PERSONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Rick Allnutt
52 Year old male
6' 0'' (183 cm) in height
163 lbs (74 kg) in weight
Shoe size: US 12 
Email address: rick (at) BackpackGearTest (dot) org
Personal Hiking Page: http://www.imrisk.com
Trail name: Risk
I live in Dayton, Ohio

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND
Over the last several years, I have become an ultralight camper with a three-season base pack weight of about 17 lb (8 kg) and skin out weight of 25 lb (11 kg). I have completed many section hikes on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in all four seasons, with a total mileage of about 1100 miles (1770 km). I am a gearhead, a hammock camper, and I make much of my own equipment.

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Sure Foot Corporation
Year Manufactured: 2006
Manufacturer's Link: http://www.surefoot.net/
MSRP: Not Available
Listed Weight: "under a pound"
Measured Weight (pair, size Large): 10.4 oz (295 g)

REVIEW
Get a Grip Advanced is a slip on traction device for footwear.  It is made from a black rubber material that feels like thick inner tube material. It is somewhat sticky and is very easy to put on my Vasque Sundowner boots.  Putting the traction device on my shoe does take two hands.  In the photo above, I am standing on one foot while holding the other foot up in the foreground so that the plastic and steel points can be seen.  

The tungsten carbide spikes are fashioned from a hardened steel and are embedded in light blue plastic devices which have a double face.  Each one is similar to a thumb tack except that the "tack" has two heads, separated by a distance equal to the thickness of the rubber shoe pull-over.  If the spikes are broken or lost, they are designed so they can be replaced by inserting a new stud in the hole of the rubber shoe pull-over.  

Sure Foot has provided me with a replacement set of 6 spikes. The spikes are intended for use on ice and snow.

Some of the questions I have about the traction device and will work to answer are below.  

- How long does a set of spikes last?
- Do the spikes come out of the traction device unintentionally with normal use?  
- How difficult is it to replace a spike?
- Does the metal of the spike wear down or does the plastic portion of the tack break? 
- Are my boots comfortable when wearing the Get A Grip Advanced? 
- Is the black rubber portion of the traction device durable?   
- How well does the Get A Grip device work in the condition it was designed for - ice and snow? 
- Is Get A Grip useful for other conditions such as wet rocks or slippery paths?

What I like so far:
- The traction device is very light and quite compact.
- I am impressed that the size is "just right" for my size 12 boots.

FIELD CONDITIONS FOR THE TEST PERIOD
I intend to use the Get A Grip Advanced traction device for a number of winter day hikes in snowy and icy conditions.  I will use the device for the icy conditions that blanket the Pennsylvania Appalachian mountains in the early spring.  I should have the opportunity to use the device for many days of hiking, especially in the first two months of the test.  Knowing that winter will not last forever, I will try to make the most of the next two months of testing.  It may be possible to use the traction device for steep, rocky, mountain trails even after the risk of icy travel wanes.