Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.
Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is STABILicers Slip On Ice Cleats. These are not just nice to have they are a true winter prep and belong in the home of every prepper and well normies alike. We at least any that live anywhere that temps dip below freezing in winter anyway.
Look folks almost all of us in the US live where it occasionally or even frequently freezes in winter. Initial snow if it is only snow isn’t that bad for foot traction. It is fluffy and good footwear is usually enough. However when we get ice and sleet or a few days of thaw and re-freeze things are different. We all then know better but risk it because well we have to. We have to take care of animals, once the roads are clear we have to go to work, we have to do chores, we have to go outside.
So what do we do? We “be careful” especially where we know ice is likely to be and even that is dangerous. But what really gets you into trouble is the ice you don’t see. That compacted melted ice sheet UNDER the snow in that hidden puddle you forgot about. That piece of plywood under a half inch of snow coated in slick ice. That part of the patio that is 100% in the shade that has a super thin layer of black ice right at the edge of it, etc. Oh now we are walking full speed with zero concern until BAM!
Let me tell you about one such incident over 10 years ago (as this is written in 2025) when these came into our home with a promise that we would always have a pair for Dorothy and I. Our first major snow/ice event after moving to Nine Mile Farm hit us in the winter of 13-14. Our driveway goes to our main gate and there is a pretty good depression there just in front of the gate. Water had pooled there, frozen solid and the snow covered it, just as I said, dangerous ice you don’t know is there.
Well we decided to head out, Dorothy, myself, my intern at the time Josiah and his mother who was here visiting. I went out to open the gate and you guessed it down I went. My martial arts training fortunately kicked in, and in a micro second, knowing I could not stop the fall, my chin tucked to my chest, my arms went palms down and slapped at the approaching ground. Fortunately I executed it perfectly. Unfortunately that wasn’t enough to be fully unscathed. The force was so great my head still snapped back and I felt a thumb to the back of my skull harder than any punch I have ever taken, and I have taken a few.
I laid there a second in pain but okay, next I hear foot falls as Josiah is running to “help” fearing his 250 body would land on me or he’d end up worse off I managed to roll over and wave him off. I got up a bit dazed but fine. We went out and did our stuff, came home and I instantly went into research mode for “ice cleats” and found these. Let me be clear had I not gone instantly into a tuck and slap I would have been seriously injured, perhaps even permanently. Even with what I did there was days of neck pain. Had I simply fell a bit different, been a fraction of a second slower in my reaction time, etc. again this injury could have been serious or even life altering.
What if it had been Dorothy? What if it had been Josiah who I’d normally have said, “hey intern go get the gate” or anyone else. What if it happened today where I am 10 years older and a bit slower in reaction time? What if it happened 10 years from now when I will truly be an “old man” without it being a joke when I say it?
You get the point ice is a serious risk. And the older we get the more it is true. But it is always true for everyone. No one is immune to gravity. So I found the STABILicers Slip On Ice Cleats and as they were well reviewed, made in America and quite affordable I ordered a set for Josiah, Dorothy and myself along with a fourth “extra pair” for visitors in size large.
They way they work could not be more simple, slip them on over your shoes/boots and rock on. Size wise they are recommend as follows…
- Small – Men 4-7, Women 5-8
- Medium – Men 7.5-10, Women 8.5-12
- Large – Men 10-13
- XLarge – Men 13.5-16
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Overall the size chart is pretty spot on. I wear an 11 and the large fits over my shoes just fine, a bit tight but tight equipment is good equipment. Dorothy is a 7.5 and the medium works fine for her too. I will say if you want to use them with boots, like big old hunting boots, boots, then I’d get a size larger. I also got a set XLs for my Hunting Boots and they work well for that.
I will also say these are the “lite” models. Which are perfect for occasional use. We get ice on average 2-4 times a year here and it is seldom around for more than a day or two. We have had and used ours for 10 years and they still look brand new. I just used them the past few days and they are still working fine, in fact that is what made me realize I needed to get these things up on TspAz.
But if you are in the north and would use them more often STABILicers makes an entire line of options that are more robust and you may want to check them out. You can find their Amazon Store with a ton of options here. But if you just want to be able to go out to the car, let your animals out, etc without risking serious injury these are the way to go.
Look I know most of my audience is men, and prepper/survivalist men at that. We tend to think we are “tough” and invincible but we are human and flesh and bone rips and breaks under stress no matter how tough you think you are, nature doesn’t care. And guys, likely you do the “heavy lifting” at home don’t you? Now imagine you are laid up due to arrogance and your wife has to literally “carry your weight” either by dragging your ass over the ice or doing all the work you can’t do because you are laid up with a knee injury.
Oh yea and of course that will be when everything is frozen up and all work is harder to do. Also isn’t this when other things simply break and need repair. Your on the couch or in the ER and your wife and kids are stuck dealing with all this without your help. Why? Arrogance.
Look if you live where it snows I don’t really care what brand you buy or even if you buy them via TspAz but have something in place for this and then USE THEM. Let my fall that could have been far worse be your lesson so life doesn’t give you a harder one. Lastly, those of you getting older or who have older loved ones this is super important. Once you are over 65 your odds of dying any given year go up exponentially if you have a fall that year. So get them for yourself and those you care about and then USE them and try them out before you need them.
A quick word as I close on what is like wearing them. On ice and snow or on grass/dirt it isn’t much different then just wearing shoes. Well in fact it is much better. When it comes to side walk or parking lots that do not have snow/ice it is a bit awkward feeling but no loss of balance, etc. Yesterday I had to take the cat to the vet, I wore them to get out of the gate area which once again was a fricken skating rink. Not knowing what the parking lot would be like when I got to the vet I drove with them on, no issues.
When I got there they had done a great job with the walk way and parking lot so I left them in the truck. I put them on when I got home and had to deal with our gate again. Since you can take them on and off in a few moments this is easy to do, but when in doubt just use them. The cleats work but they are not “sharp” and won’t damage payment in anyway.
In any event STABILicers Slip On Ice Cleats belong in your winter preps or some other version of them, again you can find their entire line up here.
* Remember, you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com.
P.S. – One more attempt to get your to take this seriously. While hard to find a specific number limited to falls only in snow and ice was difficult the most conservative estimate I can come up with is 10-20 thousand people a year in the US end up in the hospital due to injuries from it every winter.
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That isn’t all injuries that need medical treatment, just the ones bad enough to get you admitted into the hospital. That is a lot of injuries, serious ones at that, that do not have to happen. Bluntly you likely cary a gun with good reason, well you are more likely any given year to crack your skull on ice then to need your gun in a confrontation.
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I am not saying to stop carrying your gun, just to take this form of “self defense” seriously as well.
More/Source: https://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/iotd-1-13-25