Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Snowshoes?

Who do you think makes the best, modern shoes these days? Tubbs, Atlas, Crescent Moon, or others?

MSR .... Denali

The best snowshoes going .... they work!

I use Crescent Moon snowshoes and have really enjoyed them. The bindings have received some top awards, I think, from Backerpacker.com, FWIW. They are very easy to get on and off, even with mittens.

Lots of choices out there, but these are what I prefer.

Charlie

I'm not a snowshoe expert. I use an older (@15 years old) pair of Tubbs Peak snowshoes. I'd think that the thing to look for is the bindings as I suspect the construction of good aluminum frame snowshoes is pretty similar and the difference is going to be the ease of use in the bindings. Mine are likely to last me forever so I doubt I'll get to try any improvements. I can say that the Tubbs are built well and made to last.

I've been using this the past year and a half. Good price and function extremely well.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___38013

Here is a couple pics of me using them on a spring bear grizz hunt this past May.

What kind of snow conditions do you expect? How far are you going to travel? How heavy are you and your equipment?
IMHO these are questions you need to answer befor you get some shoes...or maybe you`ve already answered them?
I look for high floatation in powder, tracking of the shoe etc. and grip and track on hardpack. I also look for a shoe with a high nose in brush, with a very flexable binding so I don`t get snaged.
Personally do not like the design of modern shoes, but that is just me. YMMV.

Haven't looked at shoes in some time - my Atlas have worked well and been durable. We got the kids each a set of "Yukon Joe" or something brand of low-end shoes and they needed repair after the 2nd or 3rd outing, so stay away from that market. You've listed name brands, so stick with them.

Check the decking material and means of fastening to the Al frame. Check the bindings for ease of fastening even with mittens as mentioned above, and if they look sturdy.

make sure the shoes are sized for the total weight (you and pack) you'll put on them to achieve sufficient flotation. It sucks to posthole in powder.

I have tried tubbs, the "yukon" somethings that ironbender mentioned, the older plastic deck msr's, and atlas 10 and 12 series. The only ones that I would ever bother to use off trail would be the atlas 12's (10's were nearly as stable). My favorite feature on them is the binding system; very good side to side stability and a decent crampon make a big difference. The newer MSR offerings look pretty good too, but have not tried them...

I've got the Cabelas Alaskan Guide (10x36) and my wife has Atlas Electras. She's happy with her shoes, but I'd rather have some Atlas or Crescent Moons if starting over again. The Alaskan Guides are hell for stout, but noisy, heavy, and don't have any lateral flex in the binding like the Atlas do, so my ankles fatigue faster on side hills. The bindings and traction are good though.

I have a pair of the MSR Lightning Ascent-I think that is what they are called?
I like them, although I have only used them about 10 times this last winter.

Go to Ebay. Look up "military snowshoes". Buy some. $50 delivered, with bindings. Throw away bindings. Get some good bindings. Install them. You're done.

Thanks for all of the feedback folks! A little clarification though. I'm not new to snowshoeing. As a matter of fact, I just sold my latest pair, which were Crescent Moon's. I loved them, but I've gained some weight over the past few years and now need a little bigger shoe. I've heard good things about Tubbs and Atlas, but I've never tried them first-hand. Right now, I'm considering the Tubbs Mountaineer 36, Atlas 1235, or the Crescent Moon Gold 17. I wouldn't mind trying the Tubbs or Atlas the next time around, since I already know what Crescent Moon's are like.

SnowyMountaineer, would you please compare and contrast your experience with Tubbs and Atlas shoes a little more? Basically, what I'd like to know more about is which manufacturer people think makes the best binding system today. The rest of the shoe, from any given manufacturer, will be fairly similar from one make to another. Coming from those with first-hand experience, who do you think has the best binding? Tubbs, Atlas, or Crescent Moon? I'm not interested in the MSR shoes. I used to work in a gear shop that rented those things. Need I say more?

These guys make a very good product, at least I really like them. I use the hybrid model. They are real good in wet slushy stuff and support a pretty good sized load in the powder.

http://www.fabersnowshoes.com/

http://www.fabersnowshoes.com/pls/p..._cie=000019950000&P_type_acce=PUBLIC

ozark

Those Faber shoes look nice. One thing I noticed right away though is that their 10 x 36 model in the mountain series only has a top end rating of 250 pounds. All three of the makes/models I mentioned earlier today are similar in size, but all have a top end rating of 300 pounds.

I like ATLAS shoes...

Can't give you a comparison, but my Atlas shoes are pretty easy on/off. But, I wouldn't know if others are easier.

Best way to tell what you want is to go to a retailer and try some.

On trail the Tubbs felt just like any other decent shoe of similar construction. Off trail I felt like the crampon was always kicking out from under me on steeper stuff and side-hills. The binding did not articulate well with my movement. I also dislike the binding cinch straps; I prefer ratchet bindings. I think ratchets are easier to use with gloves on, and feel much more secure. The Atlas "spring loaded suspension" deal works better on hills than anything else I've tried. They keep much more acceptable crampon surface contact (in my opinion) and I was able to balance well on moderate side-hills. Tubbs forced my steps into a flat-footing (aka french technique) stance while climbing soft snow, which absolutely does not work in those conditions! I hope this helps.

Late to the party on this one but I'll toss out my vote for Northern Lites...I've got the Tundra model...love'em...

http://www.northernlites.com/tundra.php

I love the suspension and flex on my Atlas. I have the 1030's and the bindings are a dream.
I also have some Tubbs but I prefer the Atlas.

I've had a pair of atlas 10X36 for 12 years, and haven't once considered trying any other makers. The original aluminum crampons flattened out, I contacted them and they said they had a bad batch of aluminum. I sent them off, and they came back with a set of stainless crampons, no charge for the upgrade.

I just contacted Atlas about upgrading my bindings as I broke one of the buckles putting them on in sub zero temps and being a bit enthusiastic about tensioning them