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Reviews > Snow Gear > Traction Aids > Yaktrax Pro > James Triplett > Field ReportField Test Report: YAKTRAX PRO  Ice Traction Device January 9, 2007 Personal Biographical Information: Name: James E. Triplett Age: 46 Gender: Male Height: 6' 2" (188 cm) Weight: 193 lb (87.5 kg) Foot size: 12 (US) Email address: james_triplett@hotmail.com City, state: Cedar Rapids, Iowa Backpacking Background: I am an experienced hiker, backpacker, and camper, and am gaining more experience with winter camping every year. I hike every day, and backpack when possible, which leads to many weekends backpacking and camping each year. I try and take at least one annual week-long backpacking trip in addition to many one to three-night weekend trips. My style can best be described as lightweight, but not at the cost of giving up too much comfort. I generally sleep in a tent, and seem to be collecting quite a few of them to choose from. Manufacturer Information: Manufacturer: Yaktrax Location: Yaktrax, Inc. is located in the State of Washington in the United States of America Telephone: 1-866-YAKTRAX URL: www.yaktrax.com Product information: Year of Manufacture: 2006 Date Item Received: February 21, 2006 Product Name: YAKTRAX PRO Model Number: PB-L (for size large) Size: Large Color: Black (only color available) MSRP: $27.95 US
Specs and Features: From the Yaktrax website, and the product literature which came with the Yaktrax
 Review Testing Opportunities:
Yaktrax Pro's are fairly easy to put on when sitting down, which has been the case for all but a couple of my hikes. As mentioned in my initial report, the toe portion of the Yaktrax is pulled on first, and then the heel portion is secured by pulling on the heel tab and stretching the Yaktrax into place. Once the sides are adjusted to be symmetrical around the footwear, the Performance Strap can be looped and fastened. This works well on two different pairs of trail-runners I have used them on, and is only slightly more challenging on some of my heavier hiking boots. The only problems I have encountered have been when trying to install a Yaktrax at the trail-head while balancing on one foot. It isn't that easy, but by taking my gloves off and relying on my good balance, it can be done. Once on, the Yaktrax are nearly undetectable (except for their traction capabilities). The devices have a slender enough footprint that I haven't had any issue with bumping one foot into the other. They are light enough that the additional weight is almost unnoticeable. The stretchy rubber and the performance strap provide the comfort of slight pressure on my lighter shoes, but this pressure is not great enough to be felt through my hiking boots.  Using the Yaktrax: Once installed the Yaktrax Pros provide an instant sense of stability when worn on slippery surfaces. I was only able to find a little bit of ice to play on, but there was sufficient snow to put them through the test. The ice I walked on was warm, just below freezing, so this was not an all-encompassing test. On this ice, however, the wire coils of the Yaktrax dug right in and provided traction with minimal slippage. On snow, the Yaktrax worked superbly. I actually hiked the same 200 yards (180 meter) stretch with and without the Yaktrax. Without the Yaktrax my trail shoes slipped out to the side on nearly every step. The conditions were that of a 2 inch (5 cm) snowfall which had been compressed by other hikers. After trudging and slipping through the woods on the snow I was breathing heavily and ready for a rest. After a few minutes I put the Yaktrax on and returned in the opposite direction (on the level trail) to see how much of an advantage the Yaktrax would provide. It was like night and day. I barely slipped at all, and I didn't get nearly as exhausted as the traveling was much easier. The only other real comments I am able to make at this time are from using the Yaktrax on some short inclines. This section of the trail was short, but was steep enough that I would hike up it on the balls of my feet with my heels never touching the ground. The way the Yaktrax wrap up around the perimeter of my shoes proved to be effective. The wire coils dug into the snow and my traction was excellent.  Summary: I am disappointed with the local weather and lack of opportunity to sufficiently test the Yaktrax Pros. Hopefully things will change in the very near future. From the experiences I have had with the Yaktrax I believe they are as advertised. The metal coils dig into frozen or snowy surfaces with enough grip to supply me with greatly increased traction. There really is a huge difference. When not being worn the Yaktrax are light and can be easily clipped to my pack. The only down side I can see at this point is that they are not to be used on hard surfaces such as gravel or concrete. In my hiking locations in Eastern Iowa this necessitates installing and removing the Yaktrax during a hike, which is a bit of a challenge when I attempt it while standing. I would prefer to just leave them on, but understand how this could cause the coils to dig into the rubber construction and thus reduce the life of the Yaktrax. Over all though, I am quite pleased with the product and look forward to some vigorous testing before my final report. Respectfully submitted, -James T. Read more reviews of Yaktrax gear Read more gear reviews by James E. Triplett Reviews > Snow Gear > Traction Aids > Yaktrax Pro > James Triplett > Field Report | |||||||||
