confident." $70 for the gear that prevents the most common winter hiking injuries.

Can you run in Microspikes?

Yes, and many trail runners do. The shorter-spike options or the Kahtoola NANOspikes are better for running; the full MICROspikes can feel heavy at pace.

Do I need Microspikes for hiking in the snow?

For fresh soft snow, no. For packed snow or any ice, yes. Icy trails are the invisible danger: they look normal under a fresh dusting but throw you on the first step.

Can Microspikes replace crampons?

Not for technical climbing. For general winter hiking and moderate trails, yes, but if you're heading for anything steeper than 30° or any real ice, crampons are safer.

Will Microspikes damage hardwood floors or wet rock?

Yes to hardwood, so take them off before going inside. On wet rock they scratch but don't seriously damage it; you'll dull the spike tips faster though.