Long Term Report:

Kahtoola Footwear Traction System KTS

Date: August 25th, 2004

Reviewer Information

Name: Jim Sabiston
Age: 50
Gender: Male
Height: 6' 3" (1.9 m)
Weight: 207 lb (94 kg)
Foot Size: 12 US
Email address: JimSabis(at)aol(dot)com
State: New York
Country: USA

Backpacking Background:

I've been camping since my teens. My outdoor activities include backpacking, canoeing, sea kayaking, snowshoeing, mountaineering and cross country skiing. I have expanded my backpacking to include winter mountaineering, back country skiing and ski backpacking. I have received winter mountaineering training with Chauvin International Climbing Guides. I actively study ways to backpack lighter and more efficiently. During the summer months, my style tends toward very light, but not quite ultralight. I use a hammock or tarp for warm weather, and a small four season tent for winter trips. Most of my other gear is very changeable, as I am constantly experimenting with gear and techniques.

Product information:

Manufacturer: Kahtoola Inc.
Manufacturer's URL: www.kahtoola.com
style='color:black'>www.kahtoola.com
Year of manufacture: 2004
Size: Large (Medium and Small sizes are also available)
Listed weight: 19 oz (540 g)
Weight as delivered: 19.25 oz (546 g)
MSRP: $129.00 USD

Long Term Experience:

Well, there is not much you can do with a pair of crampons in the Northeast in late Spring and early Summer, except aerate my lawn. So that’s what I did!

Not having an opportunity to try the Kahtoola KTS traction devices with my trail runners on ice or snow, the real purpose behind wandering around my lawn was to try wearing this combination to see if the Kahtoolas were compatible with the softer footwear. For a detailed description of the Kahtoolas, please see my Initial Report.  For more detailed experience while wearing the Kahtoolas with more typical cold weather footwear in cold, snowy and icy conditions, please see my Field Report.

The Trail Runners in question are The North Face Ultra 100’s. The Ultra 100’s are very light, highly vented and breathable trail sneakers (as opposed to a ‘shoe’ or boot’). I have used this particular pair for a couple of years now, and have been very happy with them. The one ‘shortcoming’ is that they are not at all waterproof, which causes me to hesitate to wear them in potentially cold, wet and/or freezing conditions. That being said, there are waterproof trail runners available and the concept intrigues me.

My first concern was how the Kahtoolas would fit on the Ultra 100s. This proved to be quite easy. The toe straps required no real adjustment from the settings used on my Asolo Fusion 90’s, which was a pleasant surprise. Any looseness was easily compensated for by tightening the strap at the buckle, just as with the Asolos, but I had to pull in a bit more on the webbing strap for a properly snug fit. The ankle strap was even easier, just a quick snap and tug. I finally had an opportunity to use the small plastic ‘lace hook’ located on the ankle strap. I’d almost forgotten these were there until I noticed the natural position of the strap would cause it to ride up over the low-cut top of the trail runners. Another minor complication is that the Ultra 100’s have a central webbing strap that runs right up the middle of the tongue. This is a guide for the laces and prevents the clip from being fitted to the center of the laces, where they cross over each other. I mention this as I seem to recall noticing that this is a fairly common arrangement on trail runners. Not to worry, though, as the clip is easily fastened to the laces on either side of the center point. While the fastener was not centered, it still held the ankle strap comfortably and effectively low. The trail runners also have very low cut side panels. These are low enough that the ankle strap actually spans a bit of air on either side of my ankles. This did not present any issues, but these details should be considered when purchasing trail runners to use with the Kahtoolas.

The only real caveat I noticed during the fitting is that I must be more attentive to strap pressure. By their nature, trail runners are soft and flexible. This also means they are far more compressible than hard leather hiking boots. It is very easy to over tighten the straps, enough to make the fit uncomfortable and actually start restricting the blood flow in one’s feet. This is never a good idea, but it is especially bad in cold weather. Fortunately, it is not necessary to tighten the straps to vise-like proportions. The Kahtoolas remain firmly attached and quite stable at moderate strap pressures.

Walking with the Kahtoolas attached to my trail runners was quite pleasant. There is plenty of flex in them so there was little noticeable restriction. My walking gait remained natural, the presence of the Kahtoolas being barely noticeable. Climbing or descending on minor inclines presented no problems, the Kahtoolas remaining very stable. However, on sideways traverses, flex became quite noticeable. The flex is in the trail runner, NOT the Kahtoolas. The Kahtoolas remained firmly planted, but the trail runners do not have the sideways stability of a boot. This was graphically demonstrated as the trail runners started to deform and roll off my feet. They never actually came off, even if I tried to force the issue, but stability would definitely be a concern in this combination of conditions. I should note that it took a fairly steep grade to cause this effect, approximately 45 degrees. Most normal conditions I encountered would not cause this, at least significantly, but it would be prudent to be aware of the limitation.

As far as flexibility goes, the Kahtoolas performed very well in normal walking and most maneuvers. They do have limits, however. If I slowly drop into a crouching position, and flex my feet so that only my toes remain on the ground and my heel lifts well off the ground, eventually I can notice the Kahtoolas resisting the bend. Ultimately, they start pulling the heel of the trail runners of my feet. This takes a significant amount of bend which is not often encountered in normal movement. But, again, it pays to be aware of these limitations.

Summary:

The preceding offers little insight into continued wear and tear, but my field experience indicates that I should get several years of normal use out the Kahtoolas. They proved to be very effective and easy to use. More importantly, the light weight and small pack size make it more likely that I will pack these in ‘iffy’ conditions. The fact that they fit nicely into my ‘small and light’ packing preferences is a real bonus!

I expect the Kahtoola KTS Traction Devices will be a core part of my winter kit for some years to come, especially in the non-technical climbing usually experienced in the Catskills and Adirondacks.