UKC

Anyone used any of the "stick them on your shoes to walk to the shop in bad winter weather" type pavement crampons? Any good ones/bad ones/easy to use ones/good deals that you know of?

My mum's getting on a bit, and has recently been put on warfarin type drugs, and given that a gritter in winter up her way is a rare sight, she's (rightly) concerned about falling on her way to work when the weather hits. Some extra grip and piece of mind would be a good Christmas present!!

Cheers,
Gordon

In reply to peebles boy:

These yaktrax are quite good

In reply to peebles boy:
I worked at cotswolds many moons ago when they first came out, yaktrax were good as they weren't spikes but coils around a rubber skeleton. the cheap ones tend to break very easily and the spikes fall out or embed themselves in soles.

i think yaktraxs are great, about 4 years ago i bought all my elderly family members them. and they were much appreciated and well used

Oh and they dont scratch floors too much like spikey ones do

.
merry christmas!

In reply to peebles boy:

Hillsound trail crampons are the real deal If you're after mini crampons . I've used them for everything from hill walking , trail running to going to the shops and delivery newspapers . I have even cycled whilst wearing them .
Big enough spikes to be functional , small enough to be unobtrusive .
Pricy though , and not as widely available as microspikes or yaktrax.
They may be overkill for pavement walking though . Something like petzl spiky or cheapo supermarket version might be better . Just remember , rubber will not grip on snow or ice so the more metal on the design the better .

In reply to peebles boy:

One thing to bear in mind with elderly parents, as I've discovered, is that some of the slip-over type of pavement crampons have quite sturdy rubber, which is good in a way, but can defeat arthritic fingers wen it comes to fitting them.

In reply to peebles boy:

Yeah they're great. Strangely though, some don't have the metal studs in the heel section?!
Used them last winter for nipping up Arthur's Seat, when the path was like the Crests Bobrun.
You need to warn 'pensioners' that stepping into a supermarkets smooth floor wearing studs is very very slippy!!

In reply to peebles boy:

Grivel spiders.

Bought my ex a pair. She still has them - and lives in Brisbane !!! Don't think they'll be getting much use

In reply to peebles boy:

Lots of sound advice being given. I would be concerned at your mum's ability to fit Yaktrax. I find them awkward most of the time. I got hold of some cheap studded ones online and they were brilliant on easy sloping ice. Still, some of these can be awkward to fit...but not all. She must remember the danger of slipping if she goes indoors say onto marbly surfaces and some shops, for example, won't take kindly to you walking across their wooden floors with studded models. I am sure there is a solution out there. Best of luck.

In reply to peebles boy: bought elderly parents in law yaktraks a few yrs ago, feedback has been gud

HTH Davey

In reply to Mountain Llama:

yaktrak pro (have a strap over the front) are better than the basic ones

In reply to peebles boy:

I also worked in an outdoor shop (Tiso) for a while and while yaktrax are good, it is important to keep in mind the dangers associated with using them, particuarly with older folk. I had one customer explaining that their spouse had used them to walk to the shops but that when entering a shop with tiled floors, they resulted in a slip that broke a hip. They are a slip hazard on tiled floors. It is therefore very important to remove them before entering shops with these kinds of surfaces (difficult for some older folk). The studed ones might therefore be better, but they also have their downsides as they studs can catch on paveing slabs, causing a trip. As long as the rsiks are explained to the user, then hopefully np problem.

In reply to peebles boy:

I tried a couple of pairs for running in last year. First some Grivel Spiders, which I found uncomfortable and, probably, a bit overkill for the job. Next, I tried these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/WinterWise-10-STUD-Traction-Universal-Crampons/dp/B...

Those were so good (and cheap) that I bought some for every pensioner I know last yule. Like you, my mum's taken a few falls in recent years but the feedback on these has been good from all who used them.

In reply to cornishlee:

I'd agree, I think these are better.