Screw Shoes - Make your shoes grip in the ice and snow

I prefer to run outside instead of a treadmill, regardless of the weather.  I live in Pennsylvania which means I deal with ice and packed snow during the winters.  When the roads and trails are icy or packed snow, I put on a pair of screw shoes.  They are great for both road running and trail running.  Sure, there are lots of expensive winter traction aids available for purchase, but you don't need to buy YakTrax, MicroSpikes, or other expensive options when you can buy enough screws to outfit a couple pairs of shoes for much less.  This trick also works for hiking boots, snow boots, or any other shoe that you want to grip better in the ice and snow.  Those boots you use for clearing the driveway? Yep, those too.

If you are a runner, grab one of your old pairs of road shoes that you surely have sitting around, and try this hack for yourself.  You can turn a pair of smooth soled road shoes into trail beasts!

Not a runner, grab the shoes or boots that you want add traction to, and try it on those.   

All you need are some hex-head sheet metal shoes with a short shank so the screw doesn't poke through the sole, a nut driver, and a drill.  I'm sure that you could do this with a screw driver, but it will take longer, so use a drill if you have one.  Here's a video that shows you how:


Here is a link where you can buy the exact scews I use on Amazon.  You get 100 screws in a bag, enough for 2 or 3 pairs of shoes.  There is also a link for a nut driver insert for a drill, if you don't have one of these already, be sure to get one, its a lot more effective than trying to drive the screws with a flat blade screwdriver bit.

A couple of tips:
  1. Make sure the screw shank is shorter than the thickness of the sole of your shoe.
  2. After installing the screws, but before putting the shoes on your feet, feel inside to verify that no screws are poking through.  If it's removable, pop out the insole while you are checking.
  3. Don't wear these shoes inside, you could damage your floors.
Still not sure, give it a try.  It's easy to remove the screws if you don't like it, just take them out the same way you put them in!

Happy trails!


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