Best valueEnough grip for a village path in frost
Yaktrax Diamond Grip
Fine on level frozen ground and around lodges, and clearly out of their depth on a steep frozen descent — which is exactly where people find out.
Best overall
For the frozen morning trail that no boot sole handles
Kahtoola MICROspikes
12 stainless spikes, elastomer harness, ~310 g/pair
4.7 on Amazon
The most useful 300 g in this whole catalogue on a winter or early-spring trek — they turn a terrifying frozen descent into an ordinary one, and they are completely unnecessary in a dry October.
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What you get
- Go on over any boot in under a minute
- Transform packed snow and frozen trail
- Stainless spikes last for years
What it costs you
- Useless on ice steep enough to need crampons
- Elastomer harness perishes if stored in sunlight
- Dead weight on a dry trek
Do not buy this if: Glacier travel or steep snow. That is crampon territory and this is not a substitute.
Treks we recommend this for
Not every route needs it. These are the ones where our guides would put it on your list.
The alternatives
Everything else we recommend in microspikes & traction, including the ones we think suit a different trekker.
Best value