Hillsound Free Steps 6 Traction Device Reviews

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I was packing for a backpacking trip into the Adirondack high peaks, and was told by my friend that I needed to get a pair of crampons.

We weren't expecting to see much, but as a safety concern it was a good idea.

After toiling on the internet I found this pair, well reviewed, for a good price.

On the trip we found there was far more snow and ice than we imagined, and I was able to put them on good use on both uphill and downhill trails with a fully loaded pack.

I had little prior experience with any crampons, yet had no difficulty either putting them on, or taking them off when I no longer needed them.

Without them I had to go far slower, placing my feet on the outskirts of the trails, where the snow and ice hadn't flowed, and taking careful baby steps.

But with these on, I could step onto the ice covered slope or the middle of the frozen brook, feel and hear the metal claw through to traction, and make much better headway than without.

This shaved 10 minutes off per hour hike, and I felt far more secure with my footing as we progressed.

There are more expensive options, and these may not work for ice climbing, but for my needs they were just about perfect.

Highly recommended.

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I walk everyday. I also live on a steep inclined drive in the country which does get quite icy as does the frontage road. I have tried the grippers with small (few) spikes in the past. I broke ribs on the incline wearing the. Barely better than nothing. I now have used the FreeSteps on serious ice and they do not slip at all, good construction. Easy on/off, what more could you want?

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Got these instead of reliable kahtoola microspikes to save a few bucks. On the first hike I discovered that they have a larger heel plate that allows snow and ice to ball up. Then one of the metal links came undone the loop hadn't been closed tight enough so it slipped off the plate. Then one of them came off altogether on a glissade. And I think these are purely ornamental, not functional a couple of the little plastic bits in the smaller plates have popped out as well.

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Purchase was to replace IceTrekkers which after two season broke due to rust. These are much better than my previous pair. They are very similar to Kahtoola's but much less is price not quality. Heel and ball of foot digs in nicely. We had a lot of snow this year and there was not too much balling unless I walked through slush which froze on the back plate.

The rubber harness is not too difficult to get on and off, it grips nicely so I had no fear of these popping off while walking on the ice. I just wish they made the color of the rubber harness something other than black as they blend in with my boot which sometimes makes you think you have them on when you really don't.

My only complaint is some very light surface rust after one season. Packaging says stainless steel so I am following up with the manufacturer to see why I have surface rust on the chain that connects the harness to the cleat.

Update: 08/2013

Downgraded from 4 stars to 3 stars as the product rusted after one season of ice fishing. Drop it one star because after contacting Hillsound they sent another set. According to their customer service representative "We had problems with the factory in China and have switched so the quality of the steel has been improved." Time will tell whether or not this set rusts.