Kahtoola micro spikes - a MUST HAVE

Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
1,730
Location
Western Montana
Prior to product review I must give this disclaimer and admit that I am pretty darn clumsy (read balance impaired)!

Kahtoola Micro Spikes


Plus side:
Very well made, quiet, and simple to take on and off.
Superb traction on a skiff of snow or two feet. They really grip on rock, soil, and even timber as you are crossing downed trees.
Durable. They look like they will last use and abuse for a long long time!

Minus side:
Depending on conditions with the snow, sometimes the snow will ball up under your feet and get progressively thicker until you knock the snow off by kicking your foot onto the ground.

Result:
A must have to anyone hunting in slippery conditions. I love these things. The minor irritation with the snow sometimes sticking to the bottoms of your feet if the snow is just at the right temperatures is way off-set by how well these things work. I used them on my Mountain Goat hunt last year and even more this year. As my disclaimer stated, man it can be treacherous on the mountain for me, but these things really work.

You might notice, but my buddy Don was also wearing these on his mountain goat hunt. After he tried them when I was up there on our hunt, he was hooked!
David


http://www.kahtoola.com/microspikes_details.php

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Matt Cashell

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
4,498
Location
Western MT
I have been running these for about 4 years. I throw them on on some of my steeper hunts even without snow on the ground. Mine have held up really well too.

Also great for ice fishing.
 

luke moffat

Super Moderator
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
102
After having the rubber on the microspikes break on my this past year and having to repair them repeatedly with paracord until they were beyond repair on day 10 of 2 weeks of mountain goat hunting and having my buddy have the same problem on our goat hunt last year, I'm going to be using the Kahtoola K-10s this next season. Seem a bit more robust, offer better grip, and should hold up a bit better.

That said I live in my crampons on goat hunts really no need to take them off unless on a stalk or going in the tent for the night. They work great and can be a life saver when you need a bit better purchase on the mountain.
 

Kotaman

WKR
Joined
Oct 12, 2012
Messages
3,105
Location
North Dakota
I went back and forth deciding between the Micro Spikes and the K10's and ended up with the K10's. Might be overkill for my use, but will come in handy on an Oct. Goat hunt...Time will tell...
 

DEW

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 26, 2012
Messages
213
Location
Kalispell,Montana
Micro Spikes work great, only problem I had was some balling under my arches in certain snow conditions, but the benefits of having them make that a minor problem.
 

mtnkid85

WKR
Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Messages
917
Location
Beartooth Mtns, MT
Just adding a side note for those who may not have experience wearing crampons or more aggresive traction devices. Snow balling IS very serious, dont get in the habbit of letting it build. When you become use to the traction and expect your feet to stick when you step out onto an icy spot you can, very quickly go down hard when there is snow balled up, keeping your points from touching.
A good friend of mine nearly lost her life because of snow balling on her crampons two years ago.
Also really pay attention to your knees when wearing crampons, not having ANY give in your feet transfers alot more shock up through your joints. A wrong twist or a funky stumble is an easy way to blow out a knee.

Nice review, 6mm. I like kahtoolas stuff too and know a few of the trail runner types who use these type of traction devices.
 
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