Step-in versus Strap-on Crampons

[lx93]

Please help me to decide between step-in & strap-on crampons.

I have done plenty of 3-season hiking (46), but only 5 peaks in winter conditions where crampons would have helped.

So if I understand correctly, step-in are easier to put on/take off, but strap-on crampons, or at least the boots that will take them, are less rigid & therefore easier to ascend with on trails.

Are we talking about 1/2 the time to put on/take off, or is the difference not worth what you lose when ascending?

Most of my hiking is bagging 4k peaks in the White Mts., Adirondacks or Rangley-Stratton, Maine.

 

[the starchild]

next time you find yourself at an outdoor store, try both styles on and play with them. check them out! You'll find out firsthand how much quicker one is and just get a better feel for both styles in general.

 

[lx93]

Kevin,

Many thanx- due to my limited winter hiking experience, it's very hard to visualize while in the store what's worth the extra money and what isn't; for a newbie like me, someone else's expertise is a great help.

 

[Lawn Sale]

I have strap on crampons and have not had a problem putting them on compared to others with the step in kind. Even the step in kind have a small strap that goes around the boot, it just doesn't hold the crampon on the boot. At least the people I usually hike with have that style, maybe the new ones don't have them. At any rate, once I tighten them they usually stay in place, but I do like to tighten them once or twice, sort of like re-torquing lug nuts on a vehicle.

I also like the strap on ones as I can select the boots I want to hike in, I'm not limited to specific boots. I enjoy hiking in them, but on near vertical ice they really fade as my boots bend too much.

If you can get them at a decent price, certainly pick them up.

 

[Oldsmores]

The real deciding factor is which boots you're going to be hiking in. If you're planning on using boots with flex in the sole, or using multiple pairs of boots, strap-ons are the better choice.
I have had step-ins come off of plastic double boots, but never had strap-ons come off. One downside is that if you really tighten down the straps, you can cause foot comfort/circulation problems.

 

[kmac]

AustriAlpin

I wear La Sportiva mountaineering boots that have built in welts but I use a strap on crampon I purchased at EMS for about $89. They are a 10 point crampon and Austri Alpin puts them out. I'm pretty sure that REI carries the same ones for about the same price. I fiound them to be very easy to put on (even in extreme conditions), and once I have them on I have rarely needed to re-adjust them.
kmac

 

[lx93]

I just bought La Sportiva EVO's, mostly because they had the welts for step-in crampons.

Will a stiffer boot mean more blisters, more difficult to hike in, etc.? I don't plan on doing any climbing, just hiking 4-6k'ers.

 

[Oldsmores]

I just bought La Sportiva EVO's, mostly because they had the welts for step-in crampons.

Will a stiffer boot mean more blisters, more difficult to hike in, etc.? I don't plan on doing any climbing, just hiking 4-6k'ers.

Not necessarily. Not familiar with the EVO, but everything's a continuum. Obviously, a very stiff boot doesn't allow a natural gait. Double plastic boots have this problem. Some people have trouble with bruising/chafing on the front of the leg where the boot top is, and some people have blistering problems on the back of the heel where the heel tends to lift and the sole of the boot doesn't flex. Some stiffer boots try to mitigate this by molding a slight bend in the sole so it will "rock" as you walk.
IMHO, the only way to tell if a particular boot will give you trouble is to wear it and see.

 

[spider solo]

I have several pair of crampons...the other day I grabbed my plastic boots and a pair of strap on crampons for a friend to try. To my surprise, even though I have used those crampons many a time, the straps were just barely
long enough.
Apparently I have only used them with other boots but not the big plastic boots. The crampons fit fine but the straps were short...so thats a big vote to make sure you match the crampon to the boot before you buy.
We were glad we tried the set up at home before we got to the trail.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Unless you are committed to wearing hard boots *every* time, get the strap on./QUOTE] Let me second that.

I have step-ins, and they are great. I love how solidly they stay on my feet, and the relative ease of putting them on, HOWEVER, I always have to wear my 'frankenstein boots'. A couple days ago, it wasn't too cold, and I would have preferred my lighter boots, but I took my crampons 'just in case' so I had to wear the stiff heavy things. At taht time, I almost regretted my choice. OTOH, when I run into real steep ice, those stiff boots and stepins really are nice.

Oh, I know what I'll do. Get another pair.

Ummm,, Is this thread in the wrong column?

 

[lx93]

Pete & everyone else,

Thanx for the feedback. Yes, it is in the wrong column; I posted it after 12 hours of working in a retail environment after Black Friday and wasn't really coherent.

I tried to see if there was any way that I could relocate it, but didn't see any.

 

[percious]

I'm with Pete on this one. I have three sets of crampons. 1 step in, and 2 strap-on. I much prefer the step in to the strap-ons, but I bring the strap ons in 3-season-like conditions. I also like having a second set of crampons for people to join me, so those of course must be strap-on. To complicate matters, my step-ins are 10 point and my strap-ons are 12 points, so I often find myself torn when I think the going might be tough. My solution? A fourth pair of crampons. Then if I get into ice climbing heavily.... you get the picture. Isn't gear fun?

-percious

 

[Jim lombard]

I bought the strap on Camp Green ice crampons five years ago and love them. I can put them on fairly quickly but they always need to be adjusted. If I'm going up Lions head I'll put them on a few minutes before and by the time I get to the steep stuff (and am usually waiting in line ) I stop to tighten the strap.

One thing I did was put them on several times at home before I took them out on the trails. Nothing like practice and fiddling with the straps in the yard where I can run inside to warm up rather than out on the trails is sensible.