Hiking Snowshoes

Featured review by LoneStranger

New for Fall 2022, this is an early look at MSR's Lightning Trail snowshoes updated with new Paraglide bindings. A rugged, but lightweight shoe meant for rolling terrain. Great for folks who won't be climbing mountains and now easier to get on and off your feet.

  New shoes, old snow MSR has been making great snowshoes for a long time, but that doesn't stop them from trying to make them better. In recent years they have changed the bindings on their Lightning Ascent and Revo Ascent models to use what they have named the new Paragon binding. Employing a flexible mesh panel that wraps about the front of the foot they reduced the number of strap connections to two. Now they have taken that same approach to create the Paraglide bindings which will be coming to the Lightning Trail, Revo Trail, and Evo Trail shoes for Fall of '22.

Read more: MSR Lightning Trail reviews (2)

Featured review by Jboothmtnbkr

Impressive hiking/backcountry snowshoe from long-time maker of snowshoes, Tubbs. Great weight-to-size/flotation with easy on and off buckling mechanism. Heel lift for extended climbing and fairly aggressive traction make for an enjoyable day hiking the snow covered trails here in Colorado.

I purchased these snowshoes in mid-January after it had been snowing quite a bit during December. But then it turned warm, unseasonably warm here in the Denver area with 50s-70s for the rest of January and early February. The place I had planned to christen them turned into a snow/mud trail so I kept waiting for the weather to turn back to winter.   Last weekend, a buddy of mine who is a volunteer with the U.S. Forest Service, and I met up to snowshoe the 5.5 mile out and back to Brainard Lake (northwest of Boulder).

Read more: Tubbs Wilderness Series reviews (7)

Featured review by Second Gear

MSR has created a good all-around 'shoe which uses spans from a beginner to a serious snowshoer. Its flex, fit, grip, and heel lift bar create a solid product for those who want a tough, wide ranged product. This 'shoe works really well in a casual capacity, but is easily capable of handling hilly terrain or a serious excursion of a more dynamic trip. These shoes are an excellent choice for the novitiate who wants to grow to for the more experienced outdoor adventurer who needs a reliable, sturdy, all-terrain shoe.

MSR has struck a sweet spot in an effective, tough snowshoe that should suit a broad range of users. Per MSR's website: 22 IN Color: Purple Weight per pair: 3 lbs 14 oz / 1.76 k Width: 8 in / 20 cm Length: 22 in / 56 cm Binding type: PosiLock Televator: Yes Gait: Women's/narrow Footwear size range: 4.5 W - 14 W / 35.5 - 48 Load:Up to 180 lbs / Up to 80 kilos Load w/ tails: Up to 240 lbs / Up to 109 kilos Country of Origin: Made in the USA of US and Imported Parts Ease of Use: MSR employs a four rubber strap designs that makes the snowshoe “one” with the wearer’s boot.  I was amazed and impressed that no matter how hard I pushed the 'shoes uphilling, downhilling, sidehilling, or walking on completely uneven terrain, the shoeshoes never...

Read more: MSR Revo Ascent reviews (3)

Reviewed by Gerald Stehouwer

My version is called the Panoramic. It has a dial/wire for the toe binding (no toe straps). The toe and heel cleats are similar to Tubbs' Wilderness series versus the Mountaineer. I've used them 3+ times in varied weather and conditions, so I think they should put up with my sporadic use for many years.

Snowshoes in fresh snow makes walking possible. And on packed snow (up and downhill) they make it simpler. I had these Pano's on for carrying a pack and pulling a sled versus my pals with hiking boots. The grip of the cleats made the ups and downs and flats so much more manageable than boots alone. I am very happy with these.  I find the Panoramic's binding system easier, faster, and feels more solid than the 4 x strapping system used on the MSR Ascent.

Read more: Tubbs Panoramic review (1)

Reviewed by Phil Smith

The Atlas Range MTN is a traction-framed snowshoe that comes in 25", 30", and 35" sizes for men’s snowshoes, and 22" and 26" for women’s. A toothed aluminum perimeter frame and steel toe crampons provide grip in varying snow consistencies. BOA bindings with locking heel straps secure the snowshoes to your feet. Decking is Nytex, a high-temp, high-rigidity, and low moisture-absorptive type of nylon.

Probably 95% of my snowshoeing is done off-trail in the mountains of western Maine, so the traction of mountaineering snowshoes is very nice to have. The problem is that the largest size anyone makes is 8x30, which isn’t large enough for 260lb me and my pack in softer snow. MSR makes tails that add 5 inches to their Lightning series, but I didn’t like those because the rear of the snowshoes rode higher than the front. So I typically used my 10x36 tube-framed backcountry snowshoes for their much better flotation even though their traction wasn’t as good.  Enter the Atlas Range MTN 35.

Read more: Atlas Range-MTN review (1)

Reviewed by Gary Bowen

I'm a 200-lb man. These snowshoes give terrific, secure grip on steep forested pitches.

  caption       I love them, save for the caveat mentioned in the cons. Whether along the fall line or perpendicular to it they float beautifully in deep snow above lurking forest floor debris. Nice to enter, adjust, and exit them. I've used them in deep open field and deep snowed in open forest. Really nice. As far as durability, terrific overall except the lateral adjustment on one of the snowshoes. It doesn't really throw me off when it slips, but when the pin shifts out, it's noticeable. I don't know what that would be like in a survival situation. I've used these Lightning Explores for three winters now. I'd give them 5 stars if it wasn't for the one con.

Read more: MSR Lightning Explore review (1)

Reviewed by Peter Boysen

Well made. Decent bindings. A little fiddly with gloves on.

These are my first snowshoes, so take everything with a grain of salt. They seem well put together, and being a novice user I probably ran them into a number of things I shouldn't have, but haven't had any issues with them. I'm right at the top of the weight range listed for them, and I wish I could have got the next size up (they were on a season-end sale, so I got the only ones that fit me at all).  I used them in Northern Minnesota for a multi-day camping trip in March, and overall they did well.

Read more: Redfeather Trek Series review (1)

Reviewed by William

Best snowshoes I have tried.

These were my third pair of snowshoes. Bought them on sale new, mainly because they were on sale, well over 10 years ago. Quickly fell in love with them. Sold my old snowshoes. People look at them and like their look. I actually liked the look of my (no longer owned) titanium snowshoes better, but beauty is so subjective. I like shiny metallic things, and these are composite (AKA plastic). But this is the best thing—they are easy to put on and take off, and they have worked well for me winter backpacking with a 40-pound pack, running around during avalanche training, and everything in between.

Read more: TSL 226 Rando review (1)

Reviewed by F_klock

Simply put: A great shoe at a great price.I shopped around online and at outfitters and retailers, for quite some time, trying to find a quality snowshoe at a good price. The entire Yukon Charlie's line fits the bill. There are lots of big companies out there that are selling "High Tech" snowshoes (with a high tech price tag too). Let me tell you that for about half the price of some of those "other" companies, Y.C.'s are right up there.First of all, the binding is simple, easy to use and adjust, and above all, comfortable.

Read more: Yukon Charlie's Back Country review (1)

Reviewed by HRG

This is a first time purchase of snowshoes and I reviewed a lot of comments and reviews to help me make the best selection. I promised myself that I would provide candid comments to add to the body of information so that others could have inputs to help them make choices. I was very pleased with the quality of the snowshoes that I received. My first reaction was surprise at how light they were but after repeated use I am convinced that the are rugged and well designed and the light weight is part of their great design.

Read more: Redfeather Explore Series review (1)