Maximum Traction: Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultra XL

Short version:

Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultra XL are great for those doing winter hikes in varying conditions. 

YakTrax Hiking Cleats are fine for light duty use but I destroyed my pair on my first wearing (12 miles, 3900’).  They are, however, much cheaper and lighter.

Other brands such as Kahtoola MICROspikes are also excellent based on visual and anecdotal evidence from friends and other hikers.  I flip flopped between these and the Hillsounds but a few small items, including a sale made me go for the Hillsounds.

The Long Backstory:

I began my snow traction journey years ago with a pair of Black Diamond universal crampons, their entry level model.  While I may review these later, they worked fine with most issues being primarily user error. Full crampons are deceivingly simple to use and potentially very dangerous for the inexperienced and they’re massively overkill in mixed conditions.  In such situations I was often left with the choice of exposure but speed and easier walking in the dirt and rocks or leaving the crampons on for control on the snow and ice but being slow with less control in the dirt and rocks.  Thankfully for me, microspikes as they’ve come to be generally called started hitting the market.

I was in Bryce Canyon in the winter and we decided to do the hike but it was snowy.  Everyone in our group bought the YakTrax for something like $20 and we did the hike with few issues, they worked well for those who wore them.  I didn’t but I also tend to wear very good boots with excellent outsoles and rather enjoy hiking in the snow so they weren’t needed.  I got home and put them in a box.

Some time later I hiked Ontario Peak in the shoulder season and expected a big of snow.  I was also breaking in new pair of Lowa Mountain Expert GTX boots, which overall worked fine (full disclosure: I bought mine from MidwayUSA.com (Now called Alpine Expert II GTX) because they had a huge sale, but only in brown (I actually wanted red but my cheapness generally surpasses my ego)).  There were a few sections of snow and ice which weren’t much of an issue on the hike up but which were very slick on the descent, so my buddy and I both put on our Bryce Canyon YakTrax and we were soon clomping down the hill with ease.

Not terribly long thereafter my shoes were feeling weird, I kept feeling like I was dragging something.  Maybe a stick stuck in the traction devices.  Turns out I ripped one of the rubber ribs and the metal coils was stretched out and rubbing the ground.  We didn’t really have time to investigate so we continued the hike and the Trax continued to deteriorate.  In the end one foot had a single rib snap with the coil coming loose and the other foot had two or three ribs snap with the same impact.  This was the one and only time I’d ever used these and they broke on moderate terrain, so I wasn’t too happy.  That said, my friend’s worked just fine and they took several more hikes to break.

In retrospect, I was very likely far exceeding the expected usage for these more entry level devices, both in terms of ruggedness of conditions as well as assaulting them with clodhopper mountaineering boots with zero give or flex.  Honestly, I bear them no ill will and even bought some for my parents to use around town and in regular shoes and boots.  For that purpose, they’re great.  Easy to put on, good enough traction to get to and from the car safely.  But that’s not my purpose so I had to look elsewhere.

Getting a Grip:

After significant reviews from multiple sites I ended up going with the Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultra XL, although the Kahtoola MICROspikes were my original choice. 

The two and a half primary reasons I chose the Hillsound over the Kahtoola was that the Hillsounds had an arch strap whereas the Kahtoola’s don’t, the Hillsounds had a metal front toe bail whereas the Kahtoola’s didn’t (that’s the half) and price because I found the Hillsounds on sale.  However, I can attest from personal experience that the Kahtoola’s are perfectly fine and are 90% the same in terms of design.

In terms of durability I cannot ask for more.  The pictures shown here are after dozens of miles of hikes in mud, mixed dirt/rock/sand, slush, snow, ice and some concrete and asphalt mixed in for added insult.  In reference to the crampon example, I’m leaving these things on for miles of trails even without any presence of ice or snow, usually because I know a big patch is still remaining and it’s too much work to take them off and put them on.  If I was wearing crampons I’d be forced to remove them and decide if they’re worth putting on for the looming slick but relatively short section.  They’ve hiked those conditions in my Zamberland VIOZ LUX GTX boots and the Lowa’s, not to mention a few times in assorted light boots and tennis shoes.  They’ve never bent, rusted, torn or failed in any way:  I was so exhausted after my last hike up San Jacinto that I put them away dirty and uncleaned and they were (mostly) dry by happenstance.  I should note that I’m in size 13 boots and weight 300lbs+ without a pack, and with full gear can hit 350+, so if they can survive me, in these types of boots everyone else should be just fine.

Negatives, such as they are:

There are some negatives, but none are deal breakers and one is just a thought, hasn’t even happened.  First, these S U C K to put on.  Now I’m not very flexible and having gained some weight the last few years am even less so, which means I struggle to put them on from time-to-time, or if I’m with a buddy (not as easy to find for winter hikes) I bribe them to help.  Off is easier but if you’re 12+hrs into a winter hike at elevation that sucks too.   But this is something you’re going to find for any of the rubber-band style devices, not to mention that size 13 is on the outside range for them so smaller hooved folks should have an easier time. For example, you can see that the arch strap barely fits (but it has never come loose) whereas in the brand pictures the logo is right across the top.

Second, I’m always concerned about the eyelets ripping out because it’s just a thin metal eyelet directly on rubber, no grommets or rivets (they apparently do make a riveted model).  However, after everything I’ve put them through they’ve let out nary a whimper and while breakage may occur in the future, I suspect they’ll give advanced warning that I’ll ignore or will otherwise will still get me down safely.  Given that they’d have offered years of service without any failure I cannot complain.  Thus far this is an unfounded concern.

Lastly, and this is true of virtually every traction device to some degree or other, they can shift on your boot and get a little floppy or sideways.  That said, I rarely adjust them and if I have to it’s usually just a tug or two on the back strap and any movement is after a significant distance in mixed conditions (and usually because I didn’t put them on quite right – see #1 issue.  Self-inflicted but it’s a reality nonetheless).

CAVEAT EMPTOR: These are NOT crampons and if you treat them as such you’ll probably fall of a cliff and die. They don’t have the front facing toe spikes or rear-set heel spikes, the latter being critical when descending slick terrain. Given the security these offer you’ll easily become overconfident and fall. If you’re hiking down a packed snow or icy surface you may start to simply walk down heel first like normal but you’ll quickly realize the lack of rear-set heel spikes as on crampons means you’ll be stepping on your rubber sole and zip, you’re down. Ask me how I know… Inasmuch as crampons have a learning curve, so too do microspikes. Always test your traction and for reference, I most often walk flat footed down slopes, flopping the entire sole of my boot into a single spot, securing my grip.

For those looking for a durable, high quality traction device I very much recommend the Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultra XL, I’ve put life and limb in their steely grip and they’ve always brought me home.  Based on secondary evidence from friends and fellow hikers I would suspect the Kahtoola MICROspikes would give you years of equal service.

For those looking for something to keep in the car for emergencies or for situations where abuse isn’t as likely and conditions aren’t as extreme I actually do recommend the YakTrax Hiking Cleats.  Like I said, I bought a pair for my mom and I wouldn’t put her life at risk – but she’s also not trying to summit winter hills and mountains.