YAKTRAX Heavy Duty Traction Hiking Cleats, Durable Rubber Strap, Provides Traction In Ice & Snow, Black

Bought these to replace my old set that have given years of good service. Fitting to the shoe is relatively easy and they stay in place even on the longest walk although the toe strap does give some extra security. It is amazing how much confidence they give when walking in snow and ice over the winter, giving a noticeable reduction in muscle discomfort from tensing up. Definitely worth the money.

Last year there was a period of around three straight months where I couldn't walk out of my door without stepping onto a sheet of solid ice. It got so bad that I had to make a pact with some friends that when one of us inevitably fell flat on our back in the middle of the street, instead of leaping back to our feet and pretending it hadn't happened, we had to lie on the floor, wave our arms about and shout "Help me! I'm spinning!"Determined not to be caught out this year I purchased this product on the recommendation of a friend, ready for all that Winter could throw at me.These grips are easy to fit to my shoes (unlike some awful elasticated spikey things that I used to own, which shot off my boot one evening and impaled themselves onto my kitchen door). As a bonus, these have a securing strap that goes across the top of the foot.Most importantly, the thing that impresses me most is their effect on the weather - since buying these I haven't seen one single trace of snow or ice. Last year I couldn't walk five paces without getting covered from head to foot with snow. Every morning I arrived at work looking like the abominable snow man. This year...nothing.I'm utterly convinced that my purchase of these Yaktrax has caused a radical shift in the weather patterns of the North West of England. Based on the evidence to hand, in October of 2014 I'm going to buy myself some wellington boots or perhaps a snorkel and some flippers in an attempt to make the Winter of 2014-2015 the driest since records began.

As someone who has had the misfortune of having a nasty injury as a result of slipping on ice I am naturally quite wary of walking outside in particularly bad weather (which is rather unfortunate, given the UK's tendency to attract inclement weather!).WIth the recent spate of ice and snow, I decided to investigate and see if there was a practical solution which would make walking in icy conditions safer, and after several weeks of testing, the Yaktrax 'Pro' has exceeded my expectations.How does it work? The Yaktrax 'Pro' device is 'strapped' onto the sole of your shoe, meaning that its coils touch the ground directly and create extra grip. It takes a bit of getting used to, realising you aren't walking directly on the ground, but once you are used to the slightly different experience, you really do begin to notice the benefits (that is, of course to say that you shouldn't wear the device when it isn't needed - otherwise you might find it to be somewhat counterproductive!).A big benefit to this product is that the device uses a steel 'coil' to create grip, rather than many competing products which use 'spikes' (or in some cases, something that isn't too dissimilar to a nail!) - not only is this much easier to handle as there is no sharps, it means the product can be stored more easily, so it can fit in a bag without damaging the contents. To further aid storage, the device itself folds in half.Of course, with all things good, there is always a downside, but so far in over a month of usage, I've only found a slight 'niggle'- as the product is made of a rather thick rubber type material it is somewhat 'stiff' and therefore it can take quite a bit of pressure to get it on your shoes! After time this does become a bit easier, but a little patience is required!

I bought these as I am a professional dog walker, and the thought of tottering around on the ice attached to the likes of an akita and a doberman didn't appeal! Finally had a chance to use them since the snow this week and they were excellent.I found it a little hard to get the first one on, because they obviously need to be tight fitting and it took a bit of muscle to stretch it over the heel, but I soon got the hang of it and the second boot was much quicker.I have to admit to a little trepidation the first time I went out in them, so I tried scuffing and sliding one foot on a particularly icy bit before I tried walking. It hardly moved at all, never mind slipping, so I set off and was soon walking at my normal speed (which others tell me is quite fast). The pavements were a mix of deep snow, icy patches where the snow had melted and re-frozen and cleared places, while the road surface was as smooth as glass; the yaktrax handled all of these conditions with no problems and didn't feel strange or obtrusive on my boots. Take care on tiled or laminated flooring, though, as I did feel a little unsteady after putting them on in the tiled conservatory and walking to the door.All in all, though, a marvelous bit of kit that I think will be indispensible over the next few days!