I'm in the process of acquiring gear for future travel and would appreciate some advice about spikes/crampons for use primarily on the 3 Passes/EBC trek in Nepal (but likely also other alpine walks with the potential for icy surfaces, snow, glaciers, rock etc). If I ever do any actual mountaineering I understand I'll need more serious equipment than this. I have read through most of the old threads on here about this issue but thought the topic could do with some new discussion as new products seem to be available now.
My boots are Salomon Quest 4D 2, so require strap-on bindings.
My two main choices at this point are:
Kahtoola Microspikes - 338g in medium (though one shop I trust has them at closer to 400g)
-Pros: stainless steel spikes, easy on-off, compact
-Cons: only 1cm spikes, held on only by elastic material, small clusters of spikes separated by chain potentially prone to rolling?
Petzl Leopard FL - 360g
-Pros: proper strap-on system not reliant on elastic material, longer spikes, larger clusters of spikes presumably more secure on the foot, fairly compact
-Cons: aluminium spikes, Dyneema cord potentially at risk of wear (though I've only found one review complaining of this, others are positive)
Other options vary from significantly to marginally lighter, but appear to offer significantly less traction and/or on-foot security eg. Vargo Titanium Pocket Crampons, Nortec Trail Micro Crampons, Petzl Spiky Plus, Grivel Spider. Or go heavier/bulkier with proper steel crampons.
Thanks!