DIY YakTrax

[MountainFlower]

I was hiking the foothills west of Boulder today.  The trails are snow packed and very icy.  It would have been difficult to hike in just shoes.  Most people had YakTrax on, but not me.  I had on my winter hiking shoes with sheet metal screws on the bottom. 

Yes, for about $1, I turned my regular hiking shoes into winter snow-gripping wonders with sheet metal screws. 

Here's a great tutorial
http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm

I used #6 sheet metal screws from Home Depot. 

I had friends who did something similar to their bicycles in Steamboat Springs, but I don't know the details.

[meadow lark]

Okay, that is brilliant.

[sheepstache]

I like it but the way it's written it does violate the "muscle over motor" mustache principle.  Not only is putting a screw in with a screwdriver considered something that will leave you cursing and not have enough "fun factor" (remember we are talking about people who consider using their muscles so fun and put so little stock in comfort that they are looking to modify their shoes so they can do athletic activities out in the freezing cold), but also "since most shoe screwing is done in the winter, this could be the perfect x-mas gift for that special crazy runner!" so apparently you should buy a cordless drill with a magnetic tip so that you can practice this money-saving idea!

[Jack]

I like it but the way it's written it does violate the "muscle over motor" mustache principle.  Not only is putting a screw in with a screwdriver considered something that will leave you cursing and not have enough "fun factor" (remember we are talking about people who consider using their muscles so fun and put so little stock in comfort that they are looking to modify their shoes so they can do athletic activities out in the freezing cold), but also "since most shoe screwing is done in the winter, this could be the perfect x-mas gift for that special crazy runner!" so apparently you should buy a cordless drill with a magnetic tip so that you can practice this money-saving idea!

Muscle over motor is about avoiding excessive spending in the name of convenience, such as buying a $2000 riding mower to mow your 1/2 acre suburban yard. It does not, however, mean that you should mow your 10-acre pasture with a manual reel mower!

I guarantee MMM owns a cordless drill. I do too; mine cost $10 brand new on sale.

[sheepstache]

I like it but the way it's written it does violate the "muscle over motor" mustache principle.  Not only is putting a screw in with a screwdriver considered something that will leave you cursing and not have enough "fun factor" (remember we are talking about people who consider using their muscles so fun and put so little stock in comfort that they are looking to modify their shoes so they can do athletic activities out in the freezing cold), but also "since most shoe screwing is done in the winter, this could be the perfect x-mas gift for that special crazy runner!" so apparently you should buy a cordless drill with a magnetic tip so that you can practice this money-saving idea!

Muscle over motor is about avoiding excessive spending in the name of convenience, such as buying a $2000 riding mower to mow your 1/2 acre suburban yard. It does not, however, mean that you should mow your 10-acre pasture with a manual reel mower!

I guarantee MMM owns a cordless drill. I do too; mine cost $10 brand new on sale.

I think if you read the link you will understand what I'm saying.  It is about putting screws into a pair of running shoes, a task that is hardly the equivalent of mowing a 10-acre pasture.  (And I believe the principal was a criticism of spending disproportionate to the amount of energy saved, which was why the MMM post made fun of gas-powered lawnmowers in general, not to mention the silliness of paying to avoid desirable exercise.)  And it suggests that you buy a cordless drill for no other reason than to make this five-minute task easier.

Edit to clarify (god I'm a terrible writer): The reason I bring up the disproportionate thing is because it's not about $2000 vs. $10, it's about the fact that if you already have a manual screwdriver, buying a motorized one for the sole purpose of saving yourself like 2 minutes of effort on this project is a waste of money.  Hope that makes more sense.  Hopefully the writer doesn't really think you should buy it just for this project and is just trying to leave his wife subtle hints that he wants one for christmas.

[Jack]

If you're the kind of person who would make "DIY YakTrax" in the first place, the chance that you'd only ever use a cordless drill for that single task (let alone the chance that you wouldn't already own a cordless drill anyway) is approximately zero.

[sheepstache]

Eh.  There's no point belaboring an explanation of why something's humorous.  It has nothing to do with whether the guy actually has a drill already or the fact that a cordless drill is an extremely useful tool, the way it's written just comes off as funny.  But a joke's like a lady stepping out of a car, as they say.

[StarswirlTheMustached]

If you're mowing 10 acres of pasture, I am punching you in the face. Get some livestock on that shit, yo.

[gooki]

Or plant some fucking trees.

PS. Good work on the shoe mods.

[MountainFlower]

In honor of MMM's recent post on winter, I'm reviving this post that I started a couple of years ago.  Have fun out there!

[3Mer]

I'm not trying to shoot down your idea, but I'm wondering a few things about the DIY YakTrax.
(1) Did you have any issues with screw tips working all the way through the sole of the shoe?
(2) Aren't the soles going to have water leakage after you take the screws out?  Are you now dedicating this pair of shoes to icy winter-wear?
I have used YakTrax and am not happy with how quickly they break, so am contemplating trying your solution. 

Thanks!
Kim

[MountainFlower]

I'm not trying to shoot down your idea, but I'm wondering a few things about the DIY YakTrax.
(1) Did you have any issues with screw tips working all the way through the sole of the shoe?
(2) Aren't the soles going to have water leakage after you take the screws out?  Are you now dedicating this pair of shoes to icy winter-wear?
I have used YakTrax and am not happy with how quickly they break, so am contemplating trying your solution. 

Thanks!
Kim

Good questions!
1.  The screw tips have never worked their way through; they are too short.
2.  I have dedicated a pair of shoes to this.  I had hiking shoes that were too small for me after my feet grew from two pregnancies.  I decided that I would try it with those.   My winter hikes aren't too long, so these slightly too-small shoes work fine.

The other problem with yak trax is mud:  they fall off, especially in the clay/mud we have around here. 

Try it, I think you'll be pleased. 

[3Mer]

I'm not trying to shoot down your idea, but I'm wondering a few things about the DIY YakTrax.
(1) Did you have any issues with screw tips working all the way through the sole of the shoe?
(2) Aren't the soles going to have water leakage after you take the screws out?  Are you now dedicating this pair of shoes to icy winter-wear?
I have used YakTrax and am not happy with how quickly they break, so am contemplating trying your solution. 

Thanks!
Kim

Good questions!
1.  The screw tips have never worked their way through; they are too short.
2.  I have dedicated a pair of shoes to this.  I had hiking shoes that were too small for me after my feet grew from two pregnancies.  I decided that I would try it with those.   My winter hikes aren't too long, so these slightly too-small shoes work fine.

The other problem with yak trax is mud:  they fall off, especially in the clay/mud we have around here. 

Try it, I think you'll be pleased.

Thanks for the quick reply - I think I'm going to try it with my Keen's.  The sole is kind of falling off one anyway, from using so many YakTrax.  Can't wait to try it - thanks for the tip!