snow shoes ?

I am wanting to buy a pair of snow shoes for trail breaking in the woods . It has been 40 years since I last used snow shoes and I know they have changed a lot since then . I am 250 pounds so will need good flotation . Apart from that I don’t know what I need to be looking for . Any help out there ?
Thanks

If you’re snowshoeing in real snow (Northern MN, WI, UP) you’re going to want real snowshoes, not just some cute little aluminum Tubbs like on the front of an LL Bean catalog.

I love my Maine Guide snowshoes, they aren’t the cheapest things in the world, but they’re AWESOME in real snow. I used to do a lot of hare hunting in northern Wisconsin and that’s what a lot of us wore for true off-road snowshoeing in 2’+ of snow. They’re light and tough with nice bindings.

They use traditional frames but with a thin rope instead of rawhide which can stretch. The entire thing is dunked in spar-urethane to seal the rope. They’re also made in the USA which is always a good thing.

I’m lighter than you and have the Bunny Hunters (10″x36″) but you’ll want the next larger size Rabbit Hunters (11″x40″) which are rated for 300+ pounds

In the attached picture the left tracks are from a 260lb man in Maine Guide Rabbit Hunter snowshoes, the right tracks are a 180lb man in aluminum snowshoes. You can clearly see the bigger guy with real snowshoes stayed on top unlike the smaller guy with smaller aluminum shoes.

It’s all about reducing your PSI. Under sized shoes are almost as much work as wearing no shoes at all.

http://www.mgsnowshoes.com/Products2.html

Attachments:

1. 

   Screenshot_20221101-0750122.png
   

How about a pair of US army ones for like $60 at fleetfarm?

Also think about the boots you will need. I replaced my Sorels with Baffin for ice fishing but the Baffins are too bulky for my snow shoes. So I needed to buy another pair of Sorels.

Attachments:

1. 

   08EDC5D5-F0AD-4411-8585-2E6B27B7A29C.jpeg
   

2. 

   B6B87018-B282-4F78-9170-D66A5783A994.jpeg
   

3. 

   4131C7A6-9FDA-41CF-A498-28B5455267C1.jpeg
   

4. 

   E68F4A90-EF29-40AD-8F7E-29704C3D9FEB.jpeg
   

Sylvan brings up a good point about boots. Unless you’re doing just a short trek, you’ll probably find that big winter boots are way too hot.

Most of the time I would just wear my normal deer hunting boots (600 gram Danners) even when it was really cold out. Chasing beagles and hares through the woods and alders in snowshoes is a physically demanding hobby lol

for sure go wood over aluminum unless you are going to stick to trails that are already packed down. If you are doing any sort of notable snow depth or breaking trail, wood is the only way to go.

The army surplus snowshoes are made of magnesium and are very good if you get a good pair of aftermarket bindings. The original army bindings are too putzy to use.

Modern aluminum snowshoes are fine but you have to get a brand that offers proper sizes for deep snow. If you are in the upper half of the model’s recommended weight range go to the next larger size for deep snow use.

You couldn’t pay me to go back to wood.

I am about 235lb and agree that float is the most important thing. There are lots and lots of shoes available everywhere these days that are for people wanting to walk around on groomed trails or 6″ of snow.

I have some cheaper 36″ Tubbs, there is nothing particularly fancy or light about them, and the bindings are not great, but they have decent float in deep snow. I don’t do any real “work” stuff with them, just take a hike now and then. 250lbs seems to be the top end, or even too much for most of the typical consumer brands – if I wanted to hunt or cover real distance I would get something lighter and larger with a nice secure binding.

If you are going to be in real snow forget the army surplus, forget the Tubbs.
Go with B mans suggestion or a pair of

alaskan model snow shoes. The Alaskan configuration gives the best float, but can get a little cumbersome for tight spaces.
I am 215 with gear and there are times where I wish I had more than the 10″ x 52″ pair that I use.
Whatever boats you wear make sure they are waterproof.

I have a pair of the army surplus ones. They’re fine for walking packed or settled snow that compacts a few inches around the fields or between islands on the river. For serious snows that are dry and accumulate quickly, they’re useless and you still sink. For reference I’m probably 175-180#. I can’t imagine they’d be worthwhile for anyone over 200# in measurable snow. Go wood, and get ones with a big footprint.

Good heads up on on Maine Guide company B-man. They have a cool video online that walks through their different designs and talks about their story. Sounds like a great company to support.

I have a pair of 30” MSR lightening ascents and they don’t provide me with enough floatation (6’5” / 240 lbs) in deep powder. They do however provide good traction on icy surfaces.

I think I’m going to order a pair from Maine Guide, I spend most of my time on the north shore.

I bought a kit from this place (snowshoe.com) and built my own. They also sell complete snow shoes as well. Located in Edina/Richfield.

Northcoast wrote:

I think I’m going to order a pair from Maine Guide, I spend most of my time on the north shore.

Their website said they are out of most styles. Hopefully they get caught up quick.
DT