How to Select Wooden Snowshoes

You may choose to buy traditional wooden snowshoes for various reasons which include their ambiance,
and how quiet they are. Wooden frames are as durable as aluminum, not very much heavier, and they cannot fill with water which will freeze and add weight. Aluminum tubing can only be bent so much without crimping it, so there are fewer shape options with aluminum framed shoes.

In a separate article I explained the various shapes of snowshoes and the purpose of each of those shapes. That article also covered how to select the correct size of snowshoe for your weight and use.

Decking is the name given to the large flat surface that comes in contact with the snow. While most modern snowshoes have a solid decking of nylon or plastic, wooden snowshoes usually have a woven surface, of babiche. Babiche is a native word for the pattern of lacing.

The material used for the lacing allows you some choices. Neoprene rubber is a currently popular material. It is very durable and nearly indestructible. Personally, I think it is also rather ugly. As far as maintenance, it needs little attention except to occasionally trim "hairy" edges, but if you do happen to accidentally cut a strand there is almost no way to repair the damage without re-lacing the entire shoe.

Nylon lacing is very attractive, looking natural. It will be coated with polyurethane. This type of lacing will need to be re-coated every few years when the polyurethane starts to wear off the bottom of the shoes. Wear will occur faster if the snowshoes are used much on icy or crystalline snow. However, if you care for it properly nylon lacing is also very durable.

Snowshoes that are laced with natural hide may also require varnishing. If the laces are not sealed they may begin to sag from getting waterlogged, although this will vary with the type of hide used. A friend who has tried several kinds says that deer hide does not hold up well, but cow hide does better. Natural lacing is the least durable.

Native Americans laced their snowshoes with green hides (after the hair was removed, but before the skin dried), so that the lacing would dry tight and smooth. I own two pairs of Maine snowshoes, made by Indians around 1905. These snowshoes were used nearly every winter until about 1995 when I decided they were too special to wear out, and hung them on my office wall. But the lacing has never sagged, and has never been varnished. Perhaps some aspects of the historical art of hide lacing have been lost.

So if durability is your standard, choose neoprene. For sheer good looks, select shoes with hide lacing. A compromise between looks and practicality is the nylon lacing.

Snowshoes must be held to your feet by some means. They do not require special boots, socks, or expensive hardware, but they do require what is called a harness or binding. Even so, there are several choices for this, the part that fastens your boot to the snowshoe. These are always completely removable, so if you find a pair of snowshoes you like but the binding is not right it can be changed. Harnesses that do not fit well will make it difficult to walk with the snowshoes. Quite often when someone says, "I just can't walk on snowshoes," the problem is the harness, not the person.

You want the harness to fit tightly to your boot so that your foot cannot slip forward or backward. And you want the harness to be anchored to the snowshoe well enough that the harness cannot slip from side to side. How to fit a harness is really a separate topic, but you need to be aware of what the goal is to make a selection of the style. You should have enough control that your foot aims the snowshoe.

One style of harness/ binding is made from four straps of leather or neoprene which each have a buckle at one end and holes at the other, just like small belts. There will probably also be a rectangle of the same material which is threaded on one of the straps, over the toe hole. This type of harness (H style) can be seen in the picture. This harness is adjustable, but requires changing several buckles if the snowshoes will be worn by various people, or if you use more than one pair of boots. Remember the harnesses will be sized to the wearer's boots, not the foot. For example a person with a size 10 foot wearing hiking boots will need the harness adjusted tighter than a person with a size 8 foot wearing snow boots with felt or fleece liners.

The strap style just described comes in several modifications. On some there are rubber straps over the toe. This makes adjustment for different users/ boot sizes much easier. Another modification of this style has a wide band with lacing like a shoe that goes around the toe of your boot. This provides nice control, and makes it fairly easy to adjust that part of the binding. There may also be another strap which goes around the front of the toe creating a cage similar to the "rat trap" used on bicycle pedals. This prevents your foot from slipping forward too far when you are walking down hills. If you expect to be in hilly terrain, this is a good choice.

Another popular style of harness/ binding is made from one single piece of rubber. These are so simple that they can even be made from old truck inner tubes. They are basically just a flap fastened to the snowshoe crossbar at the front corners, with a hole in the middle. You force your boot into the hole and stretch the rubber around the heel of your boot. These are fine for multiple wearers, because there is nothing to adjust between uses. However, they offer less control of the shoe and they don't last as long.

So, for maximum control, choose a binding with straps, considering the various modifications. For ease of adjustment for various wearers choose rubber bindings. This style is possibly quicker to put on, unless you must stretch the rubber to near its maximum limit. Then they are annoying.

It should be mentioned that there are several companies now offering what are called hybrid snowshoes. These have wooden frames, but then are decked with various styles of nylon or plastic. I am not sure what advantages these hybrids actually offer, although I have seen claims that they offer good traction. In my experience, the traction depends on having a good mesh decking, and the steepness of the terrain. On steep hills, crampons must be used for good traction no matter what kind of snowshoes you are wearing. Possibly, wet snow will stick to plastic decking less than it will to laced decking, but this same quality could make the snowshoes slippery in more normal conditions.

Pay attention to all the features of snowshoes when you purchase a pair. As with any piece of equipment, attention to detail can be the difference between a fun and successful outdoor adventure and an experience you never want to repeat.