Kahtoola NANOspikes – Excellent Traction in Winter Conditions

Kahtoola NANOspikes – Excellent Traction in Winter Conditions Paul Gallaher The new Kahtoola NANOspikes are out on the market and I’ve fortunately been given a chance to review a pair. Kahtoola NANOspikes Review We live in an area where streets and sidewalks can be icy eight months out of the year, but we also have…

Sean Sewell

January 4, 2024

3–4 minutes

Kahtoola NANOspikes – Excellent Traction in Winter Conditions

Paul Gallaher

The new Kahtoola NANOspikes are out on the market and I’ve fortunately been given a chance to review a pair.

Kahtoola NANOspikes Review

We live in an area where streets and sidewalks can be icy eight months out of the year, but we also have 300 days of sunshine a year, so conditions are variable. I’ve been able to try these out already this season and here’s what I’ve discovered:

Design:

These NANOspikes, Footwear Traction are designed to fit over a variety of footwear styles.

Ten concave tungsten carbide spikes. More durable spikes that withstand the wear and tear of walking on a combination of ice, pavement or rocks/gravel.
Strong, low-profile and lightweight rivet connections to allow for a stable walking and running platform.
A redesigned elastomer harness. Strong, but with the elasticity to fit a variety of footwear styles. Improved heel tabs allow for quick installation or removal.
Added extra traction in the sole to improve grip in varied ice and snow terrain.

Performance:

I’ve worn these NANOspikes on glare ice, combination snow and ice, on pavement and everything in-between. They never failed to grab, even on the slickest surface.
These Kahtoola NANOspikes take about 30 seconds to put on or take off per shoe or boot and come with a nifty nylon bag to store them in when not in use.
These are designed to be worn with running shoes or light boots. I’ve worn them on mid-weight insulated boots and they fit just fine.

Kahtoola NANOspikes – Paul Gallaher of Engearment.com

Final thoughts: These NANOspikes Footwear Traction are really excellent at grabbing the ice and holding with only minor sliding, even when I purposely put them through some fast starts and stops on ice. They never seemed to move on my boots with pushing off into a run or doing a “maximum effort” stop. Yes, they did slide a small bit here and there, but I came to EXPECT them to grab! These traction devices do give me the confidence to take the dogs for a walk on icy roads and sidewalks in the winter and know I will be able to control them when the inevitable winter squirrel appears! These NANOspikes retail on Kahtoola’s website and other major outdoor retailers for $54.95. A good value, especially when compared to the price of a fall on the ice. Highly recommended!

Paul Gallaher

Paul grew up in Minnesota where he learned to love the outdoors, riding his bike, fishing and canoeing in the summers and skiing in the winters on Minnesota’s 300 foot-tall “mountains”.

After finishing college, he was commissioned as an officer in the USAF eventually becoming a special operations and reconnaissance instructor navigator flying and serving around the world for twenty-two years.

Living and traveling around the world has given Paul opportunities to explore outdoor passions. He is an advanced scuba diver, a pilot, a sailor and has skied in the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.

These days, Paul lives in Summit County, Colorado with Kate (the Doctor of Stoke) and Sansa the snow dog. He works as a Registered Nurse and Nordic Center Groomer.