I am 5’4” 180 lb without gear, and my husband is 6’2” 220 lbs without gear. I was thinking of getting us the MSR Evo Trails with tails so they would support our weight (it only holds up to 180 without tails). Will this be good for me? Or is a 28 inch snowshoe (22 inch plus 6 inch tail) too long for someone who is 5’4”? Do the weight capacities only matter for flotation in deep powder or does it damage the shoe to be over weight? The other ones we looked at were Tubbs Flex TRK but people really recommend MSRs. Newer at this so appreciate any info!

During regular hiking, you can somewhat walk on your heels to help your knees, but with snowshoes on, you kinda have to have your toes pointing downwards. This puts stress in he knees. Any tips to prevent knee pain?

A lighter pack and trekking poles will help foe sure.

Im interested in trying to snowshoe for the first time out here over the weekend. Unfortunately, i do not have shoes of my own yet, and am looking to rent. Does anyone know of a good place just to rent for the day?

Thank you!

What do you bring on a day trip? Close to a base versus back country?

I’ve got first aid basics, repair kit, communication…

Essential items? Comfort items?

TIA for your ideas. Photo Dakota Ridge BC.

I conduct winter field work in northern Alberta where temperatures can reach -30 and below. Because of the nature of our work and the type of footwear that we need to wear, we've run into a couple of issues with the bindings on the snowshoes that we currently have and available locally.

We've found that the rubber strap style of bindings, like the ones you find on the MSR EVO Ascents, become way too stiff in the cold. We've also tried the BOA style bindings (admittedly, fairly cheap ones), and they've broke due to the plastics becoming too brittle in the extreme cold.

The other issue we have is that our required footwear is very bulky, especially around the toes, making basket style bindings unusable.

We don't have many options for brick and mortar stores that sell snowshoes either, and they have a pretty limited selection for trying on. We also can't overindulge in price, since we need to have multiple pairs for our staff, and due to the risk of them failing or breaking in the cold.

Does anyone here have experience and recommendations for extreme cold snowshoeing? Thanks!

Zippo 12 Hour Refillable Hand Warmer https://a.co/d/izhEkt8

I've been using the MSR Revo Ascent Snowshoes for three seasons. This year, I've been having a lot more difficulty installing or adjusting both the heel straps and pivot point straps. In particular, I've been having difficulty with the pivot point straps. They have become very stiff. Does anyone know why this would be? What are some solutions?

Hi All - I've read a few guides and blog posts on the best shoes to snowshoe in and wanted to get everyone's thoughts on a pair of on sale boots:

I was thinking of getting this pair of LL Bean Gore-Tex snowshoeing boots:
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/127722?itemId=519272&sku=1000160746&csp=a&qei=852351882&cid=00107003808&epi=0.

Would these be water proof enough with the goretex?

edit: the boots are snowshoeing specific they are goretex hiking boots but I'm primarily getting them to snowshoe in.

edit #2: The responses are making me think I should return these LL Bean boots and get a pair that are insulated in addition to being waterproof. I have no clue how important the insulation is, because I've only ever used snowboarding boots snowshoeing. So... maybe I return the LL Bean and get the Keen boots someone linked: https://www.rei.com/product/181071/keen-revel-iv-mid-polar-boots-mens?

Hey all -

I am looking into snowshoes for mountaineering and hiking. Live in the northeast and would be mainly white mountains for now. Eventually going west but not worrying ab that for now. The goal is for trekking up and eventually using them for bc skiing purposes.

I’ve heard MSR are the best, wondering if there were any other brands/models worth considering. I am trying to buy mostly from marketplace to save money but open to anything. There’s plenty of Tubbs snowshoes there of all different models. I am currently looking at a pair of MSR Denali EVOs which look pretty solid and have extensions.

Wondering if you have any thoughts?

Thanks for any help - I appreciate it. No clue what I am looking for so anything helps.

3 questions: #1 -- I got some long ol' Redfeathers with rounded tails at a garage sale years ago. Now I see their bindings got brittle and shattered from age. $70 to replace [the bindings] -- ouch! Any cheap replacements?

#2: I notice that Tubbs all have round tails but Redfeathers have either round or V-tails. With my long woodies I like a V-tail because it helps the shoes track straight. I tried googling round or V-tail comparisons but came up empty. Any consensus? Yeah, I'm lost in the weeds... I will buy 2 pairs so I have loaners for a friend...

#3: What about size? I have 14x48 woodies that I use for breaking trail that float really well. I love float so I'm inclined to get XL size in a modern. I weigh 180. But float isn't my main new mission! Lately I go to XC trail systems and notice snowshoe trails winding around through the tight forests and would like to do some shoeing as an end-of-day thing after skiing. For this mission they don't have to float so maybe they don't need to be so long or maybe long is a bother. But I still might want to break trail someday -- and having smth lighter than my woodies wd be nice. I'm in the 2nd-hand market.

This past weekend I bought another pair of used MSR Lightning Ascents - the urethane foot pad on my old pair is tearing off the rivets. My new old MSRs has what I think is called the PosiLock straps, versus the "Classic strap," - the lollypop-shaped strap, based on what it looks like. Are these two straps interchangeable? (Of course I could just start switching the straps and find out, but just because I can make something work, doesn't mean that I should...) (And yes - I realize that the short and long Posilock are slightly different in length from the short and long Classic...) Thanks!

Hi, I have an old pair (pre-Paragon binding) of MSR Lighting Ascents. My understanding is "Belt-buckle mechanism to the outside." Is that the case? (Since my straps are a bit long, and are thus overhanging my boot to the inside, I could easily argue "Buckles on the inside.")

I am an avid hiker in the lower Midwest. I am looking for a cheap pair of snowshoes so I can still hit some trails on the few days we actually get significant snow. I have lurked around here enough to know MSR is the recommended brand but it's not worth it to spend $200-300 on snowshoes I will use 3 times per year max.

I see Amazon lists a bunch that are $100ish or less. I know they are probably cheap junk compared to MSR and the other shoes you guys would normally recommend...but maybe there is a hidden gem on Amazon that is "good enough" for my needs?

The little bit of snow we normally get can usually be handled by microspikes no problemo. I would like something for when we actually do get 4-8" of snow and I can still grind out some miles without postholing lol. I would never be in real danger and can always posthole out if something would break.

I asked on r/wmnf and got some great suggestion read all the info I could find, but figured some additional advice might be helpful. I have been roped into an annual dad's overnight snowshoe trip in the White Mountains and last year did it with some awful really cheap Spyder snowshoes from Costco and barely made it back. I did not want that to happen to me again.

We are going 2nd week in February and so I figured I should get some advice on better alternatives. For reference I'm about 6'0 (long torso, short legs) and about 210 lbs (plus gear). Here are all the options people have suggested. The difference in price isn't make-or-break, but I don't want to something unnecessarily expensive for what will be a once a year trip (unless my kids pick different, non-winter sports)

Alptrek Pro 930 30" ($80 from Costco, already bought, could return)

MSR Evo Ascent 22" (~$200)

MSR Lightning Explore 25" ($110 for women's, $200 for men's)

MSR Lightning Ascent 25" ($389, was hoping to find these on marketplace for less but no luck)

TSL Symbioz Elite (maybe 59cm $75 from Marketplace if the seller responds, or maybe 23.5" $160 from Ebay or 27" for $186 from a local shop)

Tubbs Flex VRT 24" (about $200)

Atlas Helium Trail 26" ($115 from REI, recommended by another dad)

Looking to get a pair of well loved (used) snowshoes and I came across an auction with a pair of Tubbs Odyssey 32” snow shoes for sale.

I just can’t seem to find anything online about these snowshoes other than a Property Room auction from 2018 and a listing on Play It Again Sports for some used ones.

Would a 32” snowshoe be good for someone who’s 6’4” and weighs ~250lbs?

Anyone have any information about these? Some discontinued budget option?

Passing this along for anyone wanting to stay on top of the snow when they break trail ...

https://northerntoboggan.com/collections/clearance-collection?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&_kx=tfBbIQj4swB4AL-m8-Up2Puin34DiPS0wRq1REXwESu0Q-eyRBMJ8D4Uc0s0CLyD.TmqyeZ

These things are wicked fun. Sketchy on steep descents though

Hello everyone,

I have recently found a secondhand pair of MSR Denali Classic snowshoes which I am planning on making my dedicated pair. However, I am having trouble sourcing a set of the flotation tails. I have seen a previous post on this subreddit stating that, although similar in appearance, the tails for the MSR Evo will not fit.

I understand that these snowshoes are what the army issues in cold weather climates, however I have been unable to source a set of the flotation tails from the internet or from any of the army surplus stores near me (NYC).

Does anyone know of a flotation tail that will fit, or where one can reliably source pre-owned flotation tails for the Denali Classics?

Hello,

I was about to purchase the MSR Lightning Ascent but then saw a YouTube review where the user had his snowshoes deform like the attached picture. Anyone else have this experience? I'm between getting the revo ascent or the lightning ascent for the cascade mountains. I like the double crossbar of the lightning ascent but question it's durability for the price.

Over the holidays, I was gifted these traditional Browning bear paw snowshoes. They belonged to my now passed FIL, whom I cared for deeply, so these are very special to me.

Our family feels like the best way to honour him is to make use of these because that is what he would have loved to see. I want to find a balance between using them and preserving them with good care and maintenance.

They’ve been in storage for a long time and look like they’re in pristine condition, other than the leather being somewhat dry.

I’ve been reading how best to care for them and what I’ve gathered is yearly, or as needed, apply several coats of marine spar varnish. Though these don’t seem to have any exposed areas, I’ll still apply a couple of coats before using them this winter. Do I have this right? Anything else I should do to get them in shape for use?

I’d also like to condition the leather. Can I use a traditional mink oil for this or is there anything else I should be using?

In terms of storage, seems like hanging them in a cool, dry place with good air circulation is what’s called for. Is that right?

Any additional advice on how to care and preserve this precious gift would be greatly appreciated.

How much does it matter if there is a "basket" for you boot to slide in to before strapping in VS not having a basket.

I look at something like these as a first pair and wonder about the binding. I acknowledge that this is a very entry level snowshoe.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09Q5G4YW1/?coliid=I2V6G7SXS08YHR&colid=3EHVTV6AO2BB8&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1&psc=1