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Initial Report
Kahtoola Traction System (KTS) Steel
by Lynne Durham
January 11, 2005
NAVIGATE THIS REPORT
REVIEWER BIO
| Name |
Lynne Durham |
| Gender |
Female |
| Height |
5' 10" (1.78 m) |
| Weight |
155 lb (69 kg) |
| Age |
44
|
| Email |
lynnedurham AT yahoo DOT com |
| Location |
Benton Harbor, Michigan USA |
BACKPACKING EXPERIENCE
I have hiked and car camped all of my life, mostly in the relative
flatlands of the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan, but also in
areas east of the Continental Divide, such as South Dakota, New
England,
Kentucky, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, and more. I have been backpacking
since 2002. I keep my pack weight to 25% of bodyweight. However,
I
am always trying to lighten my load further to enhance my comfort and
enjoyment as I like to hike big mileage.
Traction Equipment Experience
I also put in extensive miles
trail running and road running, and I do not let winter keep me in the
house. In winter, I usually end up strapping on the snowshoes. I've
tried a different traction system in the past without satisfactory
results. I have never used technical crampons.
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PRODUCT INFORMATION
| MANUFACTURER |
Kahtoola, Inc. |
| WEB SITE |
http://www.kahtoola.com |
MSRP
|
USD129.00
|
MATERIAL
|
4130 Chromoly Steel
|
CLAIMED WEIGHT PER PAIR
|
1 lb 7 oz (662 g)
|
ACTUAL WEIGHT PER PAIR
|
1 lb 7 oz (662 g)
|
SIZE TESTED
|
One size fits most
|
SIZE RANGE (According to
manufacturer)
|
US Men's 4-14/US Women's 5+
|
DIMENSIONS, COLLAPSED (for
packing)
|
8 x 3 x 2 in (20 x 8 x 5
cm)
|
OPTIONAL STOW SACK SIZE
|
10 x 8 in (25 x 20 cm)
|
OTHER PRODUCT INFORMATION
- US Patent #6,742,286
- CE Certified EN893 standards
The manufacturer states that these are for non-technical use, including
hiking, backpacking, glacier travel, adventure racing and peak bagging
in icy and snow-packed conditions.
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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The product packaging is made from heavy-duty cardboard and upon
opening the package, it's easy to see why: these babies are SHARP. In
fact, they've poked partially through the package on the bottom.
Inside the package, are the crampons and extra extender bars. Also
included are instructions (printed in black and white on one side of
one page, and a glossy, full-color marketing insert (single-sided). The
crampons also have tags identifying the manufacturer attached. The
product was shipped with the optional nylon stow sack, which was not
inside the product packaging.
The crampons themselves are vicious looking -- the ten teeth on each
crampon are sharp and long. It looks like these will really take a bite
out of ice. The crampons attach to the shoe via a nylon webbing strap
system, augmented with plastic buckles for sizing. The heel piece is
made of a square metal ring, shaped into a rectangle of sorts and is
collapsible.
The pieces of metal that make up forefoot and heel areas slide along
the Leaf Spring® Extender Bar, a flat piece of metal
which helps give the KTS its characteristic flexibility. The Extender
Bar has holes in the heel area which allow the crampon to be sized to a
specific piece of footwear (from running shoes to snowboarding or pac
boots). Additionally, the nylon webbing system -- one set of straps on
the forefoot piece and one set of straps on the heel piece -- adjusts
in a variety of ways to ensure proper fit. Each crampon is
foot-specific, and which foot the crampon goes on is indicated by an
"R" for right and an "L" for left, stamped into the top of the
crampon's forefoot section.
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INSTRUCTIONS AND FITTING
The manufacturer suggests
fitting the crampons to the footwear before
one is outside and truly needs them. The instructions are accompanied
by line drawing figures to help one identify the correct way to fit the
crampons to the footwear. The first step is to lift the Extender Bar
clip to lengthen (or shorten, as the case may be) the extender bar to a
size larger than the footwear. I was able to lift this clip and slide
the extender bar to a different size quite easily.
The next step is to loosen the toe strap and insert the footwear. After
the footwear is in the toe strap, one then loosens the Extender
Bar
clip again and pushes the heel piece forward to create a snug fit. The
line drawings allowed me to understand what the proper fit looks like.
The Extender Bar should have no excess in the toe area when it is
properly extended.
Once the toe area was properly adjusted on my footwear, I had a long
piece of strap hanging off the side. Kahtoola has already thought of
that possibility and the straps all have Strap Keepers to feed the
extra strap back through to keep them from getting in my way while I'm
wearing the crampons.
The toe strap is guided over the top of the footwear by a plastic Strap
Guide. Kahtoola's drawings allow one to determine where the Strap Guide
should sit for proper fit. The Strap Guide is easily adjusted by
feeding straps through in short segments.
On the heel/ankle strap, there is an additional strap hook for use when
wearing the crampons with low-top shoes, like running shoes. When this
is hooked over shoelaces, it holds the strap in a comfortable position.
Once the crampons are sized to the footwear, taking them on and off
outdoors is simply a matter of squeezing the side of the ankle strap
buckles to open and remove or clicking these same buckles into place
(to
put them on). This made putting the crampons on while wearing mittens a
relatively easy task to accomplish.
Kahtoola recommends that the user clean and inspect the crampons after
each use. One should look for signs of excessive wear or damage and
either retire or repair as appropriate. Additionally, Kahtoola states
that points can be sharpened if excessive rock or dry land usage has
caused the teeth to dull and that this sharpening may be done with a
common file. However, sharpened points may wear at an accelerated rate. |
The Kahtoola Traction System, properly fitted to my boots.
|
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TEST PLAN:
ACTIVITIES, LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
During the testing period, the Kahtoola Traction System will usage
under a variety of conditions, mostly in Michigan:
- Dayhiking on the North Country Trail, Manistee River Pathway, and
other trails in lower Michigan. Terrain will range from flat,
well-maintained trails to short-but-steep hills, with some
cross-country movement thrown in when conditions permit
- Trail running the local nature preserve trails, a local rail
trail, local state park trails, and the North Country Trail. Terrain
will range from flat, well-maintained trails to short-but-steep hills.
Additionally, the local nature preserve trails meander into floodplain
bottom land which often is treacherously icy, thanks to local beavers
- Backpacking with approximately 40 lbs (18 kg) on my back. The
backpacking will occur mostly on the well-maintained trails mentioned
in the dayhiking section. Additionally, there may be cross-country
navigation involved which may present an entirely different use of the Kahtoola Traction System.
Conditions in the areas I frequent during winter can vary widely.
Average snowfall ranges from 70 in (1.78 m) to 106 in (2.7 m) and
temperatures range from highs in the low 30s F (0 C) to lows near 0 F
(-18 C).
On some of the trails I frequent, the trail usage is very high and the
snow becomes very well packed and icy in areas. This creates ideal
conditions for testing the Kahtoola
Traction System.
Questions to be Answered
Function
- How well do the Kahtoola Traction System crampons fit over my
trail running shoes? How well does the system fit over my normal hiking
boots? How well does the system fit over my heaviest winter hiking
boots?
- Does the weight feel burdensome?
- Am I able to run well in the KTS?
- How well do the teeth bite the packed snow and ice? Does the
system add to my feeling of stability or do the height of the teeth
cause me to feel more unstable?
- Can the system perform well when I'm traversing between loose
snow and packed snow or must I continually be taking them off? How
about when I come to areas where the snow has blown away and uncovered
rocky, rooty areas — do I need to take the crampons off or can I do
short sections with them on?
- Does the height of the points affect my stride at all or am I
able to maintain a relatively natural stride?
- Does snow and ice build up in the points? How about in the
footbed area? If build up does occur, can it easily be shaken out or
must I take the KTS off to clear away the build up?
- How long do the KTS teeth stay sharp? Can they be sharpened if
they start to become dull? Is this something one does at home or is it
easy to find someone to sharpen them?
Convenience
- How easy to use are the quick-release straps and buckle? Can the
KTS be quickly removed on trail with heavy gloves? Or do the straps and
buckle require that I remove my gloves?
- Once on, does the system stay tight on my feet or must I
continually be adjusting?
- What type of care does the KTS require?
Durability
- Can the KTS withstand the hardcore usage I'll put them through?
How many miles does it take before they start to show signs of wear?
- Does the steel rust easily?
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THIS IS COOL
- The collapsible heel means these babies pack down very small
- Extender Bar makes sizing a breeze
THIS COULD BE IMPROVED
Thank you to Kahtoola and BackpackGearTest.org for the chance to test
the Kahtoola Traction System crampons.
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Read more reviews of Kahtoola gear
Read more gear reviews by Lynne Durham
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