8 Best Ice Cleats for Shoes and Boots

Icy ground turns even a short walk into a careful shuffle, whether it’s the front steps down to the car or the sidewalk you cover with the dog every morning. Ice cleats are made for those everyday stretches, and they slip over the shoes or boots you already own.

For this roundup, I focused on the best ice cleats for shoes and boots, so my selection below ranges from a light coil pair for quick errands to a strap-on sole for long days of outdoor work.

On packed, gentle trails, a cleat still holds. Once the trail steepens or the snow deepens, its short studs and coils run out of bite, and chain-and-spike traction built for hikers takes over. It helps to know which side of that line your winter walks fall on before you buy.

Ice Cleats or Microspikes?

The Verdict: Our #1 Pick

When snow piles up, the short spikes lose their hold, and on snowy sidewalks I’d pick the Yaktrax Diamond Grip instead, as its beads shed buildup and it’s sized up to 2XL to fit over insulated boots. Kahtoola backs the NANOspikes with a four-year warranty, which takes some of the sting out of the $69.95 price.

How We Tested

Our team tested all eight cleats over the past two winters, in town in the United States and Europe. We wore them mostly for walking and light hiking, the use this page is about. We judged each one on grip, ease of use, spike count and length, weight, materials and sizing, and set those results against outside feedback and warranty terms. Our full testing method walks through each step.

Three of the eight, the NANOspikes, Diamond Grip and Pro, also went through the multi-day trials for our microspikes ranking, where our team put 18 traction devices on black ice, packed snow and thawing mud. Ranked there for hiking, they hold the last three of its seven places, which is why they sit on this page for town use. In those trials, we watched the step from ice onto bare pavement, checked the undersides for packed snow and took the NANOspikes on runs.

For all eight, I also checked each build against the brand’s own specs, from spike material and length to the harness and its cold rating.

Our Top Recommended Ice Cleats

I’ve ranked all eight on the grip and build each one offers for its price. The score next to each cleat is our rating for town walking and light hiking, so it can differ from the hiking score in our microspikes ranking.

Tungsten carbide is far harder than steel, so the tips keep their points on bare asphalt. Kahtoola also cups each tip, and that puts your weight on a narrow rim that bites into ice on contact. At 5.3 mm, the spikes sit low enough to keep you close to the ground.

On winter road runs, our team crossed between icy and dry pavement smoothly and kept a normal stride up inclines, with steady footing on flat gravel trails as well. Deep snow was the exception, as short points can’t reach firm ground under it, and we lost grip and stability as it piled up. For snowy trails I’d switch to the 7.4 mm spikes of the Kahtoola EXOspikes, ranked first among the microspikes we tested.

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Hillsound rivets two polyurethane plates, one under the forefoot and one under the heel, to an elastomer harness, and they bend as your foot does, with nothing to tangle. Each triangular spike runs 7 mm by Hillsound’s spec, against the NANOspikes’ 5.3 mm, extra reach meant for ice under a skim of snow. Once the ground turns steep, I’d move up to Hillsound’s Trail Crampon Ultra, fourth on our microspikes list.

The textured inside of the harness grips the shoe, and the hook-and-loop strap stays attached, so it can’t go missing in a snowbank. Take these off for long cleared stretches, as stainless steel resists rust but wears faster than carbide on bare pavement.

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STABIL spreads the cleats across the whole underside, a layout meant to keep metal under you when you stand flat-footed for long stretches, shoveling a driveway or waiting at an ice-fishing hole. The cleats screw into threaded sockets for swapping with a cleat wrench, and STABIL sells spark-resistant brass ones for work sites around flammable materials.

All that sole adds bulk the slip-on cleats here don’t have, and for runs or a pair that lives in a pocket, I’d go with the lower-priced Yaktrax Pro. Over work boots, the polyester hook-and-loop straps are made to stay fastened even when wet, so slush and meltwater shouldn’t loosen them.

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The dial winds in a thin steel lace that pulls the frame in from several angles, and you can snug the fit mid-run without tugging at rubber. Underfoot, Korkers sets six studs on the forefoot plate and five on the heel, leaving the bridge under the arch bare. A single stud leads at the front, and your toe-off on glare ice rests on that one point.

Korkers built this close wrap for low-to-mid volume running shoes, so over insulated boots I’d pick Yaktrax’s Diamond Grip. The Ice Runner costs about the same as the NANOspikes while weighing 3.6 oz102 g more per pair. The choice between them rests on whether you’d rather turn a dial or stretch a harness.

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Each bead is case-hardened, with a surface heat-treated harder than the core, and the facets give each one edges pointing every way your foot might land. The beads can also swivel on their cable, which helps them shake off buildup as you walk, and on icy paths and snow-covered trails our team kept finding the undersides clear.

We also stepped from snow and ice onto bare pavement smoothly. Steep, icy trail grades need the longer points of the Kahtoola MICROspikes, second in our ranking for winter hikes. On flatter ground I’d keep this $59.99 pair by the door.

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Tight 1.4 mm stainless coils wrap the natural rubber frame, and under your weight each turn of wire presses a small edge into the surface, much as a tire chain does. With its grip spread across the sole, the Pro holds packed snow more surely than glare ice, where a pointed stud digs in deeper.

The strap over the top of the foot keeps the frame centered when you pick up the pace. For steep hills or harder winter hikes, we’d want a chain-and-spike set such as the Black Diamond Access Spike, third in our microspikes ranking. Our team relied on the Pro through routine winter days and found it easy to pull off and stow in a coat pocket.

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The coils work like the Pro’s, with 1.2 mm wire in place of 1.4 mm, leaving a little less steel in each turn to wear away. Yaktrax lists the Walk for packed snow and slush on dog walks and errands around town. Its description leaves out ice, which the Pro’s includes, so on glare ice I’d trade up to the Kahtoola NANOspikes and their tungsten carbide spikes.

Without a strap across the foot, the band holds by its own stretch alone, so I’d keep it to an easy pace and leave jogs to the strapped Pro. A heel tab helps you work it over a boot with cold hands.

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Those studs share the NANOspikes’ hard carbide, and ICETRAX guarantees them for life, with a free replacement pair if they ever wear down. The heel is reflective, which helps drivers pick you out on dark winter mornings. Up front, a StayON toe cap wraps the shoe so the cleat can’t creep back.

ICETRAX limits the V3 to packed snow and ice, so I’d slip it off once a sidewalk is cleared and leave snowy trails to Black Diamond’s Access Spike. With only two sizes covering the range, each one stretches across a wide span of shoes and can sit loose at the small end. For a closer fit, the Kahtoola NANOspikes come in five sizes.

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Comparison Table

Ice Cleats vs Microspikes vs Crampons

All three add metal under your boots. Cleats keep it short and low for sidewalks and packed paths, microspikes hang longer points from a harness that lets them dig into trail snow, and crampons carry points of around 2 cm and up on a frame for steep snow and ice. Length alone won’t settle it at the border, where the FlexSteps’ 7 mm spikes sit next to the 7.4 mm of the EXOspikes.

I’d switch from cleats to microspikes as soon as a route leaves town for a trail that climbs or drops over ice, or once the snow gets deep enough to bury short studs. A route that needs an ice axe is crampon territory. Our guide to where microspikes give way to crampons covers the slopes on which each one works.

Shops don’t always make the choice easier, as they sell studded cleats as ice spikes or even trail crampons, so check the point length and how the points are mounted before you buy. Hillsound, for example, sells the FlexSteps as crampons, although 7 mm spikes on flat plates make them a cleat for light trails.

Best Ice Cleats Buyer’s Guide

Coils, Beads, Studs or Spikes

Whatever the label says, from ice grippers to shoe spikes, a cleat grips with one of four kinds of metal, and each suits different ground. Pick the type that fits the ground on your usual route.

Sizing Over Winter Boots

If you’ll wear your cleats over winter boots, size them with those in mind. Yaktrax suggests going one size up over hiking or work boots and two over insulated footwear. Rubber muck boots run bulky too, so size them like insulated ones.

Check women’s sizes twice, as charts print them next to the men’s and the cutoffs shift between models. In Yaktrax’s charts, for example, a women’s US 8.5 lands in the S for the coil cleats but in the M for the Diamond Grip. Once your pair arrives, try it on at home over your winter boots and check that the band sits snug at the heel, with the cleat’s toe reaching right to the tip.

Getting Them On and Off

For the first few tries, sit down to put them on. Hook the toe in first and stretch the band over your heel, using the tab at the back if there is one.

If stretching rubber over a heel is hard on your hands, look for a cleat that closes another way. The Maxx 2 fastens with hook-and-loop straps, and the Korkers Ice Runner skips the stretch altogether and closes with a dial. Once you’re home, let the pair dry fully before it goes back in its bag, the routine Hillsound recommends to keep spikes from corroding.

Pavement and Indoor Floors

Yaktrax sends mixed signals here. Its FAQ says Yaktrax devices aren’t meant for gravel, concrete or sanded roads cleared of snow, and the reason it gives is coil damage, as coils can’t compress on hard ground. The Pro‘s product page still lists pavement among its terrain. I’d go by the FAQ for the coil models. For a commute that mixes ice with bare sidewalk, my picks are the Diamond Grip, whose product page describes beads made for crossing concrete, and the carbide-studded NANOspikes.

Indoors, metal on tile or polished stone can slip and scratch, and Yaktrax tells buyers not to wear its cleats inside at all, marble floors included. A bag by the door makes it easy to slip them off before you step inside.

Which Yaktrax Is Which

Yaktrax lists 14 traction devices on its site, and since the names don’t give much away, the table below sorts out the models you’re likely to come across. Yaktrax also sells Plus versions of the Walk and Pro, which wrap their coils around the underside of a thermoplastic harness and come with a carry bag and carabiner.

Harness Materials and Cold Ratings

A harness has to stretch over your boot when it’s coldest out, and its material decides how easily it does that. Natural rubber stays elastic in deep cold but contains latex, so if you’re allergic to it, skip the Yaktrax Pro and Diamond Grip. The NANOspikes and Maxx 2 use TPE instead, and the Walk‘s band is a polyelastomer. ICETRAX only calls the V3‘s material a cold-flex rubber compound, so ask the brand first if latex is a concern.

If your winters drop well below zero, look for a stated rating. Three picks here publish one, the Maxx 2 to -45°F-43°C, the Pro to -41°F-41°C and the NANOspikes to -22°F-30°C.

Best Ice Cleats for Older Walkers

For older walkers, I’d look first at how easily a cleat goes on and comes off, sitting down and without help. Podiatrist Dr. Holly Spohn-Gross made a point in our guide to ankle support that carries straight over to cleats, saying “Footwear should complement stability, not replace it.”

In the same guide, pain specialist Dr. Ormond gives outside support a bigger role once someone’s balance is already compromised, and older adults are the first group he names. Taken together, their advice makes a cleat one part of staying steady on winter ground, alongside the balance work in the three-stage routine for steadier ankles we built with input from physical therapists.

A winter-long trial of 109 fall-prone adults aged 65 and older, later included in a Cochrane review of fall prevention, tested cleats in this group directly. On snow and ice, the adults wearing an earlier Yaktrax coil cleat fell outdoors at under half the rate of those in their usual winter footwear. Of the cleat wearers’ own 19 outdoor falls, 12 came on days they hadn’t put them on.

The trial took only people who could fit the cleats themselves, and everyone knew which group they were in, so read the figure as encouraging rather than exact. If your balance has changed or you’ve fallen in the past year, see a physical therapist or podiatrist as well. A cleat helps with the ice, and they can work on the cause.

For seniors and anyone with balance concerns, I’d start with a cleat that fastens by strap, such as the Maxx 2 over boots. A dial closure like the Ice Runner‘s also spares the hands, though Korkers shapes it for slim running shoes. On any route with a slope, add trekking poles set to the right length as well.

FAQs

Do Ice Cleats Really Work?

Yes. Their metal edges bite into ice where shoe rubber slides, with one condition from Yaktrax, which says its traction devices need a wearer of around 70 to 75 lb32 to 34 kg to engage. Below that weight, a small child may not press the metal in far enough to grip, and Yaktrax doesn’t make its devices for children.

Is There Anything Better Than Yaktrax?

Yes, depending on the ground. On glare ice, tungsten carbide studs suit the job better than coils, and the NANOspikes also handle the bare pavement in between. On snowy trails, microspikes take over. If you like the brand, Yaktrax sells beaded and studded models of its own, letting you stay with it and still change the traction.

When Should You Not Use Ice Cleats?

On steep ice, indoors and behind the wheel. A cleat’s short studs or coils leave little margin on a steep, icy grade, so switch to chain-and-spike traction like the Kahtoola MICROspikes before the trail tilts. Take cleats off at the door, as metal slips on tile and stone, and again before you drive.

Can You Drive With Ice Cleats On?

No. Take full-foot cleats off before you drive, since studs or coils under your forefoot can interfere with pedal control. Due North designs its flip-up Heel Traction Aid for drivers and delivery staff, and it keeps the forefoot free.

Can You Bring Ice Cleats on a Plane?

Yes. Pack them in checked luggage, since the TSA officer at the checkpoint decides on carry-ons and can turn away anything with spikes. The TSA rules for spiked traction apply to microspikes and crampons alike, and even coil cleats in a carry-on can be refused.

What Is the Best Footwear for Walking on Ice?

An insulated, waterproof boot with soft winter rubber and deep lugs, plus a cleat once the ice turns glassy. Rubber stiffens as it gets colder, and a compound made for winter holds on to more of its grip. The winter boots we’ve tested are a good place to start before you size a cleat over them.