Anyone use snow shoes??

[hawk22]

I've been thinking about getting a pair of snow shoes and wondered if anyone has any experience with them?  Pictures would be good too. thanks guys!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I'm curious too, Is it hard to walk through brush with those things?

[ron w]

Alot depends on the area your in,if on trails long narrow snowshoe are the ticket for smooth and effortless movement. In the thick stuff shorter wider shoes get the job done. I have several styles that I have used over the years and seem to like the Green Mountain style the best. The new high tech one that are Alum-and synthetic have there place but I lke the old look better. Bindings are also a matter of personal taste.

[4est trekker]

I'll post some pics later, but snowshoes are perhaps the coolest thing I have in my "hunting arsenal."  I love going out in the snow, riding on top of it, cruising through and over brush, walking across frozen streams, etc.  I can spend a whole day out on snowshoes and never take a shot and still be grinning from ear to ear when I get home.

They are super easy to walk in providing you've got a good pair of snowshoes and bindings (which I think are more important than the shoes themselves).  I can cover ground very quickly in them...I can even run in them and gliss (slide) down steep grades.  They are a BLAST!

[ripforce56]

Tubbs, Red Feather, and Iverson are all great brands of Snowshoes. Iverson and Red Feather are USA made! Iverson makes the Traditional wood frame shoes! Tubbs and Red feather are built on Aluminum frames! Mens sizing is either 30in or 36in!Although I am over 200lbs I prefer 30in length because of the manueverablility! 36in will give the the most float in deep snow! I have a pair of Tubbs Wilderness great snowshoe!

[smoke1953]

I use them all the time. Faber white ash snowshoes are high quality and and very good price.  Vermont Barre Army Navy Store is a dealer.  Just got a pair of 5 footers for $135. The heavy duty bindings add another $54 but still a great price.

[DIAMONDBACK]

Smoke,look 4 the Bob Makee bindings,they r like a x-country skibinding they work great for those type of snoshoes.I like my alaskan outfitter snoshoes,tubbs make a great shoe 2.

[riivioristo]

I love to walk with snowshoes looking for Hares - couple findings from my use: The wider and longer - the more float (obvious    ) if your conditions are such, that there is lots of powdery snow, I would go to bigger framed snowshoes. The more rugged the terrain, where you use your snowshoes, in my opinion you should look closely the bindings of the snowshoe. Old school versions dont usually give lots of sideway support, so thats a thing to consider. And look also to the bottom of the snowshoe - if there is not any "claws" to bite to the snow/ice you will glide surely to downhill - even if you plan to walk uphill...some modern snowshoes do make some noise, when you walk with them - if you plan to use them to get close to animals take most silent pair (usually the traditional models in my expireience) I have used Tubbs (very good) but my no. 1 pair is US army surplus snowshoes - silent, cheap, sturdy...not so very good in rugged terrain, but I move slowly anyway.
Just try them - its very good exersise too!

[ChuckC]

Don't scrimp.  Make certain they are large enough to support your weight.
ChuckC

[smoke1953]

Diamondback, I've use the Makee's that are the rubber slip ons in the past and have had some problems pulling them on. One set I had, had thicker rubber than the other and were almost impossible to pull on in the cold.  That's why I went back to the heavy duty leather.

[jhg]

I used bear paws, green mtn's and the narrow cross country types. I used to snowshoe a lot in Maine and the bear paw and green mtn designs wil carry you through anything you care to try to navigate in the woods.

A couple of pointers though.

I prefer the old style boot harness- if it hinges correctly the shoe just floats off the ball of your foot in effortless walking motion, dragging the tail in the snow. I do not like the bindings that lift up the back of the shoe. I think the design criteria for those was  athletes who wanted to run with snowshoes on. Not real applicable to hunting or exploring the woods.
It is important to stay aware of what you are walking over. The most dangerous thing  (besides crossing streams) is crossing a blowdown or tree top that is covered over in snow. sometimes these are very hard to detect if the snow is deep enough.

 A branch can impale itelf into the shoe webbing and its not always an easy thing to get out of and sometimes can be dangerous.

A binding that allows the foot to twist seperate from the shoe is a big plus here in protecting against broken lower legs/ankles. Another nod to old style bindings that are set up correctly.

 I read of a woman in New Hampshire that took a broken branch in her torso and was lucky to live to tell about it, so just keep a heads up. Being aware will head off almost all mishaps like that.

Regarding bodies of water that are frozen and snow covered- always carry a six foot staff that you can lay across the hole if you start to go through. The important thing is not to let your waist go below the ice. If you go in so far that your shoulders are in you are very unlikly to get out without a rescue team.
Its a skill to "read" snow coverd ice. Learn it over time. Clear ice is easier to read but it still takes some knowlege to really know its secrets.


Joshua,
who grew up on a river, snowshoed many a stream and who thinks a full moon snow-walk is one of lifes most wonderous experiences to ever behold.

[Daz]

Some good points so far.Snowshoes really are a great way to access some great places in the winter.
Remember that if you carry gear (backpack) to add that weight into the sizing of your snowshoes. For hills over a 4 degree slope, a shoe with a heel catch and extra under-claws is nice (catch keeps foot from sliding back, more support for uphill).

Atlas makes some nice gear, and MSR also has a couple of lines of more utility type shoes.

There is a great romance to birch and leather beavertails (and i still use mine from time to time), but in thick bush or hilly terrain the newer style of bearpaw is better.

Trekking on a clear cold night under a full moon listening to the coyotes howl makes it TOTALLY worth the price of admission.

[mjh]

Have three pair of snowshoes,  9X 36 greenmountain bearpaw by Iverson, with A bindings,  large Ojibway style make from kit from snowshoe dot com with A bindings, and a 8 X 25 mondern alumium tube with decking don't remember the brand.  Have used H bindings, and lampwick bindings, Perfer A bindings on traditioinal shoes.  If your into doing your own or crafts look into the kits there not too hard to do.  My Iversons GreenMtn Bearpaw get the most use, but not that I have A bindings on my Ojibway that may change.  Don't use the small moderen ones much, best for packed trails, packed snow trails are different than regular ground or paved trails,

[Old York]

Snowshoes? Most fun you can have in winter
with your pants still on.

I love my old Iverson Alaskans with
neoprene bindings & webbing, snow
& ice is easily knocked off and the
ash frames are more traditional      

Watch out where the huskies go....

[Highlandwarrior]

If you have rubber bindings and are finding them hard to get on just make the opening bigger with a razor blade. Just have to make sure that the cuts are smooth and the corners round so that it doesnt tear

[the elf]

Can someone show us some different models of bindings--and explain --good-- better--best--in their uses.

[NDTerminator]

Yep, been using the same pair of Michigans since I was 16 (52 now). These are traditional ash frame/rawhide webs.  Go through a set of bindings every few years, but the rawhide has held up just fine.  All I do is re-varnish them every Fall, and they're good to go...

[homerdave]

i have a pair of iverson alaskans with the "cabela's heavy-duty binding", which is similar to the maki binding.
for the wet snow we have i like the neoprene webbing over rawhide, less up keep and wont stretch when wet.
i also have a pair of cabela's  top-of-the-line "guide model" shoes which are better for icy conditions and sidehilling.

[freeman]

I just got my hands on a pair of Redfeathers this week. Haven't even had a chance to try them out yet. Sierra Trading Post has some really good deals going on right now. Saved about $110 on the ones I bought.

[smoke1953]

These are the "Work Style Faber Snowshoe binding"