Customer Reviews

32 North® STABILicers™ Ice Cleats, XL

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Since the sizing information is not very helpful:

* X Small - men's sizes 5 to 6, women's 6.5 to 8
* Small - men's sizes 6.5 to 7.5, women's 8.5 to 10.5
* Medium - men's sizes 8 to 10, women's 11+
* Large - men's sizes 10.5 to 12.5
* X Large - men's sizes 12.5 to 14

I purchased a pair of the heavy-duty StabilIcers to take with me to Stockholm, Sweden, for the winter. I'm overweight, and have a knee problem that limits my stability quite severely on ice and slick surfaces. I have, in the past, used stretched-rubber oversoles with carbide tipped spikes (available for ~150 SKr in most Stockholm shoe shops). These have worked poorly; tough to get on and off while standing (basically, you really need to take off your shoes!), and tended to slip out of position on shoes.

The Stabilicers work like a charm! I feel fully confident striding around town, crossing ice / slushy snow with ease. They are much easier to put on and retain; it helps to have a bench to hike a leg up on, but it's not strictly necessary. They stay in position fairly well, and feel like an extension of my feet. As I've only been using them for a week, I have no verdict yet on the lifetime of the screws underneath. I suspect, however, if you use them as I do (mixed snow / ice / slushy streets and sidewalks) you will wear the screws down within a few months. Rest assured, replacing the cleats is a trivial process, and their replacement cost is fairly minor.

The drawbacks:
These things are NOT quiet. Locals (especially Swedes!) who know how to walk on ice and snow and don't have knee problems, will stare at you like you are a freak. Even the old people. Just grin and bear it.

These things do not fold up. The rubber is fairly rigid, and you really can't bend them in two to stuff them in a pocket when you go into a store. I usually carry a plastic bag in a pocket to shove them into when I go into and out of a store. Or stick them in my backpack.

These things cannot be worn indoors, at all. They will instantly put divots into linoleum (oops).

Improvements:
The only improvements I could suggest would be:
1) The toe strap; it only sinches across the foot. It would be nice if the piece that runs along the foot, from the front to the toe band, could also be cinched down and tightned. Since the StabilIcers are designed to fit multiple shoe sizes, this would be a really good feature.

2) The toe strap. Perhaps make it a bifurcated piece of fabric, instead of a single strip. More like a bicycle toe clip? It would make it easier to get them on and off.

Overall, these are a wonderful device that I'm getting a lot of use out of. They make it so that I can spend time in the outdoors during the rare days of sun during the Swedish winter. If you have knee problems, get yourself a pair of these!

These are amazing. I use them primarily for snow-blowing. In the past I've had to use the blower to help balance and for support, especially when on an icy incline. Putting these on eliminates all concern of slipping. They seem well-designed and well made. There are no elastic straps that will fail as they age. The straps are heavy nylon straps with lots of velcro (which make them easy to get on and off). I can't imagine a much better product.

A follow-up note: I have found one limitation. The straps are very high quality nylon, but they will damage the finish on leather shoes or boots is used for extended periods of time. Use them with an old pair of shoes and you won't have any problems.

These are the answer! My husband and I have sworn by Yaktrax for several winters, but this year we've had a lot of black ice, which is like walking on a ceramic tile floor, and the Yaktrax were worthless in such conditions. Stabilicers cut right into the ice, no slipping at all! I notice that our local mail deliverer wears them. If you live in Wisconsin, you learn what works to walk around without sliding, or else!

I bought these last year for my wife and myself. We have a very steep driveway, but with these, it's just like walking up the driveway without ice. If you think the price is to high, think of it this way. One trip to the doctor or emergency room will cost more than a pair of these and you would have to deal with the pain and or strain.

Highly recommended! These work as advertised, and do so better than several other products I've tried.

I live in the country, on a steep hill. It's uncanny to be able to walk on icy sidewalks, roads or bumpy trails with these and be so stable and slip-free. Replacement lugs are available if you need them, but I've put several miles on mine over the past 3 years, and so far, they show no signs of significant wear. They have helped me avoid several back sprains and maybe worse.

Stabilicers eliminate the tenseness and trepidation of walking after an ice storm, or during the spring freeze-thaw cycles, when the snow gets extremely treacherous in my woods. But it will take you some time to get comfortable with the fact that you won't slip while wearing these - your body won't believe it at first, and you'll tense up and walk gingerly, per usual. But you'll soon relax, and a Zen smile will crease your face.

I am an active hiker, and hike leader for outdoors organizations and I have owned the three major products for winter traction: Yaktrax, Stabilicers, and Microspikes. It seems that many people turn up on hikes with Yaktrax more than any other product because it seems to be more prominently displayed at stores that sell outdoors equipment. I recommend the Yaktrax if you have an occasional need for low-cost traction, such as walking down an icy driveway to get your mail. Yaktrax are poorly designed; basically it's a giant rubber band with a coiled spring around it. They slide around on your boot and I have seen people have theirs peel off in snow and not even realize it. I had one of the rubber bands snap after not that much use, rendering the product useless. People who bought Yaktrax Pro with the strap seem to have better luck. The rubber is more robust and the strap keeps the Yaktrax from sliding around or sliding off. I also own Stabilicers (the version with the strap over the boot) and have mixed feelings about them. Stabil-Icers have steel screws on the bottom, which provide amazing traction, far better than the Yaktrax, but I have wear issues with them as well. My Stabilicers lose screws on a regular basis, which is a safety hazard because you think you have traction, but you really don't. When I contacted Stabilicer about the issue, their response was, "Maybe it's time for a new pair." Mine did not have that much use on them, so that answer was unacceptable. I tried various glues to keep the screws in place, but none worked. The other disadvantage of Stabilicers (in the model that I have) is that they are heavy to carry in a pack when you don't really need them. Instead, I now use my Microspikes, which have excellent traction, and have worn well so far, but I do have concerns about the durability of the rubber where it holds the metal spikes. Microspikes are light, so they are easily carried in a backpack when you don't need them, but might encounter conditions on the trail where you do need them. With any of these traction devices, don't be put off by the cost. It's about the same price as a health insurance deductible for a trip to the emergency room!

Unlike the yaktrax, these stay on your feet in crusted snow and on steep hills with sturdy, nonstretch straps. Excellent traction, easy on and off, you can stuff one into the other to keep them together, replaceable studs, which haven't loosened on me. I can't find anything to improve.

add - I did a couple of miles of serious hiking in crusty, crunchy snow and kicking steps into steep slopes apparently broke almost all the studs off so I knocked a star off my rating and ordered a pair of microspikes. The stabilicers should suit most people though.

I do some winter hiking. I am not a mountaineer, but occasionally I use crampons on steep trails. When it is cold it can be an issue to put crampons with cold hands. Crampons are often more than you need too, when you just need a little extra traction on icy spots. Stabilicers are extremely easy to put on and take off with their velcro straps. Also, they stay on very well with no adjustment. They also give you great traction on ice and slippery rocks but still allow you to glissade down snowy sections of trails. They certainly won't replace crampons but unless you are doing technical mountaineering, you will be very happy with stabilicers.

We bought these as an upgrade to our YakTraks, which while serviceable, broke after not too much use and didn't have nearly the grip that STABILicers have. The STABILicers are much easier to put on over boots or shoes, and it's easy to repair a stud if needed. They are incredibly effective in all types of slush, ice, snowcrust, etc. We live in a hilly part of Juneau in Alaska and never have a second thought about going out on foot wearing our trusty cleats. No more slipping and sliding, or shuffling along difficult surfaces. I'd say that while YakTraks are to plain shoes as a mountain bike is to a racing bike, STABILicers are to YakTraks as a truck is to a mountain bike. They are well worth the investment. If you like to walk in all types of weather, you can do it safely wearing these