Most bindings tend to fit feet up to a men’s size 14 (15.5 women, 13.5 UK). Dion-NeviTREK also notes that “The bindings should fit snugly over a person’s boot, be easy to put on and tightened in cold weather, possibly with gloves.” Simple two or three-strap bindings, including the A and H strap bindings on many traditional snowshoes, tend to be the best bet for an easy fit with less maintenance. However, it can be tough to choose a binding with so many variations and designs. When choosing snowshoes for big people and heavy loads, it’s helpful to consider the snowshoe binding. Read More: Why To Use Snowshoes While Mountaineering Boot Size Try to get the smallest snowshoe you can get away with without post-holing. In general, the team at Dion-NeviTREK recommends that you’ll want to avoid getting too large a snowshoe. Like wet conditions, a shorter design will prove easier to climb and descend on steep hills. So, in this case, if you regularly climb steep terrain, find the shortest snowshoe that can support your weight. A longer snowshoe may make it difficult to lift your foot over downed trees or other obstacles that you might find on a wooded trail.” , on steep climbs, it might be better to use a shorter snowshoe for traction. On some trails, traction/grip is more important than floatation. ![]() ![]() “Too large of a snowshoe with too little traction acts like a snowboard. Sizing can affect how easily you can move around on your chosen terrain, and the team at Dion-NeviTREK offers their recommendations. Read More: Snowshoeing in the Midwest (A Little Different Than East or West) ManeuverabilityĮach snowshoe outing is unique, and what you make of it. Similarly, if snowshoeing on packed trails, you can use a snowshoe with a lower weight recommendation since you won’t be sinking. Thus, if you live in an area where the snow tends to be heavy and wet, you can most likely use a smaller size snowshoe, even if you and your gear don’t fall within the weight recommendations. “The important thing to a snowshoer is to have snowshoes that fit them properly and allows them to walk around in deep snow,” states Dion-NeviTREK What does this mean for choosing large snowshoes? First, your snowshoes will naturally not sink as far in wet snow or packed snow compared to deep or dry, fluffy powder snow. Even powder, after a day or so, will be packed a little,” says the Dion-NeviTREK team. Also, snow conditions change from day to day from the same snowfall. ![]() typically experiences snowfall that is heavy and wet while the higher elevations in the western U.S. The conditions of the snow vary around the world and day to day. She states, “People should also consider snow conditions, maneuverability, and the type of trails and type of snowshoeing they expect to be doing when choosing the right snowshoes.” Let’s break down those factors a little more. However, Joanne Petrozzi and the team at Dion-NeviTREK Snowshoes mentioned, “The weight recommendations that we use are based on the industry standards but modified somewhat based on past experience and customer feedback…, weight does not always tell the whole story when choosing a snowshoe size.” You’ll notice that many of the snowshoes below come with a recommended weight range, which typically relates to the snowshoe’s ability to help you “float” on the snow. One of the most common factors used in snowshoe sizing is a person’s total weight, including any gear they’re carrying while hiking. Please see our disclosure for more details. Additionally, as Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. ![]() When you purchase using these links, part of the proceeds go to Snowshoe Mag. Some of the links in this article may contain affiliate links. Thus, in this guide, we list several styles of snowshoes for big people and heavy loads and cover snowshoe sizing extensively.Ī large dimension pair of traditional snowshoes like these Hurons helps keep you from floundering in the powder with a big pack on your back. Some snowshoe brands will list their sizing as length only (i.e., 30, 36, etc.) Choosing the right size snowshoe will provide the best experience and depends on a few factors. My informed opinion is that you should go with no smaller than a 10″ wide x 36″ long or 12″ wide x 30″ long pair of raquettes for the task. Thus, snowshoes with wider areas tend to be best for carrying big people and heavy loads. A snowshoe’s surface area or the amount of space the snowshoe covers will help to distribute weight and limit post-holing (or punching holes into deep snow). Anytime you’re using snowshoes to put more than 200lbs/90kg atop unpacked snow-be it powder, wet, or crusted-you’re going to want to spread it out across as much space as is practical.
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