Monday, February 23, 2009

My Long Awaited Yaktrax Review (BUY SOME NOW!!!!!)







Well, if you can't tell from the title of my post, I LOVE my Yaktrax. LOVE. I can NOT believe how awesome they work. I've been waiting and waiting for ice so that I could try them out, and yesterday we got a mix of snow and rain that froze. I had to go food shopping last night, and my husband was staying home with my son, but I was taking the baby along. I walked outside with my daughter in her infant car seat, and as soon as I stepped into the street, my foot slid. Normally, I would walk back inside and not go back out, no matter what I had to do, because I am so afraid of falling on the ice, especially in the street, in the dark, with a baby. However, this time, I walked back inside, and got my Yaktrax. They take a little tiny bit of practice to put on, but WHOA, they are incredible. I honestly felt like I was walking on dry pavement, and thought maybe I was hallucinating the ice. So I bent down and felt the ground with my hand. Sure enough, it was a sheet of ice. I confidently walked around my car as I scraped off the ice (after using all my strength to open the doors, which were frozen shut...which is normally very difficult because of course there's no traction on the ice...not this time!).

I'M NO LONGER TRAPPED IN MY HOME WHEN THERE IS ICE OUTSIDE!

I kept them in my pocket in a plastic bag, so when I got to the supermarket (there was a big patch of ice right next to my door), I put them on, walked across the parking lot, took them off and put them back in the bag in my pocket (they are not recommended for indoor use), shopped, and then put them back on to go back out. They fold up small enough so that you CAN keep them in your pocket...how cool is that? They were very comfortable to walk in, and I had no trouble at all driving with them on.

There is a warning on the box saying that they won't prevent all injuries, and I suppose that if you're trying to pole vault on the ice, play tackle football, or climbing up or down a 45 degree slope, you MIGHT slip. However, just walking, I could not make myself slip. I tried. I would imagine you can even go jogging with these on, although I'm not going to tempt fate.

So, if it's icy outside and you want to go geocaching, want to walk to your ice fishing hut on the lake by your Adirondack property, if you want to go hiking or walking, if you're pregnant, injured, or elderly, or are just plain terrified of walking on ice like me, if you have a dog or a toddler who pulls you along as you walk, or live anywhere where there might be ice (like a hockey rink), do yourself a favor, and get yourself some Yaktrax. I've tried other types of rubber strap on ice walkers, but they pale in comparison to Yaktrax. Yaktrax are very reasonably priced at $14 to $20, depending on where you buy them (although I got mine for free...thanks Carolyn!), and you'd better believe I'm going to get my husband a pair. He used mine last night to take out the garbage, in fact, and he was really impressed too. What a great alternative to ice hiking boots!!! The only thing that would be better is if they came in sizes for children. They need traction too!

Since I only opened my box yesterday, I had no idea that Carolyn had placed a bunch of other goodies in the box for me! What a great surprise!!! She put a sample of every product Yaktrax makes, including a pair of socks that help your feet not slide around in your sneakers when you're exercising, a pair of shock absorbing shoe inserts, and a pair of shock absorbing shoe inserts that are CUSTOM FIT... how cool is this...you put them in the microwave for a few seconds, then you put them in your shoe, put your foot in, and viola! It forms around your foot into a custom fit. I can't wait to try these out, and I'll write a review about them too! I have to get new sneakers that are worthy of all these wonderful products!

To read more about Yaktrax: http://www.yaktrax.com/












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