New snow shoes?

[tboehm]

Need some help and looking for recommendations. All kinds of brands, makes, style, Models and sizes. Can you help me figure out what I need and what to spend. I’m that guy that wants to buy once. Weigh 165 lbs and wife is about 130. Looking for plain hiking for the wife but mine are for hunting. Any thoughts advice would be greatly appreciated Also where to buy your recommendation

 

[AGL4now]

The reason I own and use six different pair of snowshoes, is because I am to cheap to own sixteen pair of different size and shape and binding style snowshoes, that I really could use. Nearly all (But not ALL) snowshoes available in the current market, are intended for "Kicks & Giggles" recreation.

You want pointed snowshoes for going through willows and any vegetation, even grass. Bindings and the style of bindings is more then 50% of snowshoes application. A lesson quickly learned after the first "Face'Plant" in several feet of snow with a backpack and ski poles, arms and legs all twisted in a confusing mess, while trying to remove the binding. (We will not even look into the joy of slowly falling through the ice and into painful water, and attempting to remove the bindings under water).

Snowshoes for "Fun" are a blast. All snowshoes for "Work" SUCK.

For more then a "Kicks & Giggles" hike, the boots are equally important, as most boots do not have a substantial "lip" on the heel to retain the binding.

 

[cdubbin]

Love my Tubbs...

 

[SmokeRoss]

Sherpa Big Foot for the serious stuff. Or Bear Paw. Whatever they call them. Just had to relace a pair I have owned for about 40 years. Lots of good stuff out there, but dang, some of them can be confusing as hell to get on your boots correctly.

 

[Daveinthebush]

I have a pair of 4' wood and rawhide Alaskans. For some applications they are great, good flotation. My favorite pair for carrying on the snow machine is a 36" pair of Cabela's'. Put your foot in and push a button and they tighten right up. Try as I can, I can not find them on the Cabela's or Bass Pro pages any more. Only snowshoe "hit" I get is for a rabbit call. Their stores have suffered greatly since the take over.

 

[4merguide]

Sherpa Big Foot for the serious stuff. Or Bear Paw. Whatever they call them. Just had to relace a pair I have owned for about 40 years. Lots of good stuff out there, but dang, some of them can be confusing as hell to get on your boots correctly.

I believe that's what I have, the Sherpa Bear Paws. I've had them for probably 30 years or so. From what I heard a lot of the guides used to use them, In fact I did some trading with a guide/friend of mine for them as he was upgrading to another pair of Sherpas. Always worked for me, but really haven't used them all that much.

 

[AGL4now]

"BOB MAKI" Binding is my go'to for wooden frame snowshoes. But carry a spare "SET". They are the safest for getting off when your in trouble. With a ski pole you just hold the tail down and lift your heel out. If underwater, use your thumb. Glad I bought a half dozen spares back when they were $12.95 a set. Now $62.00 set.

Nylon web bindings with plastic buckle's are "OK" for going to the mailbox, or groomed trail hiking. Their massive short coming if used for hours, it they can get up to an inch of ice welded over everything. Fatal if you need quick extraction from the snowshoe. In a serious panic, I have needed to cut the snowshoes off.