Review on Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultra - Ice Traction Device with 18 Stainless Steel Spikes and 2-Year Warranty by Marco Hubbard

These things are lightweight, have a secure fit and are absolutely fantastic for riding on ice and slippery but also flat mud up hills and down go down and climb over fallen logs. If I only made trips in such conditions, I would not return them. However, if ANY amount of snow or slush covers the ice or mud, huge balls will form under your feet. This is uncomfortable at first, but quickly becomes dangerous. I wore them 3 times before throwing in the towel and sending them back. The first time I went about a quarter mile through just half an inch of snow covering a thick layer of ice before the snowballs became unbearable. I had to stop every other step to kick or drag my feet to shake the snow off my soles. After a few steps, this maneuver was no longer enough and I had to stop and scrape the snow with my hands. This "kick-kick-drag-kick-kick-stop-n-scrape-kick-kick-drag-kick-kick” pattern etc. quickly became obsolete. So I just tried to ignore the snowballs, thinking they might fall. nope Soon I had platform shoes that were 6 inches high and rounded so I felt like I was walking in a rocking chair. Deciding it wasn't worth a broken ankle, I took off the damn clothes and put them on for the rest of the hike. I'm glad I had trekking poles but still the hike was disappointing. The second time, after reading some tips to avoid this problem, I smeared the cats with musher's paw wax (I use it on my dogs' paws to prevent snow build-up). between the toes to keep the salt from getting on the balls of your feet). It didn't matter to the snowball problem. The third time I tried the Pam spray, I also left the cats out in the cold for a few hours before dressing them (warm cats encountering cold snow supposedly suddenly increase snowballing). This didn't help either. Unfortunately I sent them back to Revane. The return process was easy (thanks Revain!) as all I had to do was clean the cats and take them to the UPS store. Didn't even have to pack them or anything like that. I would keep them and only use them on ice, but where I live you don't often find only ice. I just couldn't justify the cost of this product if it could only be used once or twice a year and only under very specific conditions.