Comments on: Yaktrax Pro Review

By: Jenna

Jenna — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:38:11 +0000

Mary – I had the exact same problem this morning with my YaxTrax Pro. Except one of the wire coils caught my other shoe and I went down…Hard! Then I realized that I had lost a coil at some point in my run and one of the rubber parts broke.

I’ve only put about 120 miles on these and have only had them for about 2 months. I’m really disappointed with them. Up until today they’ve worked great! I’m not sure if I’m willing to spend another $35 for another pair or try the stabilcers sport….

By: Mary

Mary — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:56:00 +0000

I have used Yaktrax for two winters now and I broke my second pair just yesterday. I run about 30 miles/week on snow, ice and pavement in Illinois.

My big problem with them is that the wire coils keep unwinding from the rubber. This not only resulted in breakage (since I was then running on the rubber, not the wire), but the bigger issue was that the free ends of the coil work their way to the outside of the shoe and then catch on either the opposite shoe, or my sock, or running tights. *That* was a bigger hazard than the ice!

Anybody else have that problem?

By: Bryon Powell

Bryon Powell — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 06:04:00 +0000

Sean,
Thanks for the Canadian perspective on the Yaktrax Pro.

By: Sean

Sean — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:04:00 +0000

Trail Goat, since you wanted to hear from a Canadian on this issue, I thought I’d post my 2 cents worth. I live in British Columbia and run in the trails about 90% of the time. This winter our weather has made trail running particularly challenging. I recently bought a pair of Yaktrax Pro’s and instantly fell in love with them. Admittedly the first time I put them on I lost my grip and one went flying into the bushes, but they are basically very easy to get on. Yaktrax provide extreme traction in snow and ice. They have allowed me to continue training in an otherwise horrible training season. The only problem with them is that they are not well suited for any kind of terrain with exposed rocks. As Geoff mentioned, I too have found they don’t last long under these conditions. After my third 4hr run in a row, the Yaktrax basically ended up dangling around my ankles. I do really like these devices, but they are only suitable for conditions of snow and ice without exposed rock. They are the cat’s meow… mostly!

By: Meghan

Meghan — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 04:24:00 +0000

I ALMOST stopped reading after you wrote “the cat’s meow.” But I had to keep reading because I like mine so much.

My Yaktrax Pros have lasted for 4 winter seasons, they are now on their 5th, and I have no idea how many miles are on them. I would say on average 20 miles per winter week of walking and running. They are very close to wearing out, though. Any day, a rubber piece on the bottom is going to snap. I heart them!

Meghan

By: Holwer

Holwer — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:14:00 +0000

Thanks

By: Trail Goat

Trail Goat — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:37:00 +0000

Howler,
This is pure speculation, but I don’t think the Yaktrax would be much help on frost. They seem to get their grip by biting into the snow or ice. If the frost is just enough to fill in the voids in asphalt, not sure if they’d do any good. Once you get some frozen precipitation, the Yaktraz Pro should help. Here in the mid-Atlantic states, we see a good deal of precipitation events with a small accumulation of freezing rain for which I except to don my Yaktrax Pro.

By: Howler

Howler — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:07:00 +0000

I live in England and am recovering from surgery to repair a broken patella and ankle on my left leg. Things are a bit icy here and I’m worried about slipping on the pavement when I’m getting to and from work. There is much less ice and snow here than in the US so most of the walking will be on pavements with either no ice, or a thin covering of frost/ice. Could you tell me if the Yaktrax will provide any benefits for me on this kind of surface? Is it more ’slippery’ than a normal shoe on a pavement with no ice on it? Thanks and happy new year!

By: andyb

andyb — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:21:00 +0000

I just used the regular Yaktrax recently while visiting some friends, as I don’t typically have to deal with snow in the winter. I loved em, and had no problems with them coming off my shoes. Though I was running on a road that had been plowed and the snow/ice was pretty packed down. Great traction and light weight, I hardly knew they were on my feet. I’d definitely use em again.

By: AJW

AJW — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:43:00 +0000

Any of you ice runners out there ever try icebug shoes? I love them.

ajw