Phil S. from United States, ME Public Profile

After a lot of research, I bought the Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 to be part of a 4lb tent/bag/pad setup. (It’s a couple ounces over with the footprint.) Being a 1-person tent I knew it would be tight inside but I bought it just for sleeping, relaxing is done outside the tent. Setup is very easy, if it’s windy you definitely have to be a little careful not to let anything blow away and being mindful of how much force you’re applying will prevent rips and tears.

Inside the fly are four 3-4” straps, 2 on each side, that are used to pull the sides of the tent outward for more room, so condensation on the inside of the fly doesn’t make it to the mesh of the tent. The fly only comes to about 4-5” from the ground, which allows for a lot of airflow to minimize condensation even with the vestibule door shut.

What I’m most impressed with is the Fly Creek HV UL1’s weather resistance. My most recent use was at the summit of Boundary Bald Mountain in western Maine. Even though the summit is only 3639’ it’s in the alpine zone, so the few areas without vegetation have thin, rocky soil and there’s really no shelter to break the wind. The forecast was for wind and rain so I took extra care to make sure all 11 stakes were securely pounded into the ground and all guy lines were tight. When it did start raining later in the evening the tent was being PUMMELED between the rain and wind, but not a drop leaked or blew through. I’d estimate the gusts were over 30mph, maybe even 40. The tent was r

I bought my Blizzard II 1036 snowshoes in January 2016 even though we didn't have any snow on the ground. We eventually got enough that I was able to use them, and all I can say is these are some GREAT snowshoes.
The bindings are super comfortable, super secure, and super easy to get into and out of. They fit all sizes of boots, from my Keen Koven Polar boots I use for treks in milder weather to my huge Sorel Conquests for subzero temps and deep snow. The control is excellent, with the snowshoes tracking well and not feeling loose on the feet. I'm very impressed with the BOA closure for its speed, adjustability, and compatibility with gloves.
Traction is excellent on loose and compacted powder, and the crampons punch through icy crust as well. On ascents, descents, and traverses, footing is very secure and extra care doesn't have to be given to foot placement. Flotation is about what I'd expect given that my weight is near the upper limit for the size - I sink, but not excessively so, thanks to the large surface area.
I found the snowshoes to be very rugged; thanks to a very light snowfall this year there were a lot of fallen branches, rocks, and roots to step on and trip over, yet the decking is intact and the frame is straight and remarkably scratch-free. The black, grey, and lime green colors are very attractive without being gaudy. I like the striped, graphic-free deck.
I like these Blizzard II snowshoes better than the Tubbs Mountaineer 36s I've used for the previous

I got the Tubbs Mountaineer 36 snowshoes to replace some Tubbs Wilderness 36 that I'd broken, mainly because the Wilderness weren't quite up to some of the hills I was climbing. The day these showed up, I changed out of my street clothes and headed out to the woods.

The first thing I noticed was that the binding was even more secure than those on my Wilderness 36s, cradling the foot more completely and allowing for amazing control for such a big 'shoe. They allowed me to weave in and out of the trees without any problems, and very precise turns can be made in tight quarters.

The difference in traction was immediately noticeable when I started climbing steep stream beds; the Mountaineer toe crampons are much more aggressive than those on the Wilderness, and really dig in on icy, crusty snow.

The heel crampons provide extra traction on ascents, but don't seem to do a lot on descents. I had to shift my weight forward a little on the downhills so that the toe crampons were loaded, and take some of my weight on my poles, to keep from finding myself on an unplanned gliss. That, and the fact that the tube frames don't really provide much traction on traverses, leads me to classify these as very aggressive day-hiking snowshoes despite the name.

As long as very steep terrain isn't involved these will take you anywhere you want to go. For steep terrain and extensive traverses, I prefer my MSR Lightning Ascents. Those, however, don't have anywhere near as much flotation as the Mo

I've had my BD Synclines for about 4 years now, they've covered a lot of miles snowshoeing and I used them while hiking for the first time this year. Without them, I almost certainly would have had to be carried off Mt Washington (NH), due to how much more out of shape I was than I'd thought. The carbide tips grabbed and held on any kind of rock, the FlickLocks never slipped no matter how much weight I put on the poles, and the aluminum shafts got badly scratched but never bent or cracked. They'll be coming with me on every hike from now on. I can't give these things enough praise.

I've been wearing Sorel Conquests since taking a job as a skilift mechanic 10 years ago; walking, snowshoeing, or snowmobiling around the mountain I never had cold or wet feet. That first pair lasted me 8 years, I'm on my 2nd pair now and have worn them working outside in temps well below zero at my job as an aviation ground support equipment mechanic and still haven't had cold feet. They're light enough and fit athletically enough for long-distance hiking and snowshoeing, but are rugged and burly enough to last for years of heavy use. The only con I've noticed is the lacing system, they really need a pinch loop at the transition and speed-lace hooks above. I had a local cobbler install hooks in place of the upper 3 pairs of D-rings, and I use Asolo laces because they have very low friction and pull through the D-rings easily.

I have very low arches so I replaced the factory insole with a pair of SuperFeet Carbon, and just the wool layer from SuperFeet White Merino on top of that. That really tightened up the fit so they conform to my feet like my Asolo hikers. I experienced a bit of heel lift in these boots, so I tightened the Achilles strap as tightly as possible then used duct tape to secure the free end of the strap so it didn't loosen. Now when I'm snowshoeing or hiking I buckle the strap and it locks my heel in place so I don't get blisters.

When you start seeing water stains on the leather, use a bit of beeswax to refresh the waterproofing. Pay special attention to

MSR Lightning Ascent snowshoes will get you any place you have business being, and back again. They're lightweight, attach securely to any kind of boot, and provide unparalleled traction. This will be my 3rd season using them, and they've become my go-to snowshoes even for deep powder despite the fact that they give less flotation than my 36" Tubbs. You're going to sink regardless, and I found that having smaller snowshoes to pull OUT of the snow (within reason) offsets the loss of flotation.

The first thing you notice about these snowshoes is the frame. It's made of bent and welded aluminum bar instead of aluminum tube, with teeth and notches on the bottom for traction. They call it the 360 Degree Traction frame, and that's exactly what it gives you. Crusty snow, the occasional bare rock, fallen trees, the frame teeth grab whatever you step onto and stay there until you step off. They work to a limited degree on ice, but for extended ice travel you should really be using crampons or spikes.

Depending on the length of the snowshoe, there are 2 or 3 transverse toothed braking bars connecting the sides of the frame together and providing rigidity as well as traction. One is directly under the ball of the foot, another under the heel, and on the 30" models there's a third bar about 5 inches behind the second.

At the front of the binding there are 2 large toe crampons for punching through ice and crusty snow, and levering your way uphill. Behind the binding and attached to t

I bought a pair of Lightning Trail 25s last season for use on established trails where my 30" & 36" mountaineering snowshoes were just a bit of overkill. Even though I weigh considerably more than their upper limit on packed trails it's not a problem, and the dense, late-season snow off-trail only lets me sink about 4-5".

For those of you familiar with MSR snowshoes, the short version of this review is "these are typical MSR snowshoes, with typical MSR snowshoe performance." For everyone else, these snowshoes share the design features and performance of MSR's severe-terrain "Ascent" line, but in a lighter, simplified form that's perfect for established trails and day hiking both on and off trail in rolling terrain.

The first thing you notice is how the frames are made of notched aluminum bar instead of aluminum tubing. This is called the 360 Degree Traction frame, and unlike tubular frames, which rely solely on toe & heel crampons for traction, the MSR frame bites into the snow and provides traction when traveling across slopes.

Next are the toothed braking bars that extend from frame rail to frame rail to provide rigidity and traction when traveling up and down slopes. The 25" models have 2 of these, one directly under the ball of the foot and one under the heel, so there's weight on them whether you're ascending or descending.

The bindings are 3 simple rubber straps that won't absorb water and freeze like woven straps, and are easily manipulated while wearing gloves or