Last Updated on August 30, 2022 by grubdunkman

Snowshoes in Canada, buyer’s guide. Snowshoeing is a simple and fun kind of wintertime sport. 

Unlike other sports, long-time snowshoers do not have a huge advantage over beginners and this makes it suitable for families and groups of mixed abilities or experience. From a fitness perspective, snowshoeing is great cardio, agility and strength workout! 

As an additional advantage, wearing snowshoes you are not likely to get lost in mountains or any other unfamiliar place, you can just turn around and follow your own evident steps back.

How do snowshoes work? 

Basically they distribute your weight on the snow. And they provide way more traction for walking than boots alone.

There is a bunch of different snowshoes kinds, but all of them have 3 features in common:

• A frame and a deck that gives the shoe its shape and gives floatation.
• A binding that holds your foot to the shoe
• Crampons or cleats on the bottom for traction

Variation of these three features combined with the snowshoer’s total weight makes one snowshoe more appropriate than another for different types of terrain or snow.

Decks with a larger area have more flotation and help to stay on the top of a snow.

In general the heavier you are and the heavier your camping gear is, the bigger deck size you should choose. 

However snowshoes with a smaller deck are easier to maneuver. And such shoes might be more appropriate for some conditions. 

All bindings, despite their differences, are doing the same job— they hold any type of footwear to the small hinging platform.

While traction devices are common for all types of snowshoes, their placement and how aggressive they are, will vary depending on the type of terrain where you are going to go. 

Flip up heel lifts are not a common feature on budget models. They make a big difference in comfort by changing the angle of your foot which makes going uphill feel more like walking.

Although snowshoes are mostly unisex, there are women, kids or teens versions which means they might be narrowed in width and can accommodate smaller shoe size.

Recreational snowshoeing is incredibly affordable. Everything you need is to purchase a pair of snowshoes. Just think about where you’d like to go and choose a pair which is suitable for required terrain, snow conditions and your dimensions.

Here are some specialities and tips for buying your first pair of snowshoes:

• Buying snowshoes online pay attention to size and weight navigations guides, which websites usually have at the bottom. Weight parameter includes your weight plus your winter outfit, backpack and everything else you are carrying, so take that into account.
  
• It may be necessary to re-tighten your snowshoe bindings a few minutes after you begin your walk, as trapped snow between the binding and your boot works its way out; this is normal and doesn’t mean the bindings are loosening up on their own. For best fitment results, ensure snowshoe bindings and your boots are free of snow and ice prior to fitting.
  
• You don’t need aggressive traction snowshoes with a heel lifting system if you are not going to explore wild steep slopes, if your purpose is recreational hiking with your friends and family, better choose a lightweight pair that provides good floatation on snowy trails and off-trail shallow snow.
  
• Take a look at snowshoeing kits or search for trekking poles and other additional hiking devices separately, but depending on your purposes, they might be either extremely helpful or additional load and obstacle. Many snowshoe walkers and all of the snowshoe runners don’t use poles whatsoever.
  

Below we reviewed some of the most popular budget snowshoes in Canada and made our list which includes prices and links to Canadian specialized sport stores as well as general retail stores.

Name	Price	Size	Weight	Material
MSR Evo Trail	169.99	22″+6″	1.62 kgs	Plastic frame, steel side rails, rubber bindings
Flashtek	122.43	21/25/30”	2.13 kgs	Aluminum frame, HDPE deck
Tubbs Xplore	149.99	25/30”	1.40 kgs	Aluminum, PVC-coated woven polyester
Atlas Helium Trail	179.99	23/36”	1.59-1.72 kgs	Lightweight plastic composite
Nacatin All Terrain	96.99	21/25/30”	1.54 kgs	Aluminum frame, HDPE deck
Outbound Snowshoes	99.99	21/25/28/30/36”	2.00 kgs (30”)	Aluminum frame, HDPE deck
Banff Ridge Outfitters Voyager	109.99	25/30”	2.28 kgs (30”)	Aluminum frame, HDPE deck
ALPS Light Weight	155.99	22/27”	2.78 kgs (27”)	Aluminum frame, HDPE deck
Chinook Trekker	112.99	19/22/25/30/36″	1.95 kgs (25″), 2.24 kgs (30″)	Aluminum frame, HDPE deck
Louis Garneau Nordik	142.99	21/25/30”	1.80 kgs (25”)	Aluminum frame, HDPE deck
Discoverer	109.99	25/30”	1.63 kgs (25″), 2.15 kgs (30″)	Aluminum frame, HDPE deck

Snowshoes in Canada

MSR Evo Trail offers performance at budget price, while being one of the most expensive model in our list we consider it the best choice on the budget. Plastic frame snowshoes tend to be more expensive overall. These snowshoes offer solid plastic frame, easy to use bindings and great traction. MSR snowshoes are quite short at 22”, but additional 6 inches tails are available at extra cost and can be out at the back of the snowshoes to increase the size. On the down side plastic frame can lack flexibility for long walks. They are also available at Sports Experts and Sportchek.

Flashtek mountaineering series is one of absolute favorites among snowshoers! Very convenient and manageable, they provide comfortable hiking and climbing with max floatation and fast moving in heavy snow conditions. They are made of lightweight and long-lasting aluminum alloy and also have a fast and comfy pull binding system, adjusted to fit a wide range of winter boots of different designs and sizes from 35 to 45 EUR. A pair of Trekking poles and a carrying bag are coming in pack.

Tubbs Xplore has similar traction to the Wayfinder, more expensive model of the brand. Being a bit heavier than above models it remains very popular choice for first time snowshoers. Xplore series feature easy to use binding system.

Atlas Helium Trail very lightweight snowshoes designed for use on hills and easy terrain. It has great traction and an easy-to-adjust binding system that is compatible with most winter hiking boots. These snowshoes are equipped with heel lifts which make climbing hills easier and are not usually found on less expensive snowshoes. While being the most expensive on our budget models list, they are quite inexpensive compared to upper range models.

Nacatin All Terrain Snowshoes lightweight and high quality materials, very comfortable and streamlined design with a slightly upturned tail guarantee enjoyable walk, hiking and climbing. Designed fully adjustable to most footwear. This pair has especially nice all terrain aluminum alloy crampons, which provide aggressive traction.

Outbound Snowshoes offers comfort, great value for low price! Good pair for beginners, feels very comfy, fast and easy to put on. Also take a look at snowshoes kits. Having trekking poles, a carrying bag to put in your snowshoes and other devices will definitely improve your snowshoeing experience. You might like Outbound Snowshoes Kit, it can be purchased at Canadian Tire for $149.99

Banff Ridge Outfitters Voyager solid built snowshoes with easy to use bindings. We have experience using similar discontinued model of this brand for a few years for walks and we have no negative comments about the quality, snowshoes built to last and materials are appropriate.

ALPS LightWeight SnowShoes are made of quality and lightweight 6000 Series aircraft aluminum frame, forged aluminum alloy crampons, DuPont pivot and environmental high density polyethylene decking. Total weight however is slightly higher than average. Nice pair for recreational hiking and walks. Some users notice though, these snowshoes are not durable in extreme conditions. Trekking poles and a carrying bag are included.

Chinook Trekker is a great choice for packed snow and moderate terrains. Just for you, if you enjoy walking on hiking trails and forests. Heavy Duty Aluminum crampons, rotate freely to bite into snow and let the tails drop to shed snow. Heel crampons provide traction for heading down.

Photos: dreamstime.com