Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with traction

Help for slippery steps

palmcorder_yajna — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 13:21:56 -0800

Help us make these wet, slippery, wooden steps safer! We're spending the holidays with some friends who have extremely slippery steps. The steps are made of treated wood, and when they get damp, they're basically frictionless. What can we do to make them safer, both in the short term and in the long term? This potential project is complicated by the weather, which is currently misty to rainy, and it will probably be that way for some time.

Note: Our pals have authorized us to look into the problem, and we'll definitely talk to them again before we do anything. We're not going to make any surprise improvements to their property!

I need broomball shoes that aren't broomball shoes.

tweedle — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:19:44 -0800

Cheap tennis shoes with good traction for playing broomball? (In broomball you are on ice in tennis shoes. We aren't allowed real broomball shoes.) I'm going to be on a broomball team and all I have are converse and vivo barefoot shoes. The vivo barefoot shoes have absolutely no traction and I'm not sure about the converse. Boots and black-soled running shoes are not allowed. Also I am a college student on a budget so the cheaper the better! If they are super cheap then I don't care what they look like as I will probably only use them for broomball, but if I'm going to be spending 20 dollars plus I would prefer something I could wear when I'm not on the ice.

So, if you have experience with broomball great, but if you don't and know of some shoes that you wear in the winter with great traction then also great!

Thanks guys!

I'm learning to walk, but I ain't got shoes.

hal_c_on — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:56:21 -0800

Can you point me to shoes that won't cause me to slip, fall, and die? I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. I'm slipping everytime the ground is wet.

I need shoes for walking in an urban environment. Sometimes hilly, sometimes not. But elevation doesn't seem to be a problem as I fall on flat paved surfaces.

I had a pair of casual Dr. Martens that I kept slipping in, so I started wearing my Saucony Hurricane XI that had about 10 miles on them.

I slipped so bad one time that I stumbled 20 feet before catching myself. I was all proud of myself until I realized everyone was staring at me. It was funny...kinda...but not at the moment. I knew I had a problem.

So I went to Rockport and bought a pair of their casual shoes that look kinda athletic, but are brown. Rockport XCS is line they are from. The salesguy said this would solve my problem, but he could have just been making a sale. Nope. Slipping all over the place.

I'm good when the ground is dry, but as soon as its wet, I'm close to slipping everywhere.

Some more info:
I grew up in and lived in very rainy areas and never had a problem before.
Everyone around me is walking around normally. They aren't taking deliberate steps when the ground is wet, like I am. Running shoes, casual shoes, high heels, everyone is walking fine...except me.
No, I am not affected when the ground is dry.
I have recently lost some weight (walking a lot), but don't seem to have a balance problem.
This has developed over the last few months; less than a year, but more than half a year.

Do I need athletic shoes, walking shoes, dress shoes, casual shoes, orthopedic shoes, what? I used to wear a lot of heavily marketed shoes (Nike, Adidas, skateshoes)but kinda stopped once I had ethical concerns about their manufacturing. I never had a slip problem then.

I'm willing to try stuff because its kinda rainy here.

So, if anyone can recommend a type of shoe, or a type of sole that I haven't tried but would work here, my body and self-esteem while walking would be really grateful.

Oh yeah, if you have any questions or need any info, go ahead and ask as I will be monitoring this thread.

don't want no broken back, svp.

sucre — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:52:18 -0800

how can i give my boots better traction in snowy weather? i just bought a pair of beautiful vintage nine west leather boots. they are perfect except for being dangerously slippery when walking on even the smallest amount of snow. i know that duct tape is recommended for better traction, but duct tape + snow = even more slippery. (duct tape has worked for slippy soles when walking on sidewalks, though).

is there anything i can do to not break my back this winter? i could buy yaktrax but would prefer something more DIY and less visible.

tanks ya!

Trudgery drudgery

BostonTerrier — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:44:41 -0800

I'm tired of being a prisoner to Yak Trax. Is there a particular kind of boot sole that is never-fail on icy sidewalks, short of hammering in little spikes or suction cups to the soles of my winter footwear?

Does electronic stability control help out in winter driving conditions?

puritycontrol — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 07:57:13 -0800

Will I need electronic stability control for winter driving? Please help this California native and recent Texas resident decide on a car to buy before my first "real" winter in northern Illinois begins. Having been lucky enough to spend my life so far in the warmer areas of the country that don't believe in seasons, we've just moved to the DeKalb area and I'm faced with the daunting prospect of driving in snowy and icy conditions. I've been told that roads are generally quick to be plowed/iced when the snow falls, so I'm wondering if stability and/or traction control are realistically going to add that much benefit during winter if I stick to paved, well-traveled roads and highways (and drive carefully). Sites I've seen on the internet say that both are must-haves, but I'm more interested in your real world experiences with winter driving.

In case you're curious, we're looking to replace our '95 Accord V-6 with a pre-owned 2005-2007 Accord (I've gone this route because of brand loyalty, gas mileage, and budgetary reasons). From what I've gathered, only the trims with a V-6 from these years come equipped with stability control (and NOT traction control). 2008+ Accords come with stability and traction standard on all trims, although they are a bit outside of our budget range. I've also played with the idea of getting a newer CR-V, but again, it's skirting the limits of our budget. The car will be used primarily to get me to and from work; we have an Odyssey to haul the family around in. Other car suggestions are welcome.

Falling down: help me not to

taz — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 02:58:04 -0800

What should I wear on my feet this spring/summer? ... Not so much a fashion question, as a let's-keep-my-feet-under-me-and-my-bones-unbroken question. But a little fashion would be nice. All my life I've happily worn thong-type sandals from May-October, but where I live (and do most of my walking) now is like an obstacle course for walkers, even though it's urban: uneven terrain, lots of hills and inclines, many different surfaces with unexpected dips and projections... and twice last summer I had fairly serious falls that left scars, though thank goodness no broken bones or other, more serious injury.

One time I slipped on what could only be glass dust that had been put down over what looked like maybe some kind of oil spill on a steep pedestrian street by a renovation site (this was just colossal stupidity from some worker on the site, and honestly, no footwear would have saved me from that fall) and the other was from sliding on a large, slippery cobblestone, straight down onto a sharp curbstone. But there were also enough near-misses that I'm determined to do what I can to find footwear with good traction, and possibly other unknown features that might make them safer...

* not crazy about sneakers, or other closed shoes if I have a choice

* hate "clunky" but realize I may not have a ton of options

* very hot climate here

* will be wearing with skirts or longish shorts - very casual

* not in U.S. or U.K. so not all brands will be available

* not averse to ordering online from UK or anywhere in Europe

* willing to spend what it takes, because, hey - it's less than a hospital stay, right?

Our 9 year old Lab finds the hardwood stairs too slippery.

bonobothegreat — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:05:53 -0800

Our 9 year old Lab finds the hardwood stairs too slippery. She's fallen a couple of times recently and it's hard to "spot her" her from below because coaxing her makes her even more nervous. Her eyesight has been failing for a long time (never was very good, we think) and the pads of her feet have very little traction. It was discussed here but my wife is dead set against carpet runners (she hurt herself badly on some carpeted stairs). Painting the stairs different colours or attaching rubberized bullnoses is out too. I was wondering if anyone knew of any other solutions that didn't look too industrial. This stuff is just what I was hoping for but is expensive and the application sounds like a real chore. My next thought was to get some of that sandpaper tape for the edges. I know a baby gate will keep her safe but she's always slept upstairs with us and whines to come up a night. Is there any other product I should be considering?

I need to get a grip!

laumry — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:54:39 -0800

Any tips on making my expensive shoes grippier? I have just bought a couple of pairs of expensive shoes (Church's brogues and oxfords). These expensive shoes have smooth soles, which makes them quite slippery -- unlike the relatively chunky Clarks shoes that I'm used to wearing. Today it's been raining and I've been slipping all over the place.

Any tips on making my shoes grippier?

How can I give my shoes better traction?

lxs — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 17:24:52 -0800

How can I give my shoes traction....using household items? I just bought a new pair of boots and the bottoms are very slippery with no traction. I am hoping to wear them when I go out of town tomorrow but do not want to fall on my face walking outdoors. Because I'm leaving so soon, I also don't have time to order anything to put on them.

Is there anything I can do or apply to them to give better traction? I had thought of rubber cement but was afraid to try as I don't want to ruin the shoes.

Yaktrax with sensible dress shoes?

desuetude — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 20:41:34 -0800

Anyone use these "Yaktrax" thingys? More importantly, any experience using them on not-entirely-flat-soled-shoes? I live in a city, I do a lot of walking, and a lot of my neighbors don't bother shovelling snow, or don't do it well. Lots of lumpy extended patches of glare ice for weeks.

I'm already getting tired of wearing the stomping boots every day with work clothes and bringing the more appropriate office shoes. The Yaktrax look a bit silly stretched over my low-heeled loafers, but seem like they'd work. Can anyone offer some testimony for or against?