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In this guide
MICROspikes are the traction device most hikers picture when someone says spikes: a rubbery harness that stretches over a boot, with short chains underneath carrying a dozen pointed stainless steel spikes. Kahtoola says this is the fourth generation of the design and sells the current version for $89.95 in six sizes, XS through XXL, with a tote sack in the package.
That price sits in an awkward middle. Below it, this site already covers the Yaktrax Walk, a $22.49 coil cleat meant for packed snow on sidewalks. Above it, Kahtoola's own MICROspikes Ghost costs $109.95 and weighs 43% less. The original is neither the cheap option nor the light one, so the case for it rests on the spikes and the harness, and on what kind of ground you actually walk on.
Our verdict
The standard answer for hard ice on hiking trails: twelve hardened stainless spikes per foot, a harness rated to -22°F, six sizes and four years of defect coverage at $89.95. Overkill for a shoveled sidewalk, and heavy next to the newer Ghost version.
- A good fit for
- Hikers who meet steep, frozen trail or refrozen snow and want traction that stays on for hours over boots or trail shoes.
- We would skip it if
- Your ice is on flat sidewalks and parking lots, where coil cleats cost a quarter as much, or you count ounces and would pay $20 more for the lighter Ghost.
Reasons to consider it
- 0.41-inch heat-treated 400-series stainless spikes, twelve per foot, on welded stainless chains
- TPE harness with a toe bail and heel tab, rated to keep its stretch at -22°F
- A defect warranty of four years on purchases from August 1, 2025, up from two years before that date
The compromises
- 10.5 to 14.9 ounces per pair, roughly double the weight of Kahtoola's own Ghost model
- Two sizing charts, one for hiking shoes and one for insulated boots, and the bands overlap, so a boot owner may need to size differently from a shoe owner
- Returns require an authorization number, unused condition and return postage paid by the customer
What we have not verified: No pair was worn for this review. Kahtoola publishes no spike or chain lifespan in miles, no guidance on walking over bare rock, and no per-size weight for the harness alone. Whether the harness stays put on low-cut trail runners was not assessed.
The things in this guide
A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.
MICROspikes Footwear Traction, Black
Twelve 0.41-inch stainless spikes per foot on welded chains, a TPE harness rated to -22°F with a toe bail and heel tab, six sizes, and a defect warranty of four years at $89.95.
Before you buy: At 10.5 to 14.9 ounces per pair it is the heaviest stretch-on traction Kahtoola sells, and sizing depends on whether you wear hiking shoes or insulated boots.
Price checked September 11, 2026. Retailer prices can change.Twelve spikes, welded chains, and why that beats coils on ice
Each foot carries twelve spikes of heat-treated, corrosion-resistant 400-series stainless steel, 0.41 inches or 10.4 millimeters long, joined by welded stainless chains. Kahtoola describes the spacing as a stable walking platform, meaning the points are spread under the forefoot and heel instead of clustered. A spike that length penetrates hard ice and crusted snow in a way a wound steel coil does not; the coil relies on friction across many small contact points and works best when the surface gives a little.
That distinction is the whole reason to pay more than the $22.49 Yaktrax Walk asks. Coils are for packed snow on level ground, and Yaktrax itself says they are damaged by bare concrete and gravel. MICROspikes are for slopes, refrozen trail and the glazed ice that forms where meltwater runs across a path. On a shoveled sidewalk the spikes are more than the job needs and will feel like walking on marbles; on a frozen switchback the coils are not enough.
A harness rated to -22°F, and two sizing charts to read
The harness is thermoplastic elastomer, shaped to the foot, with a toe bail that stops the boot pushing through the front on descents and a raised tab at the heel to pull the device on with gloves. Kahtoola says the TPE keeps its elasticity down to -22°F, or -30°C, which covers most winter trailheads in the lower 48. The eyelets where the chains attach are reinforced with thermoplastic rubber, a patented detail Kahtoola credits for durability at the stress points.
Sizing takes a minute because Kahtoola prints two charts. For hiking shoes and boots, a US men's 8 to 10 is a medium; for insulated boots, the same foot moves up because the boot is bulkier, so a men's 7 to 9 becomes a medium and a 9.5 to 11.5 becomes a large. Six sizes run XS through XXL, and XS is also flagged as fitting youth size 4 and up. Pick the chart for the footwear you will actually wear, and if you are between bands the maker suggests contacting them or a dealer.
Weight, packed size, and the lighter sibling
A pair weighs 10.5 ounces in XS, 11.9 in medium and 14.9 in XXL, and packs to roughly 5 by 3 by 2 inches in the included tote sack. Nearly a pound on the feet is noticeable on a long day, and the chains are the reason. Kahtoola's own comparison panel puts the original in a category it calls mountain utility, the workhorse of the line.
The MICROspikes Ghost, sold at $109.95, replaces the chains with a molded TPU matrix and comes in at 6.4 to 7.4 ounces per pair, which Kahtoola states is 43% lighter. Its spikes are shorter at 0.36 inches. The original keeps its place for anyone who prefers proven metal chains under the foot, wants the longer spike, or would rather save $20; the Ghost is the pick for trail runners counting grams. Both carry the same defect coverage.
Four years of defect coverage, with a date attached
Kahtoola lengthened its stretch-on traction warranty to a four-year limited term for products bought on or after August 1, 2025; anything purchased earlier keeps the previous two-year term. Coverage is for manufacturing defects under normal use, applies to the person who bought the product new from Kahtoola or one of its authorized dealers, and the product is repaired or replaced at Kahtoola's choice. Wear from regular use is excluded, fleet use drops coverage to one year, and Kahtoola does not send prepaid labels for claims. The Yaktrax Walk, by contrast, is covered for 90 days.
Care is short: wash with lukewarm water, air-dry without heat, store clean and dry, inspect before each use and take the spikes off between uses. Returns of unused, tagged product go through a return authorization number obtained by phone or email, with return postage on the customer and original shipping not refunded. US orders over $34.95 ship free by USPS Ground Advantage, so a pair clears that threshold on its own.
Skip it for sidewalks, or if weight decides
If your ice is the kind a city makes, on flat sidewalks, driveways and parking lots, $89.95 of chains and spikes is more device than the surface asks for, and stepping onto cleared concrete or indoor tile with them on is unpleasant and dulls the points. The $22.49 Yaktrax Walk or Kahtoola's own $69.95 NANOspikes, which use 0.21-inch studs for hard urban ice, are the better match there.
Pass as well if every ounce matters. Trail runners and fast hikers get the same spike count and the same warranty from the Ghost at $109.95 for about half the weight, and the $20 difference is small over four winters. The original MICROspikes make sense for a hiker who wants long spikes and steel chains on steep frozen ground and does not mind carrying most of a pound to get them.
How we put this together
Built from the product pages and listings below, without test scores or results we have not measured. Specifications and prices change, so check the original page for the exact model, current price, delivery, and returns.
- Kahtoola: MICROspikes Footwear Traction product page (opens in a new tab)
- Kahtoola: Warranty (opens in a new tab)
- Kahtoola: Returns (opens in a new tab)
- Kahtoola: MICROspikes Ghost Footwear Traction product page (opens in a new tab)
- Yaktrax: Walk Traction Device product page (opens in a new tab)
