Tubbs Mountaineer Snowshoes Assessment | CleverHiker

Backside Line

True to its namesake, the Tubbs Mountaineer is a worthy snowshoe for rugged adventures in deep snow and is a good choice amongst our lineup of the greatest snowshoes we examined. That includes the dependable and time-tested development of a tubular aluminum body and versatile decking, the Mountaineer speaks to those that like a conventional design with trendy parts.

The binding system options two straps for the midfoot hooked up to Tubbs’ ActiveFit 2.0 binding system. A skinny rubberized strap connects the 2 levers that launch each straps with one simple pull. The binding is simple to slide on and off, however we discovered suits large-volume boots greatest. The binding doesn’t tighten within the toe of the boot, leaving all of the strain throughout the bridge of the foot. This may trigger discomfort when tightened.

With an simply deployable heel riser, carbon metal crampons, and a large body, the Mountaineer is an off-trail beast match for mountain adventures. Its heft feels clunky and cumbersome on packed trails however permits it to pound by means of breakable crust and off-trails situations simply.

Flotation

Whereas climbing up alpine slopes, punching breakable crust, and plowing by means of deep powder, we discovered that the Tubbs Mountaineer is without doubt one of the best-suited snowshoes we examined for off-trail journey. Its extensive profile offers wonderful flotation, and the normal aluminum body and versatile decking excel in deep snow.

The guidelines of the snowshoes taper to a rounded level that helps to chop by means of deep powder with every step with out compromising flotation. A comparatively slender toe opening sheds snow with every step however nonetheless has sufficient decking to be supportable. We are going to preserve reaching for these snowshoes when heading into deep snow.

Traction

Whereas aluminum tube framed snowshoes have much less traction than their extra trendy counterparts, we discovered the traction of the Tubbs Mountaineer to be among the many greatest for this development type. With Tubbs’ Anaconda toe crampons, we by no means wished for extra grip. With eight tooth within the midfoot organized in an oval, kicking steps whereas marching uphill was safe and we by no means went for a backward slide..

The heel has six rearward-facing tooth that present nice buy going up and downhill. Two extra tooth dealing with perpendicular to the remaining help in sustaining buy when going downhill. When descending a steep slope, we didn’t really feel any sliding on the tails frequent to easier snowshoes. We extremely advocate these for climbing or descending steep hills.

Walkability

The Tubbs Mountaineer stunned us with their walkability. Their rockered profile with a slight rise within the ideas and tails made all of the distinction. This design is considerably distinctive to tubular body snowshoes, and we particularly cherished the marginally raised tails for descents. Whereas the tapered tail eliminates most overlap, we discovered that these snowshoes are uncomfortable when strolling throughout slopes. Their noticeable width places strain on the ankle whereas side-hilling.  We loved this mannequin essentially the most whereas going straight up or straight down.

These are a few of the heaviest snowshoes in our lineup, and their weight was evident after a couple of hours of strolling. They’re cumbersome and heavy and really feel clunky on packed trails. Most at residence within the deep snow, this snowshoe will not be the perfect for a lightweight and quick choice.

Ease of Use

The bindings of the Tubbs Mountaineer characteristic a semi-rigid body that makes it simple to slip the foot out and in. A strap on both aspect is definitely tightened by pulling the tails by means of the ratchets. A singular characteristic of those snowshoes is {that a} connecting strip of rubberized materials attaches each launch levers. This makes stepping out of the snowshoes easy with a single pull to launch each straps.

Regardless of their ease of use, we discovered the bindings of the Mountaineer to have some shortcomings. The body that makes up the binding solely tightens throughout the bridge of the foot. Adequately tightening these down requires making use of uncomfortable strain to the bridge of the foot whereas the toes stay open and never tightened. We examined these bindings with each low and high-volume boots and encountered the identical downside. The toes of the boot stay unsecured, whereas the bridge is painfully tight. If you realize that you’ve got large-volume toes and boots, these will most likely work higher for you than these with smaller toes.

Ought to You Purchase the Tubbs Mountaineer?

Should you’re somebody who spends the vast majority of their time without work the crushed path and strolling by means of deep snow, then the Tubbs Mountaineer is the proper snowshoe for you. Its massive floor space and plenty of size choices supply nice flotation in deep powder. A powerful array of claws within the midfoot and heel present wonderful traction.

The binding system, whereas easy to make use of, lacks the consolation and safety of others we’ve got examined. Finest fitted to large-volume toes, the binding has a tough time accommodating smaller-volume boots with out uncomfortably urgent on the bridge of the foot. With its larger price ticket, heftier weight, and beefier development, the Tubbs Mountaineer is greatest fitted to an skilled snowshoer who plans to spend time in deep snow and steep terrain.

What Different Snowshoes Ought to You Take into account?

Atlas Montane Assessment – With an almost similar development, the Atlas Montane intently resembles the Mountaineer however with a less complicated strap binding that matches narrower boots higher.

MSR Lightning Ascent Assessment – Should you cherished the traction of the Mountaineer however are on the lookout for much more, the MSR Lightning Ascent options a few of the largest crampons we’ve seen mixed with full-frame traction for best-in-class grip.

Tubbs Wayfinder Assessment – With the same tubular aluminum development, the Tubbs Wayfinder is the little cousin to the Mountaineer. With extra walkability and an easy-to-use boa binding, it’s most at residence on trails and rolling terrain.