Snowshoe Recommendations

[Huntingpreacher]

Hi. I'm looking into trying some snowshoes. I camp and hunt at and above treeline and have had a couple of rough years trying to get around in the snow. Any recommendations on a lightweight pair? Weight capacity will be 200-220 lbs.

 

[Trial153]

Tubbs

 

[nephewjephew]

Can't recommend snowshoes, but check out Altai Hok skis. Also there is a recent thread on split boars that has some cool alternatives to snowshoes.

 

[jd1006]

Crescent Moon Backcountry 10’s - the bindings are so nice! That’s what I’ve found makes or breaks a snowshoe—good, sturdy, and easy to use bindings.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Skip the junk, go for the best.

IRL Supplies Product Snowshoes Arctic Trekker 1037 Laced (No Bindings)

Product Snowshoes Arctic Trekker 1037 Laced (No Bindings)

www.irlsupplies.com

 

[Cameron.25]

Northern lites are what i decided when looking for the same thing. I think the ones i have were the lightest i could find that are rated for over 250lbs

 

[Cameron.25]

Skip the junk, go for the best.

IRL Supplies Product Snowshoes Arctic Trekker 1037 Laced (No Bindings)

Product Snowshoes Arctic Trekker 1037 Laced (No Bindings)

www.irlsupplies.com

Do you know what these weigh? These are new to me

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Do you know what these weigh? These are new to me

Nah I don’t know.

 

[sargent]

Tubbs Flex ALP snowshoes have been pretty nice for me.

 

[Cameron.25]

Nah I don’t know.

Ok thanks. They look heavy compared to the northern lites but i really like how they look

 

[kad11]

Probably not Yukon Charlie - this is the heel strap on one of their higher-end backcountry models. Might work out but doesn't inspire confidence...

 

[AKSandman]

Depends on what you want to use then for. If you are on flat terrain, then lots of options are decent. I know a lot of folks that use the Yukon Charlie’s and they love them. Keep in mind that the tubbs snowshoes have a plastic deck as opposed to a hypalon rubber fabric decking so they are prone to shattering in colder temps. I purchased the atlas brand because they had the best harness system for my needs. They also have a climbing heal that you can pop up for hills and the traction is great for hard pack snow. Been using them for over a decade and they are still going strong. Get the 35” ones

 

[Justin Crossley]

Hi. I'm looking into trying some snowshoes. I camp and hunt at and above treeline and have had a couple of rough years trying to get around in the snow. Any recommendations on a lightweight pair? Weight capacity will be 200-220 lbs.

I'm pretty new to snowshoeing but I chose the 25" MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoes for myself, my wife, and our two teenagers. They were highly recommended everywhere I looked and we are very happy with them.

They really impressed me for hiking up and down steep terrain.

 

[Tim in Wa.]

Go on craigslist and look for Sherpas

 

[Dioni A]

The only snowshoes that actually work for off trail non flat ground are MSR lightning ascents or a couple of the other brands that copied them. MSR definitely stands above the rest.

 

[BBob]

I too have MSR Lightning Ascent's. I bought them because they had the best reviews for climbing and off trail terrain. The only other experience I've had with snowshoes was trekking around in Quebec on the cheaper version MSR makes. They did well but that was mostly flat to slightly rolling terrain.

 

[Ross]

Another vote for Msrs pretty much indestructible and built for aggressive conditions…you will likely need some tails for added floatation…I despise snowshoes but love them at the same time….

 

[sneaky]

Did a couple of miles on my MSR Lightning Ascents this afternoon. Trouble free as usual, beats the hell out of post holing. I have whatever the longest ones they make are, I can't even remember now lol

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[slatty]

I have the MSR plastic ones, the evo ascent. I've had them for 10 years and they've been awesome. They will not keep you afloat while wearing a pack pushing through 3 ft of snow. It's hard to find something that will, except for massive traditional snowshoes. They are excellent all around and great for challenging and steep terrain. The heel lifts are nice. I also like that you can field repair the binding straps and buckles (you can get a kit or fashion your own).
About 8 years ago I was chopping down a Xmas tree and missed the tree and struck my snowshoe. My sharp axe cleaved into my MSR snowshoe and left a 1.5" cut (luckily not in my foot). They were still functional but MSR warranty sold me a single snowshoe deck, which was admirable, given my stupidity.
Happy with them all around.

 

[BronkoRob]

Any of the MSR ascent series are pretty good. The Evo, Revo, and lightning I think covers it. The ascent version all have the heel lift for steeper climbs. Also have the ability to add tails for added weight and take them off when not needed.

I started with the tubular style and they are great for flat land. The big issue was anything off camber, there was very little in the way of side to side traction and I was fighting sliding when the hill/trail got a little off camber. The tubular one did fine for floatation, but not much for traction besides the crampon under your toes and maybe a small brake under the heel. Also most of the cheaper ones dont have the heel lift. The steeper and longer the hill, the more you will appreciate that little bit of lift.

All the MSR snowshoes that have an ascent version have tons of traction built into them. Just flip over a tubular snowshoe and compare it to MSR's lineup. huge difference.