Kahtoola NANOspikes Traction System Assessment

Backside Line

We walked and ran for marathons within the Kahtoola NANOspikes from bone-dry sidewalks to excessive alpine hikes coated in ice and snow. In our opinion, they’re finest suited to walks and runs round city and informal hikes on reasonable terrain – so long as the snow isn’t too deep.

The multi-layer traction – from the tungsten carbide studs to the textured plastic plates – is best on ice and laborious packed snow. The raised lugs even assist with ascending and descending on barely looser snow.

The NANOspikes shine of their light-weight, low-profile building. They’re hardly noticeable in your toes and aren’t awkward on rocky floor. They lack a little bit of sturdiness, nonetheless, and don’t pack down as small as you’ll suppose.

Total, the NANOspikes are versatile winter traction units that present lots of worth contemplating their inexpensive worth level. For extra aggressive choices, take a look at the full checklist of our favourite ice cleats.

How We Examined

It’s our aim to carry you essentially the most knowledgeable product evaluations by means of quantitative testing and numerous hours within the area. We spent weeks strolling and working in these ice cleats at each alternative – strolling the canine, working exterior, and traversing miles of our favourite Rocky Mountain terrain.

Traction

The Kahtoola NANOspikes are one of many least aggressive traction units on our checklist, however they nonetheless add confidence on ice and laborious packed snow.

The first traction elements include ten concave, tungsten carbide studs spanning throughout a big floor space on the underside of the foot. 4 of the studs are organized in a sq. sample on the heel, and 6 on the forefoot stretch from the tip of the toe all the best way again in the direction of the midfoot. The concave form permits the studs to grip glare ice from any angle.

In the event you look previous the carbide studs, you’ll discover further traction parts constructed into the plastic plates. The raised lugs assist with ascending or descending hills in delicate snow, and the textured backside plate eliminates any clean contact surfaces. The brand new, second technology model of the NANOspikes has added just a few middle plate ridges as properly to offer much more contact factors on ice and laborious packed snow.

Match

The brand new NANOspikes have been improved from the primary technology with an up to date match that eliminates stress factors, significantly within the toe. 

The NANOspikes are considerably restricted of their footwear compatibility. They work finest on path runners and low profile mountaineering footwear. The ergonomic elastic harness stretches comfortably over a pair of trainers, and the built-in toe bail retains them securely in place when working down hill. The cleats primarily add an extra-thin layer to your shoe that feels extra pure than cleats with massive, awkward spikes. We tried the NANOspikes out for a full day in midweight mountaineering boots. Though that labored, it felt slightly too tight and added undesirable stress to the elastic and plastic elements.

Total, we discovered this light-weight winter traction provided distinctive, all-day consolation.

Ease of Use/Versatility

The NANOspikes present just about no situation by way of consumer friendliness. The back and front are straightforward to find out, and the elastic isn’t too stiff. Kahtoola has improved the heel tab for simpler pulling, so the cleats are straightforward to placed on and didn’t require readjustment over a full day of take a look at hikes.

So far as versatility goes, the NANOspikes are good from the driest transitional surfaces like concrete and grime as much as packed snow. The raised lugs do assist a bit with shallow, contemporary snow, however they don’t excel in that space. Warning ought to be used on steep slopes because the carbide studs don’t dig very deeply into ice.

The very best makes use of for the NANOspikes embrace highway strolling or working with slippery patches, mild mountaineering, or working on flat to reasonably sloped ice and packed snow.

Weight/Packability

The NANOspikes are one of many lighter pairs of ice cleats on our checklist of favorites. They weigh in at simply 7.4 ounces for a pair of mediums, or 105 grams per foot. This extremely light-weight building – in collaboration with the tremendous low profile design – allowed us to put on all of them day lengthy with no appreciable foot fatigue. We frequently forgot they had been even on our toes.

Though they’re tremendous light-weight, the NANOspikes don’t pack down as small as you would possibly suppose. They will’t be collapsed greater than folding them in half, because of their plastic plate building. The cleats do, nonetheless, include a light-weight stuff sack, so that you don’t have to hold them on the surface of your pack or fear about them getting tangled in different gear.

Sturdiness

Kahtoola constructed the NANOspikes with sturdy tungsten carbide studs, however lack some longevity in contrast with different choices.

The first contact floor, tungsten carbide studs, are 100 instances extra wear-resistant than metal, making them ideally suited to laborious surfaces. We wore the NANOspikes for a number of days on largely dry surfaces, together with asphalt and concrete, and observed minimal to no put on on the carbide studs. That being stated, they’re much shorter than most spikes and finally will put on down. Plastic is a delicate materials inherently liable to sporting down and weakening over time, particularly in areas that see repeated abuse. The middle plate ridges and textured backside are also made from plastic and gained’t maintain their form perpetually. The toe bail and connection factors, though strengthened, are additionally plastic. We haven’t noticed cracking plastic to date, but it surely’s one thing to bear in mind, particularly with prolonged UV publicity.

The thermoplastic elastomer harness is on par with typical Kahtoola building, retaining its elasticity even once we left it out in a single day in -30ºF.

The Kahtoola NANOspikes might not be essentially the most aggressive traction machine on the planet, however they’re a winner for anybody who plans on strolling or working on laborious surfaces, ice, and packed snow as much as reasonable terrain. The tremendous light-weight, low-profile match of the NANOspikes will keep safe in your toes and supply all day consolation. Not like extra aggressive spikes, these don’t change into awkward on sections of dry and rocky path. Even so, the NANOspikes have just a few limitations by way of footwear compatibility and stability on difficult terrain. The predominantly plastic building additionally raises some trigger for concern by way of sturdiness. Regardless of these downfalls, nonetheless, the NANOspikes are an efficient winter traction machine at an inexpensive value.

What Different Traction Gadgets Ought to You Think about?

Try our full information to ice cleats for choices geared in the direction of informal neighborhood jogs and essentially the most difficult mountain adventures. 

Black Diamond Distance Spike: The Distance Spikes are particularly designed for path working in all situations. They’re versatile, aggressive, and extremely light-weight however considerably more durable on the pockets. 

YakTrax Chains: These are essentially the most inexpensive units on our checklist and suited for a similar terrain because the NANOspikes. They’re missing in sturdiness and luxury however  nice for informal walks and hikes and even slightly little bit of working. 

Kahtoola EXOspikes: The EXOspikes are the large brother of the NANOspikes. They’re slightly extra aggressive and efficient throughout extra various terrain however barely awkward on sidewalks and dearer.