Initial Report:  Yaktrax Pro
March 6, 2006

Personal Biographical Information
     o Name: Rosaleen Sullivan
     o Age: 56 
     o Gender: Female
     o Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
     o Weight: 180 lb (82 kg)
     o Shoe size: Women’s 11 (US)
     o E-mail address: rosaleen43 (at) msn (dot) com
     o Home: Eastern Massachusetts, USA

Tester Background/Style
I’m a “slow but steady” middle-aged backpacker who likes to be reasonably comfortable.  Usually, I stick with one hot meal per day, but can “coax myself” into drinking a hot beverage on a very cold morning.  My constant search for ways to lighten up has me weighing even my clothing my clothing as I chose each item for a trip. I usually carry a hammock, down bag and jacket, hiking poles, and an alcohol or fuel tablet stove, retooling gear to complement the current trip.  I also like to make a lot of my own gear.  My preferred backpacking trips are for 3 day periods, but I have backpacked up to 10 days at a time, escaping to trails far from home.  

Manufacturer:  Yaktrax, inc.

Manufacturer Information URL:  http://www.yaktrax.com Tested Product size:  Medium Color:  Black rubber with steel coils Year of Manufacture:  2005 MSRP:  $ 27.95 US Specified Weight:  Not found Delivered Product Weight:  4.5 oz  (128 g)

Item Description (From the Website):
     The Yaktrax Pro is brand new on the market.  Made of a natural rubber blend, the Pro is great for the more active winter enthusiast.
      The Pro is ideal for the person needing increased durability while working, running, or enjoying outdoor activities during the winter months.
      The Yaktrax Pro is equipped with a removable performance strap that was designed for stability.  The Pro still has the same simple design
     and effectiveness as the Walker with the unique 360 degrees of traction with every step you take.  When you walk or run with the Yaktrax Pro,
     every step you take places hundreds of biting edges in direct contact with the ice beneath your feet.   You will move about naturally with the Pro.
     There's nothing new to learn, just walk as you normally would and experience stability on ice and snow like you never felt before.
      o  Work Safely This Winter
      o  Exercise Outside in the Snow and Ice o  Commute To Work Safely
      o  Easy To Use
      o  Spikeless
      o  Removable Performance Strap
      o  Natural Rubber Blend
Description of Delivered Product
The Yaktrax Pro is a traction device that is worn over the bottom of a pair of shoes.  The simplest description I can give follows:  Picture a black round rubber cord stretched around the outer top edge of a shoe.   A black hook and loop strap crosses over the top of the shoe and connects the two sides.  “Yaktrax” is printed across the strap.  More round rubber cords connect the perimeter cord front to back in a pattern of two large diamonds passing under the shoe plus some side to side connecting pieces.  These bottom cords are wrapped with steel coils.  There is a second item identical to the first.  My measured weight for the pair of Yaktrax, size medium, is 4.5 oz (128 g).  The product is just what I expected from reading the website description.
Test Plan       
In the next two months, I will make at least one local backpacking trip in eastern Massachusetts, and I am in the beginning-to-talk stages of planning a (likely Appalachian Trail section) hike for my April school vacation.  My hiking partner and I are considering sections south of New England, as I write this.  In addition to these trips, I anticipate giving the YakTrax Pro a work out around town.  My area has been “blessed” with multiple snow storms, starting before Thanksgiving (mid November) this season.  With the temperatures jumping up and down during the day and over night, we seem to have an endless supply of ice.  So, even if my backpacking trips end up snowless and iceless, I will be hiking local trails and negotiating icy streets, walks, and parking lots.  I’m still experiencing problems from falling on ice more than a year ago, so I really am interested in good traction devices.  I hope the Yaktrax Pro can help me avoid any further injuries from falling on ice.
Things I will look for or Test
     o Do the Yaktrax appliances bite into packed snow?  Ice?  Shiny hard Ice?
     o Ease of use or convenience?  How easy are the traction aids to slip on or off over various shoes or boots?
     o Are the coils safe for me to walk into a building and to a chair before removing?
     o Do they mark the floor or cause slipping indoors?
     o Durability: Any breakage or obvious wear during the test period?
     o Any odors noticed when the product is new?  If so, does it linger?
Early Impressions
As stated earlier, the Yaktrax are as I anticipated from reading their description on the website.  The medium size pair that I am testing was snug but not difficult to pull on over a pair of men’s size 10.5 (US) North Face trail running shoes.  There is a mild rubber odor coming from the Yaktrax.  I will report whether or not the smell dissipates before the end of the Field Test period.  As luck would have it, our freeze/thaw cycle has us currently in a deep cold with no ice around.  I’m in New England, so it is likely the weather will change soon. 

Thanks for reading my report.

Rosaleen Sullivan