Slipping often leads to injury - Studded shoes vs Friction shoes

A slip can lead to a long period of sick leave at worst. You can effectively prevent falls by choosing the right footwear for the weather. We are here to explain the difference between studded and friction shoes and the conditions in which they are best suited.

In winter, footpaths and paths can quickly become covered in ice, which is surprisingly slippery and treacherous. Unfortunately, slipping often leads to injury and, in some cases, can result in long sick leave.Luckily, It's easy to prevent falls by using footwear designed for slippery conditions.

Choose the right shoe for the conditions:

Our sales statistics reveal that more and more people are waking up to the risk of slipping, as the popularity of studded shoes has increased year on year. Studded shoes are clearly more popular than friction shoes, but friction shoes have their own user base.

When choosing shoes, we recommend taking into account the environment in which you will need them most. A good rule of thumb is to wear studs in the nature and friction shoes in the city.

Studded shoes stick even on icy surfaces

Trekker studded shoes have small steel studs in the soles that provide good grip when walking on slippery and icy surfaces. Studded shoes provide better grip than friction shoes in slippery conditions and are the best at preventing falls and injuries.

On hard and uneven surfaces, such as rocks, traction comes from the interaction of studs and a textured sole.

In addition to the steel studs, the soles have rubber studs so that the shoes are not so slippery if you stop at the store at the end of your run. However, studded shoes are primarily intended for outdoor use.

Like friction tyres, traction shoes, or traction soles, provide grip in snowy and slippery conditions, but on icy surfaces they are no match for studded shoes.

The grip of Trekker friction shoes is based on highly textured soles made from a special rubber compound, which provide better grip than normal winter shoes in slippery conditions.

The traction shoes have no metal studs, so they can be worn effortlessly indoors and on hard asphalt, and are particularly suitable for urban use.

Even in spring, when the trail is both slippery and snowy, friction shoes are a more comfortable option than studs.

Friction shoes are also the best choice when you want light and carefree all-purpose shoes for the winter and can cope with less grip than studs.

Reversible studs for versatile use

If you want to find shoes that are safe to walk in on both hard and icy surfaces, studded shoes with reversible studs are a good option.

Trekker studded shoes with swivel studs feature four swivel studs on the bottom, which are easy to click into place with a button on the heel for when you don't need them.

The built-in pivot studs are more convenient than the separate slip-resistant ones, as the separate ones can easily slip out of place, especially when walking more briskly. Also, the grip is not as good as with real studded shoes.

Unlike the fixed studs of a studded shoe, loose slip-bars are an extra element in the shoe that can make walking uncomfortable, especially on longer hikes.

Moisture-repellent surface keeps feet dry

All Trekker studded and frictionshoes have a moisture-repellent surface, a warm fur lining and a wide width to suit Finnish feet, and are available in a range of models for both urban and active wear.

For example, Trekker's synthetic leather studded shoe is a very popular choice for urban use. They feature a stylish synthetic leather upper, while other Trekker models have a softshell upper. The higher-top Trekker shoe has a clever zipper to make it easier to slip on and off.

For the active runner, we recommend the Trekking model, where the thick fur lining is replaced by a breathable fleece lining. They are also well suited to a brisk pace.

Our most popular studded shoe model is the black Trekker studded shoe with 15 studs in the sole combined with a strong pattern for excellent grip on slippery and icy surfaces.

Cheap life insurance

We recommend friction or studded shoes to anyone who wants to protect themselves from falling. Studded shoes are not just for the elderly: every sensible person, regardless of age, takes care of their own safety. Anyone can fall, and good shoes are cheap life insurance.