Hiking with children in the winter can be beautiful. Fresh crisp air, snow sparkling in the sunshine, and no mosquitoes! But it’s not without its share of obstacles. Proper traction for kids can be very helpful for taking on more challenging trails all year long, so here are some of our favorite ice cleats for kids.
I don’t find that we need to wear cleats on most of our flat trails unless conditions are glare ice, and even then the “risk” involved with falling on a flat surface (for kids) is not that great. Kids have a lower center of gravity and a shorter distance to fall.
However, even gentle inclines become very difficult with ice of any kind, or ice under a small snow layer. They’re very useful to bring along if you’re unsure of the trail conditions and especially for any hikes involving steep slopes.
And on some trails, they are definitely needed. Trails that are exposed to frequent wind can remain icy for much of the winter without significant snowfall.
Steep solid ice like shown above is very difficult even with cleats, because most cleats have slightly rounded points. You need to stomp to dig in, and trekking poles come in very helpful. Step on the packed snowy areas whenever possible.
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Kids and Adults Snow Cleats for Boots
The options described below are made out of a silicone elastomer which makes them stretch to fit a variety of boot sizes. By using a velcro strap or tie, you can often secure them to boots quite a bit below the size range they recommend, especially if you use bulky winter boots.
We use the Baffin Snogoose winter boot, and they are especially bulky due to their insulation and width. However, other options work too, of course.
High Stream Gear Cleats for Kids
We’ve been using the High Stream Gear Cleats for several winters now, and we’re extremely pleased with them. They are very similar to my Kahtoolas (mentioned below). Similar spikes but maybe a tad thinner.
We have found them to build up a bit of rust over time, but they are still going strong after years of use in spite of this. Try not to store them wet and wiggle the metal attachments back and forth every so often so they don’t build up any rust. For the price (you can get almost 3 pairs for the price of one pair of Kahtoolas) so they’re a great option for fast-growing kids.
(These sell out on Amazon most years but may still be available on the High Stream website).
High Stream Gear cleats are rounded a bit at the point (as are Kahtoolas) so they’re not likely to cause any sort of accidental injury, but they give you nice grip on the bottom.
It’s easy to get the ice cleats on kid’s boots, and the silicone elastomer keeps them in place even after hours of play, sliding down snowy icy slopes. The silicone isn’t quite as stretchy as the kahtoolahs, so don’t make it stretch over boots that are too big as it will weaken the elastomer.
They come with velcro straps to put across the tops of the boot. I’ve never found these necessary, but if you’re trying to fit them in sizes below the suggested range these will help keep them secure.
These cleats come in blue and green, and new colors black and pink have just been added! The back and front are marked, but the size was not printed on them (it’s possible this has changed as ours were purchased in 2020). For this reason, we decided to choose different colors to help tell them apart. Our one pair of smalls are blue and the two pairs of mediums are both green.
We’ve worn the smalls on a size 13 Baffin Snogoose boot and a size 1 Baffin Snogoose boot; they’d also work well on a smaller boot and are the best option out there for toddler boots. We’ve worn the smalls on a size 2 Baffin Snogoose, but it’s a tight stretch and the mediums are a much better fit. We use the mediums on size 2 and 3 Baffin Snogoose boots.
Here are size small High Stream Gear cleats on two different pairs of size 12 Baffin boots. On the left are a standard winter boot sized Baffin, and on the right are extreme cold weather Baffin Snogoose boots.
The small cleats fit snugly on the large size 12 pictured on the right, and have a small amount of give on the bottom of the chain on the slimmer style but they still grip great to the top of the boot and won’t fall off even without the strap securing them.
When looking at a size chart, know that you can usually go several sizes below the boot recommendation if you have bulky boots. I’d put the smalls on down to at least size 10 if they’re very bulky boots like the Snogoose.
Once kids get into a size 2-3 snowboot if they wear bulkier boots, it’s worthwhile to size them up to Kahtoolas. Kahtoolas will outlast the High Stream cleats and can be worn a lot better. So grab the small size High Stream cleats for your kids size 10-2 snowboots, but then if you find you use the cleats spend the extra on the small Kahtoolas.
Kahtoola MicroSpikes
Kahtoolas are what I wear myself, and they provide fantastic traction on ice and slick packed snow. Years ago they came in size XS. They discontinued them a few years back but it’s possible to grab some second hand if you’re lucky.
They’re available direct from Kahtoola, on Amazon, and from REI.
Size S is the smallest they make in the MicroSpikes which is sized for kids’ 5-8 boot, but you can definitely stretch this size range a lot smaller for winter boots.
I tried my Adult Medium Kahtoolas on Youth size 2 Baffin Snogoose (as mentioned above these are a very bulky boot) and they fit great. Snug around the top and the chain stretched snugly also.
They make other varieties in size XS, including the NanoSpikes and ExoSpikes. The XS in these sizes are designed to work on size 5 running shoes (different sizing chart than the MicroSpikes), so they’d fit even better on smaller boots (though we have not tried them out). These styles are a more minimal “cleat” but would likely be easier for kids to walk in.
Stabilicers Snow Traction Cleat
Stabilicers are a more economical alternative to Kahtoolas. I used these for myself before I discovered Kahtoolas, and found them to work a lot better than Yak Trax on ice. The tip is shorter and more rounded, but works for adding a bit of grip.
The Stabilicers cleats come in size XS that fit down to a kids’ size 1, but (like most options) they can be difficult to come by! The size small that will fit starting at a kids’ boot size 4 are more widely available, and you can get them to fit a bit earlier if you use straps to help secure them.
However, because they don’t have a lot of elastomer coming up and over the front of the boot, the sizing range is not going to be quite as easy to fudge as some of the other varieties. If you don’t have a snug fit with these they will come off.
Securing them with a velcro strap will definitely help but you may still have to adjust the toe and heel if they slip off.
Yak Trax Traction Cleats for Hiking
I mentioned Yak Trax earlier in a less than favorable light, because I have several issues with them. First, I’ve seen countless half broken pairs littered along the trailside.
Because the bottom is not all metal and you’re walking on part of the elastomer (wrapped in coils that will dig into it with each step you take), over time it WILL break down (often within a season) and they are not fixable when that happens. Also I’ve seen them be downright slick on ice, akin to being on ice skates.
On packed snow the classic style will fare better, but I think sizing up to something with a little bit more of a spike is worthwhile. The diamond spikes from Yak Trax are a better design and don’t have any of the downfalls.
They don’t have quite as good coverage as the options listed previously, but they do have a good amount of diamond spikes clustered around the front of the foot and heel which is where they’ll be the most useful.
Other Options for Ice Grips for Boots
There are several options available from Amazon that look really similar to the options we’ve tested, but none of them go down to little kid sizes:
- Cimkiz Crampons Ice Cleats Traction Snow Grips $26.98 in December 2023
- Sfee Ice Snow Grips Crampons Traction Cleats $17.98
- Unigear Crampons for Hiking Boots $19.99 ($12.99 after $7 off coupon) in December 2023
- Energetic Sky Walk Traction Ice Cleats $20.79
We also just discovered these CAMP Chainsen Crampons on Amazon, but have not had a chance to try these ice cleats for kids out yet. They look exactly like the High Stream Gear cleats just more expensive, but they do come in XXS sizes which fit down to little kids size 9.
Lightsmith Snowline cleats are a similar offering to Kahtoola and are priced at $67.95.
Icebug makes footwear with traction built in. They’re very popular with runners but sell boots also. These style are especially nice if you have slippery driveways that you’re frequently rushing in and out to.
You can also stud your own shoes, so if you have a spare pair of boots to use as the high traction pair, this can be done with minimal tools. Many running stores will also do this for you (for running shoes and boots).
Best Boots for Winter Traction
If you don’t have traction, it’s best to choose your boots that have “sticky” rather than “hard” rubber soles if you’re going out for an icy walk.
Boots with “rain traction” like Bogs can often be extremely slippery on ice, while boots with a rubber sole or knife-siped traction will give much better grip. I love my Steger Mukluks for grip, the rubber sole does awesome on ice. They don’t work as well on certain types of snow when going downhill, so I always have some microspikes in my pack.
Don’t let trail conditions keep you from getting out!
Do you have any favorite tips or gear for helping kids navigate icy or otherwise tricky trail conditions? Let us know in the comments!
Another option is using snowshoes with great traction too. See our post here about our recommended gear for snowshoeing with kids.
Related Posts:
- Winter Hiking with Kids Tips and Tricks
- Best Winter Boots for Kids
- Best Winter Gear for Kids
- Barefoot Winter Boots
- How to Snowshoe with Kids
- Get Outside Every Day
- Best Kids Baselayers
- Layering Kids for Cold Weather
Ice Cleats for Kids and Adults
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Thank you for this post! I got my sister some kahtoolas and she liked them so much she wants to find some for her kids. This article is a big help.
So glad it was helpful!
How do you de ide whether a Trail is best hiked in snowshoes vs cleats? I struggle in the Springtime to know what to wear and sometime find mid-trail that I’ve guessed wrong