Snowshoes?

[mossback91]

whast with the chicken?

[Machias]

They were at a survival class, most of the time they use chickens or rabbits.  You'd be suprised how many city boys have never skinned something real.  It's good practice and they learn how to utilize everything.

[Pathfinder101]

Survival training.  Our National Guard Drill is only 2 days long, and we spend all day Saturday teaching them the priorities of survival (Shelter, Water, Fire and Food).  Then Sunday they actually go out and perform those tasks and I evaluate them.  Since we are only out there for a day, there really isn't time for any self-respecting animals to get caught in them.  Before drill, I usually find a farmer that has some poor creature that he will donate to us to give it's life for the country.  Last year, it was chickens.  So we take the animal, put it in the trap, and the troops get to learn how to dispatch the animal, gut, butcher and cook it.  Makes the training more real.  Also an eye-opener for Soldiers who have never killed anything before.  Usually I find something cooler than a chicken though.  First year it was a goat, we got hen pheasants a couple of times.  This year I got a couple of geese..

[KFhunter]

bump

I hate my snowshoes - was fun for ahwile I got them from coscto for the whole family, and while it's fine for the kids/wife when I'm busting trail it's a whole nother thing when I'm hunting with a pack on

This what I got
http://yukoncharlies.com/icon-beta-men/#

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A7DNSFE/ref=asc_df_B00A7DNSFE2352517?smid=AL883PZOJFT0T&tag=pgmp-1393-95-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395109&creativeASIN=B00A7DNSFE



9 x 30 for up to 250 lbs   too small for me with a pack on.  I can't climb with them at all.  I was trying to come up a creek drain and I'd slip and ski back down backwards.  The crampon wouldn't hold.  Also the fronts would sink under a mid crust layer and when I step forward the front of the snow shoe would hang under the crusty layer lifting the back of the shoe out of the snow and ugg what a mess.



Are the MRS's still the go-to snowshoes??

I want something good for 300+ lbs for when I'm loaded up with gear, and good for brush

[KFhunter]

Merry Christmas to meeee!!!

http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/snowshoes/ascent/lightning-ascent/product
30 inch MSR Lightning Ascent - black with tails, cause loaded up I'm a heavy turd 












I think I'm going to LOVE these snowshoes.  I've always had a thing for snowshoes, even as a kid I'd make some up and always wanted a cool pair.
Anyways, I'll give ya'll a run down on what I think.

I'll snowmobile in, park the sled, strap on the snowshoes and hike into some cat country and fire up the foxpro!

[ICEMAN]

I always carry a snowshoe fix kit on my shoes, a bundle of large wire ties, copper wire, some surgical tubing... Carried it for years on the tail of my 36" shoes..... Never had to break it out yet! I know if I leave it home, broken shoe for sure....

Let us know how you like them!

[KFhunter]

36" shoes?  I guess mine will be 35 with the tails on

I didn't see any shoes that big

[ICEMAN]

Atlas brand. They make for Cabelas too under the Cabelas name I heard...

[KFhunter]

now to find a small poke that won't tip over too easy.

Oh and I can reccomend backcountry.com  - called up their 800 # and got a nice gal that knew what she was talking about!  wow
She snoeshoes herself - split boarding whatever that is so she knew her gear.


free two day shipping from salt lake ut



gotta like that

[MLHSN]

I've done quite a bit of snowshoeing.  My favorite brand is Atlas.  I own two pairs of 1025's and I've purchased one additional pair for a buddy and all three have been good shoes.  What you want to look for are aggressive traction bars and crampons.  The cheaper model snowshoes that are missing the aggressive traction cause you slide all over the place on a hillside.  The MSR lightning ascents and the MSR denali snowshoes are also good. 

A warning on snowshoe length.  The lb ratings are for powder snow.  Here in the northwest we have "cascade concrete". The wet snow we get can allow you to get much more floating then in say Montana or Colorado with the powder.  I honestly wouldn't go much longer then 30" if you are going to do any kind of climbing.  Going back down hill with extra long snowshoes can be extremely difficult.  Think of how far the snow will protrube behind the hill.  Image that in steep terrain.  You'll be skiing downward in no time and that can be hazardous in certain terrain.  Also, the longer, the heavier the snowshoe and in certain conditions the snow will slough onto the top of the shoe which means the longer the shoe, the more snow you will be lifting back up.  Sure, early in the season before the snow consolidates you will be post-holing a bit but in the early spring you'll be flying around with shorter shoes.

Just my two cents, YMMV

[ICEMAN]

At 300 to 340lbs, plus a pack, or towing a pulk...36" shoes are great.

[KFhunter]

the biggest problem I have is breaking through the brush under the snow, I wanted a longer shoe to bridge the gap and not loose one end into the hole.

Also wanted the grip these MSR's offer over a tube designed shoe, the edges themselves will grip.  Also these got those cross bars that'll grab even more snow.


Should be gooders

[MLHSN]

At 300 to 340lbs, plus a pack, or towing a pulk...36" shoes are great.

That's true iceman, anywhere you can pull a pulk will be fine with longer shoes.  If you are sticking to old logging roads, there should be no problems at all.  I'm talking mostly about climbing.  If you want to go straight up or down it can be really hard with longer shoes.

[ICEMAN]

At 300 to 340lbs, plus a pack, or towing a pulk...36" shoes are great.

That's true iceman, anywhere you can pull a pulk will be fine with longer shoes.  If you are sticking to old logging roads, there should be no problems at all.  I'm talking mostly about climbing.  If you want to go straight up or down it can be really hard with longer shoes.

Yeah I hear that. Nothing worse than having the back of the shoe steering the front.

Funny story, was shoeing up around Wakepish at st helens years back and got absolutely buried in 24" of ultra fine powder. Kept losing sight of my kids ahead of us as we worked our way off the mountain. Scary but fun.

[KFhunter]

WoW!

What a massive upgrade, I was diggin these shoes today.  I put on a few miles breaking trail in untracked snow, up over and down under brush.  Found it was easier to just carry my saw 
It was a joy to walk in these things, not that I didn't trip and fall a few times or step on my own toes, but all in all awesome.  I wish they were a tad longer in the nose maybe but small gripe.  The shoes tended to sink nose first while the tails floated.

They were also a big improvement in noise reduction, my old ones "clacked" really bad these ones don't, but they aren't silent either.  At least no real mechanical noise just the noise of the plastic canvass material on the snow, and if you bang them together walking.


gotta give a  for the wyoming saw too, made quick work of making me a clear path.



Too bad I ain't got a cat to show for it