Best Ice Cleats for Walking on Ice and Snow

Winter Walking HIGH-PRO™ Ice Cleats

• Twenty Six aggressive, well-distributed, durable 2mm Tungsten Carbide Studs deliver unparalleled grip on ice and black ice.
• Spikes at front of footwear and Heel Spikes allow you to walk naturally... there are no special skills to learn.
• Aggressive, self-cleaning treads provide traction in deep snow and slush while assuring studs stay in contact with icy surfaces.
• Wide straps and several exclusive patented features keep HIGH-PROs securely on footwear and properly aligned.
• Patented Dual Pull Tabs and Dual Density Construction and proprietary strap material make them easy to put on and take off even at extremely low temperatures.
• Exclusive patented dual material construction provides unmatched durability and reliability.

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Winter Walking SPARE SPIKE™ Ice Cleats

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Winter Walking EASY SPIKE™ Ice Cleats

Winter Walking LOW-PRO Ice Cleats

• LOW-PRO are heavy duty, industrial-grade ice cleats for boots and shoes provide excellent traction in all wintry conditions including ice, packed snow, deep snow, slush and black ice.
• They're safe to wear on most commercial indoor surfaces and while driving.
• Patented Heel Spike keeps you safer and allows you to walk naturally.
• Easily stretch over most footwear and are easy to put on and remove.
• Ideal for delivery drivers, use in cities, elderly, the blind and people with disabilities.

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Winter Walking AltraGrips-Lite™ Low Profile Ice Cleats

LOW-PRO Ice Cleats are the new version of ALTRAGRIPS-LITE LOW PROFILE. However, only ALTRAGRIPS-LITE LOW PROFILE are available in XS. Some people don't like the bright orange color of the LOW-PRO and choose the more subdued, all-black ALTRAGRIPS-LITE LOW PROFILE. Otherwise, I recommend the LOW-PRO.

• AltraGrips-Lite LP ( Low Profile ) Ice Cleats are ultra-convenient because you simply put them on and leave them on your footwear.
• Transitional Traction enables you to safely wear them indoors without damaging most floors.
• They're safe to wear while driving.
• ALTRAGRIPS-LITE LOW PROFILE provide traction on all winter slippery surfaces including ice, packed snow, deep snow, slush, and black ice.

All recommended ice cleats...

• Keep you safer no matter what the wintry mix or how cold the ice. This is even more important because it seems like extremes in weather are becoming the rule rather than the exception.
• Stay securely on your shoes and boots because they have advanced, patented features that keep them in place but are still easy to put on and take off.
• They're all durable because they have heavy-duty, tough, chemical-resistant straps and tungsten carbide studs... the hardest and most durable studs available.
• The stud design maintains its sharpness and effectiveness throughout the life of the stud unlike stud designs that literally become less effective with each use.
• They're affordable because although they may initially cost twice as much as the cheaper brands they keep you several times safer and last several times longer. Continuing thinking about the financial cost, have you actually visited and emergency room lately? It's not like the old days when you showed your insurance card and that was it. The deductibles and copays are out of sight. But more importantly, this not something you want to skimp on. Falling on the ice is very serious business. Many of my customers look for ice cleats after the serious, life-changing injuries have occurred. They'll be the first to tell you that paying a little more for ice cleats that have the best chance of preventing injuries from falling on the ice is the best investment you'll ever make.

Visit my Ice Cleats Selection Guide

• Simply walking to the mailbox or from your car to the grocery store?
• Walking to stay fit?

• Walking on sidewalks?
• Non-paved walking trails?
• Off-road?
• In the city?
• Walking on steep hills?

The further you walk the more durability becomes a factor.

• Do you use them just occasionally?
• Do you use them every day?

• Do you get a lot of snow and ice?
• Is it regular snow or wet snow?
• Does it "hang around" or quickly melt.
• How cold does it get? This is important because very cold ice is much denser and spikeless ice traction devices with steel coils and gritted Ice Cleats become less or totally ineffective.

Almost all Ice Cleats need to be removed before going indoors. That's because they will either damage floors or, in the case of spikeless ice cleats, they are extremely slippery on smooth dry floors. If you are unable to do this you need to consider Ice Cleats with Transitional Traction which include LOW-PRO or ALTRAGRIPS-LITE LOW PROFILE Ice Cleats.

Generally more studs on the Ice Cleats the better especially when they're intelligently placed over the entire bottom of the Ice Cleat. That's because you obviously have a better chance of the studs coming in contact with the ice especially when the ice is uneven. Once you lose traction it's tough to get it back.

It is possible to have too many studs. When this occurs you get the "bed of nails effect" whereby your weight is distributed over so many points of contact that the studs don't penetrate the ice. This is particularly true on very cold ice that is far more dense.

The ice cleats I recommend have a patented Heel Spike. Think about how you naturally take a step and what hits the ground first. It's your heel, right? Well if there's no spike there at the base of your heel you're likely to have your leg slide right out in front and from under you and you'll go down. Ice cleats without Heel Spikes force you to walk more flat-footed. That's not natural so you can forget to do it especially if you have to move in a hurry. You'll only find Heel Spike(s) on Winter Walking Ice Cleats.

The longer the stud the better up to a maximum of 2mm for ice cleats designed for walking and everyday use. Once they get longer than 2mm the studs themselves become a tripping hazard. The longer spike is especially important when there's a thin layer of snow on top of the ice that could prevent the stud from making contact with the ice.

The exception is when people are unable, or it's impractical, to remove Ice Cleats before going indoors. Then 1mm studs on the Winter Walking LOW-PRO and Winter Walking ALTRAGRIPS-LITE LOW PROFILE Ice Cleats are the best compromise.

Your ice cleats should have an aggressive tread that's good for traction on deeper snow and. The tread should be designed to help expel snow and slush that can come between the bottom of your boot and the ice to help those studs to maintain contact with the ice. This is a major problem with spikeless ice cleats with coils.

Basing your choice of ice cleats on price alone automatically qualifies you for a Darwin Award. If you don't know what that is you might want to look it up. The difference between the ice cleat that provides the best possible protection from a fall and a total piece of junk is less than $20 and most often less than $10. We're talking about reducing the risk of a life-altering injury... a broken hip, arm or leg, concussion, fractured skull or even death. We're trying to prevent an injury that can prevent you from working and taking care of yourself and your family. This is no time to be shopping in the bargain basement.

• Most customer reviews regarding Ice Cleats are written by people who in no way considered the questions I posed in the section above. And it's not the customer's fault because the people who sold them the Ice Cleats often don't have a clue or make no attempt to tell them about them.
• The perceived performance of Ice Cleats is relative. Many positive reviews for mediocre and sometimes even terrible Ice Cleats result from the customer's first experience with first Ice Cleats. That's because almost any Ice Cleat... no matter how terrible... is still a lot better than the traction provided by any rubber or leather soled shoe or boot alone.
• Some of the worst reviews result from purchasing Ice Cleats for purposes for which they were not designed. For example, taking light duty Ice Cleats on a mountain trail and then complaining how they broke in 15 minutes.

The best time to buy Ice Cleats is when there's no... and no chance of... ice or snow on the ground. The absolute worst time to buy Ice Cleats is when there is ice and snow on the ground because you'll settle for just about anything you can get on your feet to stop you from slipping and getting injured.

You risk life and limb and head out to the sporting goods or hardware store... if you can even get there... to purchase anything they might happen to have. Often they're sold out.

It's just common sense. You don't buy house insurance when your house is already on fire... it's too late. It's the same thing buying Ice Cleats except the risk is greater because it's to your personal well-being whereby the house is simply property.

You only have to slip and fall one time to suffer a life-altering injury or even death. And you can't always simply make the decision not to go out because you may already be out when you're surprised by slippery conditions. It's a fantastic, smart investment in something you hope you never have to use... like health insurance.

All recommended ice cleats...

• Keep you safer no matter what the wintry mix or how cold the ice. This is even more important because it seems like extremes in weather are becoming the rule rather than the exception.
• Stay securely on your shoes and boots because they have advanced, patented features that keep them in place but are still easy to put on and take off.
• They're all durable because they have heavy-duty, tough, chemical-resistant straps and tungsten carbide studs... the hardest and most durable studs available.
• The stud design maintains its sharpness and effectiveness throughout the life of the stud unlike stud designs that literally become less effective with each use.
• They're affordable because although they may initially cost twice as much as the cheaper brands they keep you several times safer and last several times longer. Continuing thinking about the financial cost, have you actually visited and emergency room lately? It's not like the old days when you showed your insurance card and that was it. The deductibles and copays are out of sight. But more importantly, this not something you want to skimp on. Falling on the ice is very serious business. Many of my customers look for ice cleats after the serious, life-changing injuries have occurred. They'll be the first to tell you that paying a little more for ice cleats that have the best chance of preventing injuries from falling on the ice is the best investment you'll ever make.