UKC

Looking more at getting a pair for general east coast hiking..

Anyone used the Tubbs Wilderness ones?
http://www.orssnowshoesdirect.com/tubbs_wilderness_snowshoes.htm

Don't want to spend too much but want a pair suitable for general east coast hiking, not super steep, but enough to want some sort of crampon in.. White Mountains.. Catskills.. Adinrondack type terrain.

Any other recommendations?

Price wise less than $200, ideally less than $150.

In reply to IainRUK:

Hi Ian,
I have the Wilderness 30's. Used them in the UK, Canada, all over Europe and they are excellent.
Had a pair of MSR Denali's before that with the tail flotation which I didn't get on with at all and I also had a pair of Atlas snowshoes which were also good but not a patch on the Wilderness ones.
I'd highly recommend them
Hope this helps, Den

In reply to Denni:
Great thanks..

I was wondering weight, I was guessing the 30's. At my lightest I'm around 170 lb's but normally sit 175-180.. so with pack weight the 30's should suit most conditions I thought.

The 25 are 120-200lbs the 30 are 170-250lbs..

So the 25 would only leave me with 20 lbs which in winter isn't much once you take into account clothing, and the snowshoes themselves, then a pack....

In reply to IainRUK:

I think snowshoes are very conditions dependent. I've got MSR Lightening ascents - super tough and the vertical frame helps on icy ground or when climbing over fallen trees and the like. I would take the weight guidance with a shovelfull of salt because they behave so differently depending on the snow. My first usage of huge snowshoes in Lapland was very disappointing as you still went thigh deep in the powder. But my MSR ones are quite small, but can make all the difference in denser or crusted snow: vimeo.com/37548869 !

I've tried tube framed ones and felt them skate on steeper ground. I think the Lightenings are very good if you can get a good deal on them.

In reply to IainRUK:

I used a pair for a day in Finland & thought they were fine but that's 1 of the only 2 times I've used snowshoes so I don't have much to compare them with (the other time was some horrible plastic things from TSL). Spent most of the time wishing I had skis instead of snowshoes.

In reply to IainRUK:

Another vote for the MSR Lightning Ascent. I use them out here in Japan, and have found them to be excellent. As Toby said, they give a lot of security on steeper ground with the pie-cutter frames, which opens up a lot of terrain. The only single drawback I've found so far is that if you're trying to descend quickly in them (i.e. running) the frame at the back of the snowshoe can dig itself in a little bit because it's hanging down from the back of your foot, which can be a pain in the arse at times... Swings and roundabouts though... When I was out with a friend who was using a tubular model, I was a lot more confident and stable than him on the uphills (= faster), and there were slopes I found no problem whereas he didn't feel good on them, but then on the descent he was ahead of me because the tubular frames slide down the snow more easily. For me that's a reasonable trade-off.

In reply to IainRUK:

I have MSR's and I think the general consensus is that these are the best make. That said, I have no experience with the Tubbs so can't rule them out.

As others have said, they are all very conditions dependent.

In reply to Removed User:

Thanks.. the problem is cost. I've looked at the MSR's and they are almost double the cost.. at the moment as a novice snow shoer I'm not sure I can justify much more for a few weekends a year.. in fact I still may hire tbh.

In reply to TonyG:

Thanks.. I'm not looking for running at the moment. I do fancy snow shoe races but this is for coping with deep powder on hikes....

In reply to IainRUK:

I got a pair of Xpedition a few months ago, which look fairly similar, only for rougher terrains (they have toe crampons that do the job). Happy with them, generally good stuff, used mainly in the Pyrenees, a bit in the Peak. I think these would be comparable with MSR Lightnings, the Wilderness ones would be for more gentle terrain.

But definitely go for 30's (at least). I am 65 kg and have carried 20 kgs of equipment (a daughter and stuff if you need to know) - so around 190 lbs in total. 30's felt already a bit small in fresh snow. Alone with my normal equipment (170 lbs) they were absolutely fine on whatever I have tried them.

In reply to IainRUK:

I have a pair of TSL shoes which seem to work pretty well. The "escape 325" I think.

There are loads of models which are v similar except for bindings, and optional extras like crampon rails, studs etc. that push the price up or down.

The model I have has studs, which seems fine as I want proper crampons when it is too steep and icy for them to work anyway.

This looks pretty similar: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/tsl-325-excursion-grey-id_8319637.html

In reply to IainRUK:

Yes, cost is a factor. I was lucky and got mine in an end of season sale.

TBH, hiring might be the best way to go although up here we are lucky 'cos one of the hotels in the national park lets you take out a pair for free (and no, you don't need to be a guest).

In reply to davidbeynon:

still pretty pricey, the wilderness ones are about £80.

For around here its pretty much rolling terrain and so is a lot of the NE..

In reply to IainRUK:

Whatever you go for I reckon it's worth having riser plates and the option to put on studs even for rolling terrain.

Also, check the bindings with your boots and make sure you are happy with them. There seem to be loads of types out there even within one brand, and some are a lot better than others.

In reply to davidbeynon:

Yeah that's also my issue.. I rarely wear walking boots so didn't bring any over, so was hoping to just use my fell shoes.. they are all I use for hiking.

In reply to IainRUK:

I went for the wilderness.. we'll see, seem suitable for what I'm looking for..

In reply to Banned User 77:

https://www.strava.com/activities/251308789#_=_

I used them today.. Hiked up Cascade mountain just as the sunset in the Adirondacks..

One of those great to be alive nights..

http://instagram.com/iain_ridgway/

Snowshoes seemed fine.. not great on rocky scrambles but the crampons bit well.. I need to learn to walk down steep stuff backwards.. not try to out run the slide... ended badly a few times...

best/worst moment was some guy crashing through the trees ahead of me, no head torch.. I ended up thinking it was a ghost until I found the moose footprints.. a mixture of fear and desperation to see the guy..

See tomorrow, possibly Mt Marcy.. but tonight above the treeline was fierce.