BTW: ‘tis the season…
For my fellow snowbelters; Check out the Winter Walking (brand) Low-Pro ice cleats, for slip-on ice cleats.
Over the decades, I’ve tried half a dozen brands and models of slip-on ice cleats, and these have been the best overall.
The particular features that I really like
- low profile tungsten carbide studs. The tungsten carbide studs are far more wear resistant than steel, and low-profile studs are great in multi-surface environments (eg. Where you might encounter ice, but could also be walking on snow, as well as bare asphalt, concrete, carpeted floors etc.). EXCELLENT bite on ice.
I’ve used cleats with high-profile studs, and learned that those are better left for either trails, where you could encounter dirt, snow and ice, or maybe ice fishing. On asphalt/concrete etc. the high profile studs feel like you’re walking on a bunch of screws, nails and bolts that have been dropped/left on the ground.
- these have rubber lugs/tread, so unlike some other options, they provide decent traction in packed snow, too (some of them have fairly smooth rubber, that cover the lugs/tread on your footwear, potentially compromising traction on packed snow).
Get the correct size, and they slip over your footwear pretty easily, but stay on.
The worst of the various options I’ve tried, were the original YakTrax that I first got when I moved to MI decades ago. The ones that look like they have coilsprings on the bottom. They work OK in packed snow, but they suck on sheet ice. They suck on sloping concrete. They suck on smooth, wet granite marble, and they ESPECIALLY suck on carpet (the ends of the coils can snag on the carpet, tripping you up, and once they snag, it pulls the end out, so it sticks out, and snags with every step).
I also have Kahtoola Microspikes, and these are best for trails. On asphalt and concrete etc, these are another one that feels like I’m walking on a handful of screws, nuts and bolts.
I’ve tried a brand that had what looked like spiky beads, strung on wires/cords. Downright dangerous on sloped concrete, as those beads can (and did) roll.
*** I keep a pair in the door pockets of the vehicles. Had more than one time, where I parked and went to step out of the vehicle, and realized the parking lot was a sheet of ice. Sat back on the seat, grabbed these and slipped them on. GTG. And while they click, and feel a bit odd, walking on granite/marble/linoleum in stores, I don’t need to remove them (they WILL probably scratch/mar marble/granite etc. as the tungsten carbide is harder than those, but on commercial/business/public flooring… well, those are high traffic anyway).
