Snow boots or ice grips for this icy weather?

Just the thing I was talking about earlier on to-day with someone at work,she had mentioned she had seen a lot of people in Town with grippers on their shoes and that they where able to negotiate the ice and snow with ease and safety.I myself have bought a pair of snow boots but not the big clumpy ones from a well known supplier in a fab lilac colour (normal colours available) and to-day wore them for the first time properly for a length of time,no slipping/sliding and great grip and warm toes if you want I will PM you the details.

I bought some Ice and Snow Grippers from our local garden centre and they are wonderful. Basically they consist of metal studs on a rubber frame that you pull on over your normal shoes. I had a crashing fall on ice a couple of years ago and have been nervous since, but these have really given me my confidence back.

hi cerasus, i have bought some snow grip s but havent used them yet , because i,m not sure when to wear them! do you have to remove them when entering shops? can you wear them just when it is icy, or in snow , slush etc. like you i could do with some advice as i havent been out all week for fear of falling x

I'd like to know too, please.

OH bought some overshoe grippers from QVC about 2mths ago , they are amazing , consist of thick rubber and metal springs that fit onto any shoe or boot... I wore them to take a long walk yesterday and felt very safe walking in them.. you can wear them in snow ice or slush not sure whether they can be worn in a shop but I can't see any reason not.. I really would recommend them they sure put my mind at rest and I can wear them just going out to the garage to feed the birds well worth the £12 for both pairs..

thanks tanith, will give them a test walk tomorrow, x

Was that Yaktrax, Tanith ? I bought some of them last year. They are very good, and reviews said they had more grip than studs. The elastic goes over your boots or shoes and they are fairly easy to take on and off at the door. It helps if you can sit down somewhere though. They come in several sizes.

I lost one somewhere in deep snow between the shops and home when I wore over my wellies, and had to buy a replacement. I discovered that you can loop long bootlaces through the elastic on either side and tie them to your ankles, so if they do get dislodged they will still be attached to you.

The instructions say not to wear them on wet shiny hard indoor floors, as they could skid, but if you don't try to hurry they are OK. I wore them in shops without a problem. I would not wear them on good carpets - they might damage the pile - but you would be taking them off as soon as you got home anyway.

Google them - prices vary from one supplier to another.

I got some from Ebay but haven't been out for a couple of days. I am very keen not to fracture the femur which has been shown on a bone scan to have some thinning - ie osteoporosis.

I had some yaktrax. I wore them out. Now I have Kahtoola microspikes. I can run on ice with them on my boots. There,s a chappy in the Lake District, PoguPete, who sells a similar stretchy doodah for ice-gripping.

Mine were called Wintertrax Elegran I'm very pleased with them, I usually just take my shoes off in the hall as soon as I come in so I've not walked in the house with them on..I suppose they might scratch the floor as they have the metal springs on them.. but an excellent purchase..

Could you also use them for scarifying your lawn once the snow has gone? Practical suggestion - my neighbour does it it her golfing shoes.

tried grippers on walking boots. No naked walking boots much better. But think grippers would help on business shoes. definitely not suitable for laminate wood flooring.

With our hill 'glacier' – water running down the track, as it does all the time, and freezing (not this year so far) – we even needed the microspikes on hiking boots. When DD was carrying GS down in a baby sling, I gave her alpine walking poles too, and walked just in front of her to soften her fall if she slipped.

What about councils gritting pavements? Where I live they don't bother, so many broken bones, strains, if if they can do roads, they can do pavements.

Our council provides a very large container filled with grit which is kept topped up,they even provide the shovel to spread the grit.

Gritting pavements? We should be so lucky! The council does do the road through our village, but the side roads....well you have to do them yourself and to be fair they put out yellow "hoppers" of grit/salt for residents to do it themselves.

Well some ideas here to follow up! Thanks very much. I have dug out some other heavier walking boots for the journey into work tomorrow though I doubt they will be better than and have ordered some Yaktrax. Video here about how to put them on.

http://www.snowandicegrips.co.uk/yaktrax-walker-snow--ice-grips-for-shoes-7-p.asp

I don't know how long they will take to arrive. Round here the main roads are gritted but not the side roads and certainly not pavements. DH has hurt his back clearing the pavement outside our house!

Update - DIY non slip boots! DH has used metal chains from hanging baskets, one for each boot, and improvised chain straps to fit under walking boots to add traction on icy pavements. Just did a test run (walk actually!) and worked a treat!

I feel a little cottage industry business starting up here what a fab idea.

When we were living in the Austrian Alps,our local (very very good!) sports shop reccomended Yak Trax to me:said they were the best.
He was a friend,and also knew that it was very important that I did not fall.
He could have sold me far more expensive types,but those are the ones he told me were the best,in his opinion.Certainly,they improved things and my confidence;) no end.
Unfortunately,I didnt think I would need them back in UK,so gave them to a friend-but have since bought myself some more!
And I think they are reasonably safe to wear in a shop,(and wont damage their floor like spikes) but you do need to be careful how you walk.
If you are quite nimble,suggest take them off,to be on the safe side,but if not,just walk slowly as Elegran says.
And remember,however good your grippers,spikes etc,dont get too "cocky"!
They do not guarentee that you cannot fall,just make it a lot less likely!

And have a plastic bag in your pocket to put them into if you mean to take them off in the shop.

New Yaktrax have just had first outing and the snow has nearly gone! Found myself deliberately walking on the icey pavement on way back from bus stop to test. They are fine and I would definitely recommend. Make sure you get the right size if ordering on line. I can't imagine how one size fits all versions by other manufacturers could work. The Yaktrax come in (I think) 4 sizes and I had to really pull hard to get them on hiking boots but once on they did not bounce off while walking even on snow free pavements in the city.

When I was at DDs last weekend it was very slippery . Let let me use some grippers and they were marvellous .

Mind you , I remember the time when everyone cleared their own bit of the pavement .

Not nowadays ,sad to say . Made life so much more comfortable .

now thats a good tip