Best Crampons for hiking AT

[Gambit McCrae]

Not doing any mountaineering here, but what is the best crampons - Most comfortable, gripping for use on the AT in the winter

[jeffmeh]

Where on the AT? Winter in New England is very different from winter in Georgia.

[Sarcasm the elf]

For anything south of New Hampshire I use Katoola Microspikes.

[reverend]

Winter Grips Ice Cleats from Cozy Winters. Quick and easy on and off. A must for crossing ice flows in the Smokies on the AT. They work and easiest thing I have found.

[waywardfool]

I've been using these. Got big feet -- 15 in a winter boot, and microspikes, et al don't work that great. Prior, always used a simple strap on instep -- small plate with 4 corners bent down. Came from Campmor back in the late 80's iirc.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These have a ratchet binding, kinda like a ski boot. Can on/off without having to sit down.

I like them.

[egilbe]

I've been using these. Got big feet -- 15 in a winter boot, and microspikes, et al don't work that great. Prior, always used a simple strap on instep -- small plate with 4 corners bent down. Came from Campmor back in the late 80's iirc.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These have a ratchet binding, kinda like a ski boot. Can on/off without having to sit down.

I like them.

Those may work for flat ground. Wouldnt work on hills very well where you have to step off your toes.

For packed trails and ice on moderate slopes, I use Hillsound trail crampons. I have some Grivel G-10's, but have yet to try them out.

[ScareBear]

I have the Hillsound trail crampon knock-offs.

I guess I got lucky and got a pair with good steel? Mine have held up just fine...$16...https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Gro...s+Grips+Cleats

The best crampons for the AT? The one's you never use...

[rafe]

Hillsounds are popular among White Mountain winter peakbaggers. Microspikes suffice for "most" situations. Except when they aren't. If the snow is deep, you want snowshoes.

You shouldn't need 'em in normal hiking season, mid-March to, say, November.

[waywardfool]

Those may work for flat ground. Wouldnt work on hills very well where you have to step off your toes.

I've never had a problem with them...AT in NC and VA, and other trails. (I'd consider the AT to be "flat ground", compared to places I have climbed with 12 points.) YMMV, of course.

[Traveler]

FWIW - For most anything south of NH, I've found Katoola Microspikes are about the best for overall winter conditions. I use the Hillsound spikes when I know I am going into terrain that has a lot of hard ice and verticality and I am concerned the Microspikes may not give me quite enough purchase power and crampons would be overkill.

[peakbagger]

The Kahtoola microspikes are quite popular in the whites. They are great for general use on snow but not as good on actual ice. The Hillsound Trail Crampons are better on ice but be careful as they sell multiple versions including a Kahtoola clone. The other definite improvement is the instep strap on the Hillsounds. Both brands can get snagged on snags sticking up through the snow, its happens on occasion during the day. The Kahtoolas pull off the boot and end up sitting in the trail. Hillsounds with the strap will not. The other somewhat related issue is that there are only a couple of sizes of each variety, ideally they the chains should fit snug up against the sole of the boot and the chains should wrap up around the widest part of the boot. If the boots are jingling with the spikes on they are too loose, that can cause clumps of snow to form on the chains and more importantly it can mean that rubber loops that connect to the chains can end up along the widest part of the boot and get pinched more readily. The straps help deal with both albeit it take a bit more hassle to put them on and off.

The clones of both brands are on the web and they have lousy rep, usually the rubber is lower quality and on occasion the steel is crap leading to failure when you may really need them.

[Engine]

The Kahtoola microspikes are quite popular in the whites. They are great for general use on snow but not as good on actual ice. The Hillsound Trail Crampons are better on ice but be careful as they sell multiple versions including a Kahtoola clone. The other definite improvement is the instep strap on the Hillsounds. Both brands can get snagged on snags sticking up through the snow, its happens on occasion during the day. The Kahtoolas pull off the boot and end up sitting in the trail. Hillsounds with the strap will not. The other somewhat related issue is that there are only a couple of sizes of each variety, ideally they the chains should fit snug up against the sole of the boot and the chains should wrap up around the widest part of the boot. If the boots are jingling with the spikes on they are too loose, that can cause clumps of snow to form on the chains and more importantly it can mean that rubber loops that connect to the chains can end up along the widest part of the boot and get pinched more readily. The straps help deal with both albeit it take a bit more hassle to put them on and off.

The clones of both brands are on the web and they have lousy rep, usually the rubber is lower quality and on occasion the steel is crap leading to failure when you may really need them.

I looked at my Kahtoolas and it would be easy to add a velcro DIY instep strap to them. Off to Walmart to buy some velcro straps...Well, maybe next Monday, that place had so many people infected with "consumeritis" yesterday I practically ran back out the door.

[Tipi Walter]

The good, the bad and the ugly of Kahtoola Microspikes? They work amazingly well on cold dry snow and tough icy pitches when you just want to hike with a 60 or 80 lb pack and not spend all day worrying the trail to death or pulling "bung abseils"---i.e. going down a tough icy trail on your butt.

Like with a snow shovel, carrying microspikes means you can move more, stay out longer, and tackle trails usually not recommended on your route. They invite and encourage you to stay out in the winter and thru tougher winter conditions. This is especially true for backpackers carrying big packs who need to move everyday in terrible conditions.




Plus they pack well into my small MSR titanium cook kettle and stored in my pack when not needed.


They can also be slapped on your chest with the sternum strap when not needed or when needed at a moment's notice.

THE UGLY???
These babies do not work in deep wet snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Each one will pick up a 5 lb clump of wet snow underneath rendering them worst than useless. You will fall. In slick wet snow it's better to just use your boots.

[Slack-jawed Trog]

I like the Hillsound Trail Crampon, which is similar to the Kahtoola microspikes but come with an instep strap. (I've seen a couple of friends step out of micro spikes without some sort of instep strap): http://loomisadventures.com/sites/de...rampons_01.jpg

On last year's annual January Outpost, micro spikes were required where we were in the Berkshires. The trails were iced like a glazed doughnut, unlike all preceding trips where snowshoes were de rigueur. Actually, we got more snow on the hike in than we had all weekend, a dusting which was gone by morning when temps rose into the 50s. Not recommended but they actually worked well on bare rock where an exposed ledge was ice free, which surprised me as my pack weight was 74#.

Since I bought the Trail Crampon, I see that Hillsound has put out the Trail Crampon Pro, which has anti-snowballing plates. When I replace my current set, I'll go with the Pro version, as snowballing under the heel, and ball of the foot is a problem in certain conditions. YMMV, and invariably will...

[Kaptainkriz]

Never thought of storing these in my pot!

The good, the bad and the ugly of Kahtoola Microspikes? They work amazingly well on cold dry snow and tough icy pitches when you just want to hike with a 60 or 80 lb pack and not spend all day worrying the trail to death or pulling "bung abseils"---i.e. going down a tough icy trail on your butt.

Like with a snow shovel, carrying microspikes means you can move more, stay out longer, and tackle trails usually not recommended on your route. They invite and encourage you to stay out in the winter and thru tougher winter conditions. This is especially true for backpackers carrying big packs who need to move everyday in terrible conditions.




Plus they pack well into my small MSR titanium cook kettle and stored in my pack when not needed.


They can also be slapped on your chest with the sternum strap when not needed or when needed at a moment's notice.

THE UGLY???
These babies do not work in deep wet snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Each one will pick up a 5 lb clump of wet snow underneath rendering them worst than useless. You will fall. In slick wet snow it's better to just use your boots.

[Slack-jawed Trog]

Never thought of storing these in my pot!

Actually, I prefer to hang them off of my pack with a couple of 'biners, so they're more readily accessible. YMMV, and invariably will...

[Tipi Walter]

On a long trip I might not see snow and ice for the first 10 days and so these babies are in the pot . . . inside the pack.

[egilbe]

On a long trip I might not see snow and ice for the first 10 days and so these babies are in the pot . . . inside the pack.

Mine are either on my feet or readily accessible hanging off my pack. My last weekend trip, they stayed on my pack because my snowshoes never left my feet. 40+ inches of snow makes it necessary

[Another Kevin]

For anything south of New Hampshire I use Katoola Microspikes.

I'll add yet another voice agreeing to that one. I live in microspikes in the winter. I wore a pair on my walk in to work this morning.

And I'll continue with the suggestion that if you're planning to tackle New Hampshire or Maine in winter, and you don't have any idea what crampons you're bringing, you should ask your instructor.

If you're tackling New Hampshire or Maine in winter, don't have basic crampon skills, and don't have a winter mountaineering instructor, you're making a mistake. Potentially a lethal one.

---

The following is to be read only after digesting the above advice:

Alternatives to microspikes:
Hillsounds are also good.
Stabilicers have OK traction, but you'll need to bring replacement studs and the tool that puts them in, because they're always losing studs.
Yaktrax are for in town only. They're not durable enough for the trail.
What we all used to do before Microspikes: take a pair of boots you don't care all that much about, and drive #6x3/8" hex head sheet metal screws into the lugs.

What do I use for crampons?
First see above - get your teacher's advice. Seriously. Having the gear does not make you a mountaineer.
I wear Sorel pac boots in deep winter - I've never been able to justify the price of mountaineering boots for the couple of times a year that I'd wear them. I therefore need strap-on crampons. I have Black Diamond Contact, which I see a lot of Out There. Grivel G10's and G12's are also popular. Anything more aggressive is really for vertical ice climbing and not for hiking. Steer clear of aluminum crampons. They're for glacier travel. The mixed rock and ice that you get in the Northeast just destroys them.
I also tend not to use my crampons all that much. I have ascent snowshoes, and I find that on wind-packed ridges, they're gripping just fine for quite a while after companions who have less aggressive snowshoes have switched out.