Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Winter Camping and Activities :: Snowshoes wood or other preferred?
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tg |
tg |
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Pinetree |
Bushpilot: " Youtube link making bindings from rubber inner tube. Well I use to have rubber bindings from 50 years ago also and the rubber came from the big iron mining trucks on the range(probably your source) I believe. That rubber had just enough stretch to get it on(almost two hand effort) and it really held your foot in place. Many of the new rubber bindings have too much stretch in back when walking. I love the bindings on the new metal types for you could do gymnastics in them they are so good. Like I said the new snowshoes foot placement is too far forward. Thus you sink too much,especially in front. Went out the other day and tried my 30 inch and my 36 inch metal Atlas shoes. Both of them I sank too much forward. Put my 80inch by 3.5 inch wide skiis on and only sank one inch. Foot placement on your floatation(sp) skis or snowshoes has to be just righ plus I believe and a minimum length and width. Do love the claws on the metal snowshoes also. |
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Jaywalker |
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ZaraSp00k |
snowshoe I also saw another but cannot remember the name, I believe they are made in this area |
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Pinetree |
Campcraft: " snowshoes I do like the rachet system they show,my biggest concern with wood recently is the harness setup is usually far inferior to a good quality metal-plastic top snowshoe. Rubber straps stretch while walking. Leather,I never could get snug enought. Its about time a equal harness for wood is available-I think. Yes wood has more flotation but usually less manueverable(sp). Wood looks is hard to beat. I do have the Atlas 1033 snowshoes-I had for 10 years-real reliable and can turn on a dime or climb anything, Yes they sink a little more and they are pretty quite. Not wood quite. |
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Campcraft |
I like these. Lightweight and quiet with great flotation. If I am camping with someone using the modern style I tend to fall back or forge ahead so I don't have to listen to all of that squeaking plastic and aluminum. |
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PINETREE |
quote tg: "quote PINETREE: "I have one pair of wood snowshoes in the Michigan style at 14 x 48 inch and two aluminum one is Atlas 10(might be 9) x 33 and a 10 x 36 inch. Thanks, but had them for 40 years and we had to many fun times together. |
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PINETREE |
quote walllee: "I am traditionalist, or maybe I'm just old but I prefer wood." tradition is good. What binding do you have on your shoes? |
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tonyyarusso |
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PINETREE |
I prefer the aluminum ones now because of the way superior binding.You can twist and jump and those snowshoes stay on. But I think my old web shoes have better floatation. Your opinion? |
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PINETREE |
quote jwartman59: "i love my vintage quebec made snowshoes. That's what I call the Michigan style. I am sure in Canada they have there own name-Quebec. |
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ArrowheadPaddler |
quote ZaraSp00k: "has anyone seen a DIY binding? You can make lampwick bindings. I have never actually tried this, but it looks like it would be easy to do: Lampwick Bindings |
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Knoozer |
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arctic |
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Bushpilot |
I have a pair of snowshoes that I made about 50 years ago and I made inner tube bindings. They may not be the best binding but they work good. If I am going to be taking the snowshoe on and off I grab the pair with the rubber binding. Easy on and off even with mittens. I have 5 pairs of snowshoes all are wood except one pair. I carry aluminum pair in my plane for emergency. I hate the sound of the metal ones when they hit each other. |
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bwcamjh |
I like the wood. All my wood snowshoes have Super A bindings. I have found they get the job done with various kinds of footwear. My newest modern snowshoes have a ratchet style binding, I find them easy to get in and out of. Which snowshoes I use on any given adventure depends on where I'm going, terrain, how long, how much carried in a pack, how much room in the vehicle, snow conditions, so forth. |
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Pinetree |
To get good floatation(sp) you need a combo of length and width for best results. That is why some of the old-wood snowshoes you float so much better. |
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jwartman59 |
i am sure that the new fangled models are far superior. no doubt. i just like the feel of wood, i like the tradition. i have to admit walking a mile in these suckers is super painful, and very slow. but that is what snowshoeing is about. if you want easy, skis beat the heck out of snowshoes hands down. |
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PINETREE |
quote tonyyarusso: " Modified "H" Bindings " If in neoprene,that should help in preventing stretch. Does the strap come of the back heel at all.Looks pretty secure otherwise. Gosh I love talking snowshoes and winter,I am getting goosebumps. |
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tonyyarusso |
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fitgers1 |
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tonyyarusso |
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tg |
quote PINETREE: "I have one pair of wood snowshoes in the Michigan style at 14 x 48 inch and two aluminum one is Atlas 10(might be 9) x 33 and a 10 x 36 inch. i only have aluminum/modern shoes but the larger surface area of most traditional shoes provides more floatation. if you are interested in parting with the michigans i might be interested in taking them off your hands. tg |
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ArrowheadPaddler |
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PINETREE |
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walllee |
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Pinetree |
I have both a 30 and 36 atlas snowshoes and both are the same for distance of center foot where it pivots underneath to front of snowehoe(like 9.5 inches) much to front heavy. You sink down in front with back of snowshoe really not help spread the weight. I have a 50 year old pair of Michigan style web 14 x 48 inch and center of foot pivot foot to front like 17 inches. Old style floats so much better. Tried both atlas pairs on a snowy meadow and sunk terrible. Put my E109 Fischer skiis on and floated on top( 80 x 3.6 inches) so been using my skiis even in the woods. |
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hamingredient |
I also own a fairly large pair of Ojibwa style snowshoes that I laced up myself from a Wilcox & Williams kit about 15 years ago. They turned out beautifully and they work exceptionally well in deep, powdery snow on wide open spaces. I have "Super A" bindings on those, which play nicely with Steger muks. Most recently, I purchased a pair of large Bearpaws from Lure of the North, which are laced with 400 lb. monofilament fishing line. I used them last weekend with lampwick bindings on Lake One and Lake Two, pulling a toboggan over fresh snow. They were great in the trees and scrub, gathering firewood. Is there a "best snowshoe"? Maybe, but I haven't found it yet. Different shoes for different trails, I think. And I've confirmed what the experts have told us; floatation is a function of size. The larger the snowshoe, the less you sink in with every step. There's no way around that! Shape is important, too. Last weekend as we were trudging across the flats, hauling loaded toboggans, I found myself wishing I'd brought my Ojibwas for their ability to ride up out of the snow with every step. And I wished my camping partner hadn't worn his MSRs -- they plunged deep and their narrow profile left a challenging track for my wider, traditional bearpaws to navigate as I followed. My buddy cursed his narrow shoes too, and they swore right back at him with squeaks and creaks and clickety-clacks -- yes, the traditional styles are blessedly quieter! Next BWCA trip, I'll bring two pairs of snowshoes; the Ojibwas for the trail, and the bearpaws for everything else! |
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walllee |
quote PINETREE: "Cabelas heavy duty bindings.quote walllee: "I am traditionalist, or maybe I'm just old but I prefer wood." |
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ZaraSp00k |
I have shoed with many with aluminum and see no reason to change I have a pear of Michigan-Huron-whatever you want to call them and a pair of Green Mtn although the bindings work well, if i take them off and try to put them on in the field they don't work so well, so would like to update the bindings if i ever see something I like |
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PINETREE |
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ZaraSp00k |
I checked the DIY forum, nothing there bindings are so expensive for what they are if I could think of a design I'm sure it could be built much cheaper than commercial anybody who has built your own shoes, what did you do for bindings? |
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Cedarboy |
CB |
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Pinetree |
floatation |