Microspikes v. Yaktrax
The clear winner to my mind is Microspikes based solely on durability as opposed to performance.
Yaktrax
Last October Jayme and I took a pair of walker Yaktrax up Wright Peak. These traction devices did just what we expected them to do – keep us from slipping all over ice-coated rock. They dug into the ice effectively, were very comfortable, fit over the boots well, and were all around a win for the ascent. Unfortunately, just before re-entering the timberline as we descended from the summit of Wright Peak, one of the straps broke on Jayme’s Yaktrax.
Lest we go further without undue disclosure, we had the walker variety as opposed to the pro (ostensibly built to deal with rougher terrain), but there seem to be fundamental design flaws.
This is the bottom of the shoe - note that the coils providing the "digging" action wrap around the straps that hold them to the boot/shoe.
The first design flaw is that the soft rubber straps that wrap around the boot/shoe are exposed to grinding and scraping against the rock where they stretch across the bottom of the boot and the sides of the boot (who hasn’t turned their foot and wedged it against a rock to ensure a better foothold?).
The second design flaw is that the coil providing the traction wrap around (and therefore can cut into) the soft rubber strap. This is what happened to Jayme’s on the way down Wright Peak, the metal coil cut through her strap, leaving us with a traction device we couldn’t keep on her boot. Not fun with ice-coated bare rock slides to descend.
Microspikes
Yesterday we took Microspikes up the same trail (instead of Wright we climbed Algonquin and Iroquois) and found that the design flaws were corrected by Mircrospikes. All the rubber straps were designed to sit higher up on the boot where they are less likely to see abrasion or grinding. Additionally the sharp spikes are not in a position to cut into the securing straps; there is a point where metal meets rubber, but the metal is rounded and the rubber is reinforced for good measure.
The red rubber is easy to see and helps alert you to any slippage of the crampon.
Microspikes are built more durable and easier to slip on and off. The only downside to these over the Yaktrax is that when walking over bare rock, you can feel the aggressive spike digging into the bottom of your foot. A slight discomfort, but you know for sure they aren’t going to break mid-hike.
Cool! I’m going to check into these. The EXACT same thing happened to us on one of our hikes. Our youngest daughter’s yaktrax broke and it was a real pain. Thanks!