i slipped twice i found a rock to sit on and jerry help me put them on. they just fit around the shoes and are fairly easy to put on. once we realized that we could keep them more secure if we tied our shoelaces through them we had no problem. it was just a few minutes later when jerry decided it would be wise to put his on. what a difference they made. we easily walked through the ice with no slipping and sliding and no fear of falling. it was a pretty cold hike as the wind was blowing a bit. i ended up putting my earmuffs on 