View Full Version : Snowshoes - teach me please
jerseydave
01-14-2011, 14:35
Thinking about getting a pair.
I'm 185 lbs, and will likely be carrying 30 to 40 lbs in the winter.
If I were to get em, I'b be trying NOT to break the bank.
Never even held a pair.
??????
Feral Bill
01-14-2011, 14:58
Costco, if they still have any
4eyedbuzzard
01-14-2011, 15:00
Sierra Trading Post often has entry level Redfeather Hikes for just under $50 with their deals / coupons.
jerseydave
01-14-2011, 15:34
Sierra Trading Post often has entry level Redfeather Hikes for just under $50 with their deals / coupons.
Saw those there.
Around $70 shipped after coupons and such.
30" up to 220
36" 220 +
Same price.
I'm thinking I'll be right arout 220 with gear....... what would you do?
Thanks for the input,
Dave
jerseydave
01-14-2011, 15:35
Costco, if they still have any
Thanks, but I'm a Sam's Club kinda guy.......don't know anyone with Costco papers.
Two Tents
01-14-2011, 15:51
What type trail makes a difference for the type of shoe you will want. For what you list for your weight and gear weight I'd go with the 36" If you are going to be not breaking trail or on a well packed trail then the 30" will do. There should be somewhere you can rent some and then you'll know more.
Wrote this doc...maybe it will help?
http://www.pmags.com/intoduction-to-snowshoeing-basics
jerseydave
01-14-2011, 17:36
Wrote this doc...maybe it will help?
http://www.pmags.com/intoduction-to-snowshoeing-basics
Learned a bit about snowshoes and some insight into other winter gear options as well.
Thanks, good article.
Dave
I bought a pair on Steep and Cheap...
Took them out this week and hiked a few miles in them.
I was either glad I had them on or wished I had them off. Very little in between.... The trail I was on was somewhat rocky and there was only a foot of snow so I was bobbling over rocks a lot.
Tricky was a creek crossing with bowling ball sized rocks. I almost fell in tripping over myself.
They would be awesome for walking over a bald with 2' of snow.
And they were a lot easier to walk in than they looked like they would be.
canoehead
01-14-2011, 17:47
You'll need the 30". I'd get the tubbs if you want to keep them for a while plus the Traction/Crampons is better. I'd also use poles.
The ones you buy cheaper at the discount stores are just that. Cheap.
If you spend anytime in them they tend to break apart plastic foot moldings break, the aluminum tubing is generally thinner and weaker, the vinyl decking rips.
bullseye
01-31-2011, 21:23
Sorry JD, I caught this too late or I woulda offered to take you last Friday in the Water Gap. I have an extra pair.....
Zeno Marx
01-31-2011, 22:44
The plastic models seem to be very, very loud. They work better than the frame & hypalon decking models, but they ruin the experience for many because of how much noise they make. That would bother me a lot. I like my Atlas 1033s, but I bet they're just a tad on the heavy side. I've wondered about the MSR Lightening Axis.
The tough part is knowing if you'll enjoy snowshoeing. If you find you do, you won't be a bit sorry to have spent the extra cash. If not, you'll feel the fool. Life.
jerseydave
01-31-2011, 22:59
Sorry JD, I caught this too late or I woulda offered to take you last Friday in the Water Gap. I have an extra pair.....
It's cool, and I appreciate the thought.
Maybe we can hook up in the future....... we don't need no stinkin snow! ;)
jerseydave
01-31-2011, 23:04
The plastic models seem to be very, very loud. They work better than the frame & hypalon decking models, but they ruin the experience for many because of how much noise they make. That would bother me a lot. I like my Atlas 1033s, but I bet they're just a tad on the heavy side. I've wondered about the MSR Lightening Axis.
The tough part is knowing if you'll enjoy snowshoeing. If you find you do, you won't be a bit sorry to have spent the extra cash. If not, you'll feel the fool. Life.
I have a bad habit of buying "top of the line" or close to it, since I hate paying good money for BAD gear. I've felt like the fool many times because of it, but I'd rather have the right equipment without the complaints. Does get expensive though.
I still haven't bought any SShoes....... by the time I was ready to pull the trigger, Sierra TP sold out of their clearance shoes and I don't have the extra cash right now to drop $150 or more on a pair.
I should probably rent a pair and try em out before making the purchase.
We'll see. Thanks for the input.
Dave
Zeno Marx
01-31-2011, 23:51
but I'd rather have the right equipment without the complaints.Absolutely agreed. I don't feel nearly as bad for going overboard as I do for replacing poor gear and feeling like I threw away money on something that inhibited my potential enjoyment of an activity. I'm not a gear junkie, but maybe in this way, I am. I appreciate quality, design, etc. Even if I don't find I enjoy the activity, at least I'm left with objects in which I can find some other form of appreciation. And most of the time, reselling something of extraordinary quality is much less of a pain in the azz than selling rubbish.
Dave,
I'm just trying out snowshoes for the first time this year being we are buried in snow here. You can rent them at REI and also at EMS. I've rented 2 pair out of EMS so far, 25" Atlas and 30" Catamount. Liked the bindings on the Atlas much better than the Catamounts. Better traction also. I was clueless before but have a better understanding now of what it's all about and what I'm looking for. If you are close to an EMS or the REI's in East Hanover or Marlton pop in and rent a pair for the weekend. It was $25 with tax.
Saw those there.
Around $70 shipped after coupons and such.
30" up to 220
36" 220 +
Same price.
I'm thinking I'll be right arout 220 with gear....... what would you do?
Thanks for the input,
Dave
When you're in between size-wise, go with the smaller size for tight woods and mountainous terrain, upsize for gentler terrain. Larger shoes float you better but are heavier and more cumbersome (I know-I have Atlas 1036 [10"x36"]. In deep snow on steep terrain they still sink in enough that they often get stuck in the holes they create, and, being bigger, are tougher to get out - also, snow gets on top of the decking and makes them heavier - again, bigger shoes, heavy to begin with, become that much heavier than smaller shoes with the snow load included.
A good crampon is a must for icy terrain.
Zeno Marx
02-01-2011, 00:32
Atlas have great bindings. I've backcountried all day and never had to re-tighten my 1033s.
mweinstone
02-01-2011, 00:41
since the moment msr came out with snowshes, they have been at the cutting edge of the development of breakthru designs and materials. their line of snowshoes is unrivaled. nothing comes close and no other product in hikerdom has such a disparidy between the top and all the rest. .i estimate the energy saved and quality of the exsperience between the cheapest msr modle and the top competeters top model to be worth the choosing of msr in all cases regaurdless of use or budget.
peakbagger
02-01-2011, 09:04
You may want to check out viewsfromthtop.com and search for snowshoe threads. Many of the posters are hard core winter hikers and tend to do a lot of after the sale R&D work for manufacturers (I.E. if the shes have weak point, they will find them). MSR's have a good reputation as the best technology, but you will see many reports of how good their warantees are as they tend to break when used in the conditions we have in the east More rock and ice mixed in with the snow. Older Tubbs and Sherpas are availlable used and are good quality. I am biased, I have a pair of 20 year old Tubbs Katahdins and they are used every winter in the whites.
These are a good deal, and will fit any boot
http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=764314
TZ
peakbagger
02-01-2011, 17:30
I have to disagree about the us military surplus snowshoes. Great snowshoes but the bindings are junk. I bought a pair 10 years ago and gave up on the bingings after one day, the concept was okay but the locking hardware didnt lock very well. I switched to an Iverson binding and it made all the difference. I use them for powder on ubroken trails. They are difficult to use on packed trails as most of the modern shoes are skinnier making a track that is too narrow.
Mr. Clean
02-02-2011, 06:26
I would tell you to rent some different ones and see how you feel. I have Atlas 10x33 and Tubbs 10x30, and both are nice, though I lean towards Atlas. The MSR are great, too. Some are louder, all bindings are different.
As for size, it all depends on what the conditions are. If on packed down trails, smaller is fine, until you need to go "off trail". If breaking trail, you'll want larger ones. I wouldn't go smaller than 30", personally. In fresh snow, at 240 lbs, the 30" that I have are okay, but small-ish.
Make sure to get crampons on the 'shoes if going into the hills. And use ski poles when starting out; your balance can get thrown off pretty easy when 'shoeing.
Pringles
02-02-2011, 07:40
Instead of carrying a backpack while snowshoeing, go get a plastic kid's toboggan. They may even be closing them out now. Look around and you'll find directions for making a harness out of an old pack's hipbelt, and using small PVC pipe to keep the thing well behind you (it stinks to have the toboggan bump you as you walk, and really stinks when it beats you to the bottom of the hill). Then you walk without the extra weight and the stuff glides behind you. You can also put extra holes in the sides of the toboggan and rig those with bungies or cord, and make a cover that is easy to put on and take off. You'll have room for extra hot chocolate.
Pringles
Doughnut
02-02-2011, 12:31
Make them out of electrical conduit and nylon rope, (about $20)
Smooth & Wasabi
02-02-2011, 12:49
I bought barely used rentals from EMS. They are 36" Tubbs Altitudes. Great shoes. I paid less than half price. If cost is a major factor but you want good shoes I'd say rent a few times this season and be on the lookout for spring rental sell offs. Like has been said get good bindings simple to use and durable. It is not fun jury rigging repairs in the backcountry or constantly having to adjust your shoes. If you want to climb mountains traction is essential. If you want to backpack or break trail a little more size gives good float. Enjoy.
Instead of carrying a backpack while snowshoeing, go get a plastic kid's toboggan.
Works well on moderately rolling and/or gradual terrain (old road beds, wide trails,etc)..not so well on steeper and/or windy trails.
I'd hate to use a sled while snowshoeing in the Whites. :eek:
I've used a sled for some trips around here..but even though the elevation is higher (10-11k ft at the area I am thinking) the elevation gain is gradual and the trails are not as steep and switchbacked like, say, Mt. Lafayette.
So, a sled is a good option in the right conditions.
Zeno Marx
02-02-2011, 15:05
it's better if you add some mechanism to the sled and make a pulk. there are online videos of how to do this yourself.
Sarcasm the elf
02-06-2011, 01:47
Thinking about getting a pair.
I'm 185 lbs, and will likely be carrying 30 to 40 lbs in the winter.
If I were to get em, I'b be trying NOT to break the bank.
Never even held a pair.
??????
jerseydave, I had never held a pair either until this morning. Southern Connecticut has about 24 inches of ice-packed snow on the ground so I rented a pair of 30" MSR's from REI and gave it a go. I have to say that I think I'm hooked on this as a new hobby. I had to consciously think about my stride to keep the shoes from clipping against each other, but the motion was intuitive and it was a heck of a lot more fun than the post-holeing that I'm used to doing this time of year.
If you can find a rental place near you give it a try, it cost me just over $20 for the weekend and was definitely worth it, I'm going again tomorrow morning.
canoehead
02-06-2011, 09:08
The MSR is a great ss, it's best above tree line on hard packed bullet proof stuff. the Tubbs,Atlas shoes work best in the lighter fluffy stuff.
I have to disagree about the us military surplus snowshoes. Great snowshoes but the bindings are junk. I bought a pair 10 years ago and gave up on the bingings after one day, the concept was okay but the locking hardware didnt lock very well. I switched to an Iverson binding and it made all the difference. I use them for powder on ubroken trails. They are difficult to use on packed trails as most of the modern shoes are skinnier making a track that is too narrow.
If the bindings are installed correctly they work fine, You did not have them installed correctly.
Attached diagram for proper installation.
I have the MSR lightning ascents and the Atlas MTN 1225's, both are great shoes. I can't say if I really prefer one over the other. I will say the Atlas suspension and binding system is extremely comfortable and you almost forget you have snow shoes on :)
it's better if you add some mechanism to the sled and make a pulk. there are online videos of how to do this yourself.
I always use sled/gear sled/pulk (perhaps incorrectly) interchangeably for backcountry use.
Whatever you call it...I don't think sled would work too well on steep and windy mtn trails vs. gradual terrain. YMMV.
Dirty Nails
02-08-2011, 00:53
MSR Lightning is the cutting edge right now. Everyone I know that has them loves them. You would probably do well with 25". Larger will only be needed in deep powder which you typically won't see until you go further north than the Catskills...that is in an average winters. The bigger the snowshoe, the more cumbersome they are. It's as much about the surface conditions as weight. You will more likely encounter icey conditions in NJ and lower NY. The focus is more about traction than floatation here, usually. They do have extension tails available too. They also have Televators/heel lifts. Whatever you buy, you will regret not getting this feature.
The full plastic deck type are more noisey. I used them this past weekend and found them annoyingly loud in a crusty snow.
It is best to rent first. That will give you the chance to try a few different styles.
There are plenty of places to rent in the NY/NJ area. I am pretty sure you can rent at High Point Park, and EMS. Also, if you go to the AMC website, you can find scheduled hikes and workshops. They have snowshoe outings and welcome guests, I think.
If I were buying just one pair of snowshoes for general purpose, and especially if it were in the context of a trip of any length, I'd likely go for a pair of Northern Lites (http://www.northernlites.com/) snowshoes. I have no experience with them, just minor gear lust over the lightweight design.
I already have (my family has) multiple pairs of snowshoes, but I am buying a new pair of MSR "Evo"s, because I plan to do some snowshoeing with a local group that does a fair bit of up- and down-hill hiking, so the extra lateral stability of the MSRs will be, I think, worth it. I sort of like the more aggressive traction of the MSR Evo Ascent model, but can't stomach paying $210 for them (plus another $30 if I want to be able to extend them for more flotation). Where I live, the 22" standard size will likely be enough most of the time anyway.
One catch I found in buying snowshoes on sale --- I got a pair of Tubbs branded snowshoes via steepandcheap.com, and they're pretty darned heavy, heavier than my older Tubbs or Sherpa models we own.
...and when you finally get sick of snowshoes, you get some skis. :D