Anyone who has braved sub freezing temperatures to sit on an icy road installing old fashioned tire chains, knows that most of us will do whatever we can to avoid this unpleasant task. I'm happy if I can just scrape the ice off the windows, then I try not to slide around too much on my snow tires.

Perhaps with some Snobootz, I'd be more willing to install a grippier solution when it gets really slick. Working kind of like a jacket that you wrap around the tire, the Snobootz have metal cleats that can really dig into ice, and the maker claims they are much easier than chains to install or remove. Popular Science found that they worked great, although the pressure from the car running over the Velcro straps made them tough to unleash.

Snobootz are available now for about $200-250 a pair depending on the size. Sounds reasonable to me if they can save you from a soaked and frozen butt.

Snobootz, via PopSci.com