Ice Cleats for Winter Walks After 60: Five Pairs for Sidewalks, Slush and Park Paths

In winter, one town sidewalk can hold packed snow, slush, ice and bare concrete within a single block.

For most town walks on packed snow, start with the Yaktrax Walk. Under its earlier name, Yaktrax Walker, it was tested in a trial published in 2005.

In that trial, fall-prone walkers aged 65 and over were given it or kept their usual winter footwear. Those given it fell outdoors less than half as often on days with snow and ice.

If your route is mostly bare concrete and ice, the Diamond Grip lists both.

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The five pairs and the walk each one suits:

• Yaktrax Walk: thin steel coils and a heel tab, listed by Yaktrax for packed snow and slush in town. The pick for most walks.
• Yaktrax Diamond Grip: swiveling steel beads, listed for ice and pavement as well as snow.
• Yaktrax Pro: thicker coils, pavement on its terrain list, and a removable strap over the foot.
• STABILicers Walk: steel plates under the heel and forefoot, for the driveway and the dog.
• Kahtoola EXOspikes: 12 carbide-tipped spikes per foot, for frozen park paths and easy winter trails.

Yaktrax Walk

Packed snow on errands and dog walks around town.

Yaktrax Walk Traction Cleats 1.2 mm high-strength steel coils Elastic band with a heel tab Look up your size and the price on Amazon

Under its earlier name, the Yaktrax Walker, it was the model tested in a falls trial published in 2005. The walkers were aged 65 and over and prone to falls, through a winter in the northern United States.

You pull the band up over your heel by the tab, rather than stretching the band with both hands. Amazon still lists it as the Walker.

Made for

Pulling on with cold fingers: a heel tab at the back of the band

Also think about

The Diamond Grip, if much of your route is bare pavement

Yaktrax Diamond Grip

Town sidewalks where ice, slush and bare concrete change within one block.

Yaktrax Diamond Grip Traction Cleats Case-hardened steel beads on steel aircraft cable Natural rubber sling, sizes S to 2XL Look up your size and the price on Amazon

Instead of coils, Yaktrax strings steel beads on cable, and it lists this pair for ice and pavement. The Walk’s list has neither, which makes this the pick when bare concrete fills much of your route.

Yaktrax says the swiveling beads keep snow and ice from building up as you move between gravel, dirt and concrete.

Made for

Winter boots as well as shoes: Yaktrax sizes it for insulated footwear too

Yaktrax Pro

Town walks where you want the cleat held firmly in place on your boot.

Yaktrax Pro Traction Cleats 1.4 mm steel coils, tested to -41°F Removable strap over the foot, heel tab Look up your size and the price on Amazon

The Pro keeps the Walk’s coil design on a heavy-duty natural rubber frame. Its coils are 1.4 mm thick against the Walk’s 1.2 mm. A removable strap crosses the top of your foot to hold the cleat in line.

For oversized shoes and boots, Yaktrax advises ordering one size up.

Made for

Packed snow and pavement, both on Yaktrax's list for it (the Walk's list has no pavement)

Also think about

The Walk, if you do not need the strap

STABILicers Walk

Everyday jobs just outside the door: the driveway and the dog.

STABILicers Walk Traction Cleats Heat-treated steel plates at heel and forefoot Stretch-to-fit binding, flexible to -45°F Look up your size and the price on Amazon

Instead of coils or beads, it has steel plates molded into the heel and forefoot, and the binding covers the whole sole. STABILicers names walking the dog and shoveling the driveway as the jobs it is built for.

The listing gives no shoe-size ranges in its description. Check the size options on the page against your winter boots before you order.

Also think about

The Diamond Grip, if your walk goes on past the driveway to icy town sidewalks

Kahtoola EXOspikes

Frozen park paths and easy winter trails, away from the pavement.

Kahtoola EXOspikes Footwear Traction 12 spikes per foot with tungsten carbide tips Stretchy harness to -22°F, 4-year warranty Look up your size and the price on Amazon

It is the only pair here with spikes rather than coils, beads or plates. Kahtoola lists frozen trails and icy roads among the ground it is made for, and says the open design sheds snow quickly.

Made for

Hiking shoes and boots, the footwear Kahtoola writes it for

Unsuited to

Town sidewalks only: Kahtoola designs it for hiking and trail running

What a winter trial with older walkers found

In the 2005 trial, walkers given the Yaktrax Walker fell outdoors less than half as often on days with snow and ice.

It followed 109 people aged 65 and over through a winter in the northern United States, all prone to falls.

They were assigned at random to wear the device outdoors or to keep their usual winter footwear. Each kept a daily diary of slips and falls.

Falls that caused a minor injury ran at about one-eighth of the other group’s rate, per day walked on snow and ice. No fall in either group caused a serious injury or a fracture.

The results were published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Twelve of the device group’s 19 outdoor falls happened while they were not wearing it. Put them on at the door, not at the first glazed patch where a gutter drips.

The trial covered one winter, one device and about a hundred people with a history of falls. It says nothing about how the other four pairs here compare.

Coils, beads, plates or spikes

Each pair grips with one of four things, and each maker lists the ground it is for:

• Coils (Yaktrax Walk and Pro): steel coils on an elastic band. Yaktrax lists the Walk for packed snow, slush and mixed conditions, and adds pavement for the Pro.
• Beads (Yaktrax Diamond Grip): steel beads strung on cable, listed for ice and pavement as well as packed snow and slush.
• Plates (STABILicers Walk): steel plates at the heel and forefoot, for snow and ice on jobs around the house.
• Spikes (Kahtoola EXOspikes): carbide-tipped spikes for frozen trails and icy roads.

If much of your route is bare pavement between icy patches, choose a pair whose maker lists pavement: the Pro or the Diamond Grip.

Putting them on, and taking them off at the door

Sit down on a step or a bench. Hook the front of the cleat over your toe, then stretch the back up over your heel.

Take them off before you step inside. Winter Walking, a company that makes ice cleats, warns that most cleats become “an extreme slip hazard” on tile, linoleum and sealed concrete.

Keep a plastic bag in your coat pocket, so you can carry them into a store without dripping.

Which pair to keep by the door

Each pair comes in sizes. Order the size for the boots you will wear them over, and check the size options on its listing.

This is general information, not medical advice. If a recent fall, dizziness or a new pain is why you want cleats, talk to your doctor first.

If the cold rather than the ice keeps you indoors, dressing in three layers is the place to start.

You may not need cleats at all if your route is cleared and salted, or if you can move the worst mornings indoors. A mall loop still counts as a walk.