Light(ish) weight crampons for hiking/backpacking

[findbuddha]

I'm in the process of acquiring gear for future travel and would appreciate some advice about spikes/crampons for use primarily on the 3 Passes/EBC trek in Nepal (but likely also other alpine walks with the potential for icy surfaces, snow, glaciers, rock etc). If I ever do any actual mountaineering I understand I'll need more serious equipment than this. I have read through most of the old threads on here about this issue but thought the topic could do with some new discussion as new products seem to be available now.

My boots are Salomon Quest 4D 2, so require strap-on bindings.

My two main choices at this point are:
Kahtoola Microspikes - 338g in medium (though one shop I trust has them at closer to 400g)
-Pros: stainless steel spikes, easy on-off, compact
-Cons: only 1cm spikes, held on only by elastic material, small clusters of spikes separated by chain potentially prone to rolling?

Petzl Leopard FL - 360g
-Pros: proper strap-on system not reliant on elastic material, longer spikes, larger clusters of spikes presumably more secure on the foot, fairly compact
-Cons: aluminium spikes, Dyneema cord potentially at risk of wear (though I've only found one review complaining of this, others are positive)

Other options vary from significantly to marginally lighter, but appear to offer significantly less traction and/or on-foot security eg. Vargo Titanium Pocket Crampons, Nortec Trail Micro Crampons, Petzl Spiky Plus, Grivel Spider. Or go heavier/bulkier with proper steel crampons.

Thanks!

[wayno]

microspikes are for flattish icy surfaces. no use on anything other than a moderate slope, no use if they can't grip the surface without sinking in... if you have ice under even a thin, soft snow surface the are likely not to be able to purchase at all and you'll just slide off the slope.
you'll have to watch the petzls near sharp rocks or the cord will be cut

[Moondog55]

My experience says go with a proper boot and real crampons, flexible steel crampons are not that much heavier than the LW aluminium and provide real grip.
Sometimes the boot is far more important than the crampon and boots and crampons need to be suitable for each other naturally.

[nq111]

My Kathoola K10s are about 650g in my size but are full steel.

Still a long way from a proper crampon but much more versatile than microspikes.

[andrewa]

I've got a couple of pairs of Camp aluminium crampons which from memory are about 3-350g. Perfect for Bogong. No doubt aluminium would wear down quickly if used on mixed ground, but I don't.

A

[roysta]

My Kathoola K10s are about 650g in my size but are full steel.

Still a long way from a proper crampon but much more versatile than microspikes.

the Kahtoola KTS crampons are really good to hang off trail runners or hiking boots.
They're basically 10 pointers with a reasonable spike length.
Aluminium and weighing 540g.
I have microspikes as well, but they're really only for streets and light ice.




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[keithy]

I borrowed a pair of microspikes for Nepal. When I went we had quite a bit on snow on EBC, and some parts were icy, but I don't recall anyone using crampons. For what it's worth, I didn't end up using them for either the EBC or ABC.

[Travis22]

I have some Petzl C1 Crampons, cannot remember what ones they are but they look much the same as the Irvis model iirc.

Id say twice the weight of the stuff your looking at (600-700g) but they feel very secure and fit my Scarpa SL Activ's very well, i think they are just about as solid as you can get for use with a traditional hiking boot.

Travis.

[gbagua]

Hey fb,

As adviced don't buy anything that is microspikes because if you run into trouble you may risk serious injury or even death.

Since you live in QLD you can purchase this kit from a seller located in the GC:

https://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/petzl- ... 40-T05FL02

Don't get fooled with the ice climbing tag, that's a nice pair of crampons. I have used something similar when I used to hike and climb back in Europe.

Have fun!

[findbuddha]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! For space and weight reasons I decided not to go with full size crampons like the Vasaks linked.

I had a conversation with a very helpful employee of Petzl and have ordered some Petzl Irvis Hybrid crampons. He suggested the lever lock system will actually work with the Quest 4D hiking boots but if I find it doesn't fit securely I'll get some of the strap-on heel pieces. The Irvis Hybrid have a similar design to the Leopard (very compact due to Dyneema linkage) but have a steel front portion for better durability and ice penetration. Only 540g.

[Travis22]

Nice purchase FB, im sure they will do a fantastic job!

Travis.

[Travis22]

Keep us posted on how well they fit to your boots. I had a look at mine and they are Petzl Irvis crampons but they look identical to the Vasak ones in the Wild Earth link (except they are 10point as opposed to the Vasak's 12). Id say they must be the previous generation in that they have the same strap attachment types, the tab and rings off the main body of the crampons, where as it looks like they have now updates this design; perhaps like you mention maybe this new design allows the user to easily change the attachment type (strap or clip/lever lock)?

Travis.

[findbuddha]

Thanks Travis, this is the alternate attachment that Petzl confirmed to fit the Irvis Hybrid - the product page suggests it's compatible with the current range of crampons.

Back Flex

https://www.petzl.com/INT/en/Sport/Crampons/BACK-FLEX

I'll update this thread when they arrive

[gbagua]

Here's an in-depth review of those hybrids:

http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web17w/ms-p ... d-crampons

Which have some issues with certain type of boots. Just make sure that glitch doesn't interfere with an easy clipping on the boots you're intending to use. Cheers!

[findbuddha]

Just following up on this thread: I received the Irvis Hybrid crampons and the Back Flex rear binding. The lever lock binding system definitely does NOT work with my boots (Quest 4d 2 UK size 10) as the sole of the boot is too wide. It fits perfectly with the flex rear binding.

I got to have a quick wander around in the snow in NZ with them on this past week.