The gear that gets you there.
Only the best. Nothing else makes the list.
Over-shoe spikes for packed snow and ice. Most of a PCT class carries them. Seasonal.
Three picks. Updated weekly. That is the whole list. If it is not here, it did not earn a place.
· Top three updated weekly. Listed prices and shop ratings stay live.
Surveys 40% · independent tests 30% · merchant ratings 15% · relative street price 15%. Sources & method
Listed prices and shop ratings stay live once a shop page loads. GEAR UP has the current figure.
Built from published thru-hiker surveys and independent testing — not commissions. Sources & method · Disclosure
Swipe — three picks side by side
Stainless spikes · stretch harness · 11 oz / pair
Listed price
Most-carried traction · Halfway Anywhere 2025
8.5 / 10 Thru Picks
Most-carried PCT traction in Halfway Anywhere’s 2025 survey class. Over-shoe stainless spikes.
Sources: Halfway Anywhere · CleverHiker · REI Co-op · Thru Picks method
GEAR UP →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission. Not a paid ranking.
14 × 8 mm spikes · 6.7 oz / pair
Listed price
Highest-rated traction · Halfway Anywhere 2025
8.6 / 10 Thru Picks
Highest-rated traction row in Halfway Anywhere’s 2026 gear-guide table. Lighter than MICROspikes. Fourteen short spikes.
Sources: Halfway Anywhere · CleverHiker · REI Co-op · Thru Picks method
GEAR UP →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission. Not a paid ranking.
Chain spikes · 9.1 oz / pair
Listed price
8.3 / 10 Thru Picks
Third most-carried pair in the Halfway Anywhere traction table. Between MICROspikes and the Distance Spike on weight.
Sources: Halfway Anywhere · REI Co-op · Thru Picks method
GEAR UP →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission. Not a paid ranking.
This ranking already sits in a finished kit. Every item is among the best. Weighed. Ranked. Ready.
Eighty-two percent of the 2025 PCT class carried a traction device. Halfway Anywhere’s 2026 gear guide publishes a most-common versus highest-rated table. We read that page. We do not reprint the chart.
Kahtoola MICROspikes are the most-carried pair in that table. Black Diamond Distance Spike is the highest-rated row they list. Snowline Chainsen Pro is the third most-carried pair. Scores on the cards are Thru Picks 40/30/15/15 composites — not Halfway Anywhere’s ratings. Rank order among these three still updates weekly from shop ratings and street price.
Rankings and kits are based on published surveys and independent analysis. They are opinions for informational purposes only. Users are responsible for choosing and using gear appropriate to their conditions and experience. Thru Picks is not liable for outcomes related to product use. Terms