I’m a big believer in ‘horses for courses’ when it comes to gear. I still look out for the ultimate buys that miraculously deliver in all conditions, terrains and seasons, but on the whole I double, or sometimes triple up on stuff in order to be able to choose the right gear for the right situation.

Mini spikes and grips like the Yaktrax Pro kind of play both sides of this - there is very definitely a niche for low level and hill winter walks in snowy and icy conditions which are a beyond the comfort levels of traditional 3 season walking boots, but where mountaineering boots and crampons would be overkill. But, rather than having to invest in another niche product to accommodate this, mini spikes and grips can extend the capabilities of decent 3-season boots for relatively little cost.

My original microspikes, made by Kahtoola, had failed a couple of years ago, the rubber harness that had secured it to the boot had snapped, but with no snowy walks since then, I hadn’t replaced them.

However after some unexpected snow fall the night before a walk on the Yorkshire Moors, I headed to our local Go Outdoors en route, and picked up a pair of Yaktrax Pro.

Rather than the ‘mini-spike’ design, Yaktrax use ‘Ice Traction Coils’ which sit under the boot. The benefit of this design over mini-spikes is that they’re more suited to mixed conditions, perhaps when the snow and ice has melted in places, exposing a stone path or road below. With mini-spikes, in these conditions you often find yourself seeking out some snow to step, or walking on the grass/mud to protect the spikes (or taking them off altogether, and being at the mercy of the icy bits). With the ‘Ice Traction Coils’, although I wouldn’t recommend walking on hard, exposed paths for any length of time, I feel would cope with it fairly well.

Straight out of the box, it seems the Yaktrax Pro harnesses are made out of a similar material to that on the Kahtoolas, so their longevity would be fairly questionable. With the rigours that these items are exposed to, it’s no wonder the harness will eventually fail, but this leaves the worry that you may find yourself stranded when they do. I’d recommend carrying perhaps a spare shoelace to be able to be able to fasten the harness together again if it breaks.

The harness secured over my walking boot quickly enough, paying attention to correclty orientating the front and back. They’re not sided, so one less thing to have to remember.

A curious part of the design is the removable strap that is about halfway along the length. This appears to be one of the key differences between the ‘Pro’ and standard product, but I’m not sure what functional benefit it gives, other than to provide some reassurance that it is secure. For me, it has the opposite effect - it kind of suggests the harness could slip off my foot, and the strap is needed to keep it on. If the fit was good, you wouldn’t need the strap? Nevertheless I fastened the strap, and I was ready to go.

My first test was a steep, downhill slope along a stream. Conditions were cold (about 0 degrees celsius), and a 2-3cm layer of powdery snow covered the ground. I took to the slope with confidence, and it felt straight away like the Yaktrax were doing their job. Grip was good on the powder snow, slushy snow and softer ice. On the steeper bits, I did feel my feet lose traction a little - the Yaxtrax definitely weren’t as grippy as the Kahtoola spikes, but that’s not unexpected, give the design. All in all, a good first test.

The ground levelled off at the bottom of the valley, and then I started to climb the other side. Grip remained steady, and I felt that despite the conditions, I could continue to walk as though the ground were clear and dry.

All was good until, after following a track under 3-4cm of snow for about 1/2 mile, I looked down and noticed that the front of the Yaktrax had ‘ridden over’ the front of my toe. The front 1/3 of the grip was now over the top of my walking boot. I stopped to readjust, and checked it was fit correctly. I made sure that the bottom coils were lined up to the bottom grip on my boots, tightened the strap, and carried on.

Moments later, the same happened with the other boot. I stopped again, to adjust, and noticed that the Yaktrax on my first boot was already starting to ride over again. This continued for the next mile, stopping every 5 minutes to pull the grips back into place. As you can imagine, this is NOT a fun task in the cold and my fingers soon started to numb from the snow and ice.

In the end, I left them hanging over the front of my boot, and carried on. Curiously, I didn’t notice much difference in the performance - I’m not sure if this is a positive because the grips still work well even when not fully installed, or that actually they weren’t making much of a difference in the first place.

At one point I threaded the strap through the laces of my boots in an attempt to keep the grips as far back as possible - this seemed to work for a while, but it eventually failed again.

So what’s going on?

Firstly, Yaktrax’s own size guide doesn’t help things. I’m a size 9 (UK), but sometimes 9 1/2 or 10, depending on the shoe. Yaktrax’s sizes are as follows:

Small: 5-7

Medium: 7-9

Large: 9-11

XL: 11+

As a size 9, I could go for medium or large. Given I could sometimes need a bigger size, I opted for the large. Perhaps with a medium, the problem wouldn’t happen? Why give me the option of both sizes? Why not say that Large starts at 9 1/2 (in which case I’d have opted for the mediums)? The Large on a size 9 is definitely NOT a good fit.

Secondly, I wonder if the sizing takes into account how the rubber/plastic behaves as it is in use. After repeated stretching/contracting (caused by, say, walking), the material can heat slightly anc become more supple, more elastic, and therefore looser than at rest.

Finally, I think there is also an inherent flaw of trying to fix mini spikes or grips to a 3 season boot. The soles of these boots have a high degree of flex, and the slippage issue was certainly a lot worse when I was flexing my foot more.

I persevered with the Yaktrax until the last mile of my walk, when I reached a road clear of snow. With the conditions now icy, I did have noticably less grip without the Yaktrax, and I kind of missed them. I’d long given up on trying to keep the front of the grips in place, and my feet was starting to hurt from being squeezed where the coil grips ran over the top of the foot.

All in all, a bit of a dispapointment. Maybe it’s down to sizing, but even that is easily solved by making the size guide more explicit. Maybe I will get some mediums and re-review then, but in honesty I’m now pining for another set of mini-spikes - I’d happily give up a little convenience for better grip and better fit.

Pros: