Snowshoe advice.

[jonny_redhorse]

Steve,Your shoes look in pretty good shape after 10 years!....spar varnish does the trick for sure!...my old pair lasted me for 25 years and many varnishings but I watched so I didn't use them in slushy spring melt snows.....deteriorates em fast! Even then I finally broke down and got a new pair........Birdsong also has a good point......I should have stated that shape size meaning the importance of upward angle of the tips of the shoes ,some are shallow upturned some are radical upturned,...the more upturned tips won't get caught on brush as easily(for me anyways) not that "terribly" important....more important one will find the wider the shoes(like bearpaws),the more uncomfortable to walk (bull legged like an old horse rider )...one of the reasons I opted for the narrower Alaskans(your feet are closer together).....I used bear paws many moons ago and I was one sore, achy dude after a day in the woods! ....takes time to get used to snowshoeing long distances...you'll find muscles you never knew you had!

[MN Shutterbug]

The bindings on all the shoes I've been looking at are leather. See any problem with that? Also, according to a chart I just found, there isn't a snowshoe made, that will hold up a person of 200# on powder. So, I'm not going to be concerned about powder. I may go with either the 12 X 42, which is good for 200# on packed snow, or the 14 X 48, just because. Pricewise, they are both $66 with shipping. I would go with the 14 X 48 as long as I know I won't be walking like Roy Rogers.

[jonny_redhorse]

Lol!........looks like your finally getting a new pair of snowshoes!.....and at a pretty goodprice!.....watch out birds!

[MN Shutterbug]

Now I found a pair of 12 1/2" X 49". Anyway, that's what the guy measured. My guess is 12" X 48", which sounds like a good size for me. However, I'm still wondering about leather bindings. These shoes are made by the Tubbs Co. out of Norway, Maine.

[Steve Foss]

Just buy the shoes, Mike. You can worry about whether the bindings are right later. Get them, try them on, see how you like them. I've used four different styles of bindings including the leather strap/buckle types, and they all worked fine.

[MN Shutterbug]

Just buy the shoes, Mike.

I know, I research things to death. It's a personal problem, one of many.

[delcecchi]

On the other hand those long long narrow snowshoes can be sort of a pain to turn if you are weaving through the trees and brush.

[sparcebag]

Now I found a pair of 12 1/2" X 49". Anyway, that's what the guy measured. My guess is 12" X 48", which sounds like a good size for me. However, I'm still wondering about leather bindings. These shoes are made by the Tubbs Co. out of Norway, Maine.

Cant you get them without bindings? Get nylon or whatever the material is or some like stf,the leather stretch when damp and rot easily.

[sparcebag]

Oh by the way you usin them around Marshall? is there much area other than fields??In woods shorter the better in the open long narrow for covering ground.

[MN Shutterbug]

Well, I am hoping to get up to the Sax Zim Bog again this winter and also Ely. Also, we do have a state park just 10 miles from town. It will be for mixed purposes. This is why I'm going to go with the style Steve suggested. They're more multi purpose. They might even be handy for pheasant hunting, if we have a lot of snow before the season ends.

[Steve Foss]

And if you have a choice of sizes, get the largest ones. My 14-inch wide ones are not at all hard to walk in (any snowshoes take SOME getting used to), and you will bless the added flotation. When you need it, you REALLY need it.

My further suggestion is just to take the bindings that come with the shoes (my assumption is that it's a used set w/bindings) and try them out. You may like them just fine, and at least you'll have one set of bindings already mounted and ready to use.

OK, one more suggestion. Don't have the camera around your neck the first time you try them out.

[yakfisher]

This has been a great discussion to follow. It also caused me to discover something. As I was reading Outside magazine they had an add for the winter buyer's guide and on the front cover was a snow shoe.

Normally I wouldn't have paid much attention to it, but this snowshoe appeared to have an wood frame and a nylon deck. The brand is Faber and after looking on their HSOforum it appears that they have several different hybrid models. I don't know if this helps or adds more research, but maybe it can help Steve with the flotation problems and not having to worry about the aluminum sound. Not to mention reducing the maintenance time that is required for a traditional pair.

[Steve Foss]

That's a good possibility, yakfisher. I'll check them out.

I did find a brand called Northern Lites with the aluminum/nylon decking. They make a model called the Tundra that's rated for 250 lbs and up and is designed for heavier folks or heavy gear packing.

We'll see if Santa thinks I've been a good boy.

[MN Shutterbug]

It was Faber's site that I found the sizing chart for wooden shoes. It sounds like the shoes I might get have old and stiff leather bindings, from sitting around as a decoration for so many years. I'm sure they'll need replacing. Steve, where do you get your bindings from?

[Steve Foss]

I think I got mine at Northwest Outlet in Superior, Wis. Hard to remember.

I did take a close look at them and they are made in Canada and have "G&V" on them.

After 8 years, they are just starting to split out slightly where the lacings go through the holes, so I expect this will be the last year for these bindings, and I'll be keeping another set of bindings in my pack so if these go when I'm out in the field I'll be able to get back.

[MN Shutterbug]

If they are just stiff, is there a way to revitalize them and make them more pliable?

[Steve Foss]

You bet. No different than saddle/tack around the horse ranch, get some mink oil or saddle soap and work it into all the leather, rubbing hard with the rag and using multiple applications. If there are deep cracks in the leather, they may be beyond saving, but you probably won't be able to tell that until you get them.

BTW, I may not go with the latex bindings this time around. I'm having a hard time finding them, and Cabela's makes a great looking set of bindings for $35. They are the bindings Jonny pictured earlier in the thread.

[MN Shutterbug]

Good advice. I just saw those on Cabela's Site, too. They get pretty good reviews, except from the guy wearing mukluks. I did see the brand of yours, in leather, on HSOList. I'll wait unti I get my shoes, and then see what needs to be done. We do have a leather shop in town, so he should carry the products you mention. Thanks for all your help.

The auction just ended and I got the 12 1/2" X 49" shoes for $50 plus $17.95 shipping. Other than the stiff bindings, they are supposed to be in fantastic shape with no cracks, breaks or missing pieces. OK snow, I'll be ready for you.

[Steve Foss]

Good job, Mike. Imagine, now you're going to be praying for snow.

Also, mukluks are all I wear when I snowshoe, and one of the great things about the flat stretch latex bindings is how well they work with the mukluks. The Cabela's bindings looked right away like they might cause problems with anything but a hard boot, and that review confirmed it.

I'm going to keep hunting for a new pair of the latex bindings, and only go with a different binding if I can't find them.

[Steve Foss]

I just did some more searching, and it looks like the Bob Maki snowshoe/xc ski binding offers the best of both worlds for me. If your leather bindings are shot, Mike, you might take a look at the Maki bindings.

[MN Shutterbug]

Found the site and saved it. Also, I don't think I'll ever pray for snow.