Redfeather Hike Snowshoes Initial Report

Personal Information:
Name:  Christine Korhonen
Age:  30
Gender:  female
Height:  5’4” (1.6 m)
Weight:  165 lb (75 kg)
Shoe size:  women’s 8½ (EU 39)
E-mail:  chris@wormguy.com
Location:  Western Montana
Date:  November 30, 2003

Backpacking Background:
I recently moved to Montana where I’m becoming re-acquainted with winter.  Now that I’m back in the North I’m attempting some winter camping and snowshoeing.  I’m a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice.  I’ve gotten my summer multi-day pack weight down to 13 lb
(6 kg), but winter backpacking is still new to me, and my winter pack weight hovers around 35 lb (16 kg). 

Snowshoe Experience:
I grew up using wood and rawhide snowshoes.  I could never go far because the snowshoes were so wide I was constantly tripping myself.  I’ve used aluminum frame snowshoes a few times but know little about this kind of snowshoe.

Product Information:
Manufacturer:  Redfeather Snowshoes
URL:  www.redfeather.com
Product/Model:  Hike Series H30
MSRP:  $119 US
Weight listed on hangtag:  3 lb (1.4 kg)
Weight listed on website:  3.7 lb (1.7 kg)
Measured weight:  3.8 lb (1.7 kg)
Listed strength:  supports up to 220 lb (100 kg)
Measured dimensions:  30 in (76 cm) long, 9 in (23 cm) at widest point

Packaging:
The Hike snowshoes were accompanied by a glossy hangtag and photocopied snowshoeing guide.  The hangtag has pictures of the Hike snowshoe, descriptions of its features, specifications of the four models in the Hike series, and information on the Redfeather warranty.  The specifications on the hangtag are different from those listed on the Redfeather website.  The hangtag lists the Hike H30’s weight at 3 lb (1.4 kg).  The website lists its weight at 3.7 lb (1.7 kg), but incorrectly converts this to 1.4 kg (3 lb).  When I weighed the snowshoes, they came in at 3.8 lb (1.7 kg).  At the time of this report most of the metric conversions listed on the Redfeather website were incorrect. 

The snowshoeing guide consists of six pages describing the Redfeather story, product line, warranty, and the who, what, where, when, why and how of snowshoeing.  For me, the most important information was found on the last page, titled “Accessories.”  Under the subheading “Bindings” and hidden in the middle of the page are instructions on how to fit the snowshoes.

Snowshoe Description:
The frame for the Redfeather Hike snowshoes is made from hollow ⅞” (22 mm) diameter aluminum tubing.  The frame is shaped in a rough oval, over which black decking is stretched.  The decking folds over the frame and is riveted back on itself.  The rivets are each stamped with a picture of a feather.  The frame of the Hike H30 model is 30” (76 cm) long and 9” (23 cm) wide at the hinge, the snowshoe’s widest point.  At this point the aluminum frame bends up at a 45-degree angle, and there is a large (4” x 6” [10 cm x 15 cm]) semi-circle cutout in the decking.

Live Action Hinge:  The hinge is a ⅛” (3 mm) thick strip of rubber that is 1½” (38 mm) wide and extends the width of the snowshoe.  The rubber is folded over the frame and attached in the same manner as the decking but using larger rivets.  The front footbed and front crampon are bolted together through the center of the hinge.  When the snowshoes are worn, the ball of the foot rests on the front footbed over the hinge.  The toes pass through the semicircular cutout in the decking, which is raised by the 45-degree angle of the frame.  With each step, the back of the footbed pivots up, the hinge twists at its center and the crampon is pushed down into the snow.  At the conclusion of the step, the rubber hinge springs back.  The ability of the hinge to snap back is what gives the hinge its “Live Action.”
 
Footbed:  There are two separate sections to the footbed, the front and the heel.  Both sections are made of grey injection-molded polyurethane.  The front footbed is 4¾” x 2½ ” (12 cm x 6.4 cm) and displays the trademark Feather in relief along with the letter R or L designating side.  The heel plate is 2¼”x 3¼” (5.7 cm x 8.3 cm).  It has raised striations to provide traction and is separated from the front section by a 1¾” (4.5 cm) gap.  The front footbed is bolted to the hinge along its forward edge.  The back edge of the footbed is not attached to the snowshoe, and because of this the front footbed is free to pivot at the hinge.  The heel bed is immobile and bolted to the snowshoe decking and back crampon.  

Stainless steel crampons:  There are two stainless steel crampons on each Hike snowshoe.  The front crampon is located directly below the hinge and front edge of the footbed.  This crampon is 2” (5 cm) long and 4” (10 cm) wide.  There are three sets of teeth on the front crampon:  four 1½” (3.8 cm) long teeth along the front edge, and one 1¼” (3.2 cm) long tooth along either side.  The back crampon is smaller than the front and trapezoid-shaped, 2” (5 cm) long by 3” (8 cm) wide at the front by 2” (5 cm) wide at the rear.  The back crampon has three 1” (2.5 cm) long teeth along either side.

Rounded Western Tail:  The Hike snowshoe does not have a rudder, but instead tapers to 7” (18 cm), only two inches (5 cm) narrower than the snowshoe’s widest point, before rounding and completing the oval shape.

All Terrain Bindings (ATB):  These bindings consist of 1” (2.5 cm) nylon webbing and molded rubber supports.  The nylon webbing is attached to the molded rubber, and the rubber is attached to the front footbed.  The footbed is situated on top of the rubber and in contact with my boot.  From a top view, there appears to be two pieces of the molded rubber:  the toe support and the instep support.  However, there is actually only one piece, and both of these sections are connected under the front footbed. 

The toe support consists of two 3” x 3½” (7.6 cm x 8.9 cm) sections of molded rubber which emerge from either side of the front half of the footbed.  A 14” (36 cm) piece of nylon webbing connects the two sides of the toe support over the foot.  The webbing is fed through a ladder lock buckle, which allows tightening of the toe support.  The inside of the toe support has the letter R or L to designate side. 

The instep support consists of two sections of molded rubber which emerge from the back of the footbed.  These sections are T-shaped, 2” (5 cm) wide at the bottom by 4½” (11 cm) tall by 4” (10 cm) long at the top.  A 24” (61 cm) strip of webbing connects the toe support and the two sides of the instep support in a Z-pattern.  A third 16” (41 cm) strip of webbing wraps around the back of the heel.  As with the toe support, there are ladder lock buckles  to adjust the tightness of the instep and heel webbing.  These buckles are thicker than ones I am familiar with and light yellow instead of black, making them easy to see.  The ATB bindings are patent pending by Redfeather snowshoes. 

Snowshoe Use: 
Using the Hike snowshoes was easy.  I put my boot on the footbed, tightened down the straps and walked.

Putting on the snowshoes:  My foot slid into the bindings easily, though I needed to position the back heel strap with my fingers.  The instructions recommend tightening the front strap first, then the heel, and then the instep.  My women’s 8½ (EU 39) size feet don’t take up much room in the bindings.  My heel rests squarely on the heel bed while my toe protrudes 2½” (6.4 cm) over the edge.  I have to tighten the toe strap all the way down, but there is a little give left in the other two straps.  There is plenty of webbing, and when the snowshoes are tight there is enough extra webbing to hang over the edge of the snowshoes.  Plastic rings are attached to the bindings to take up some of the extra webbing at the toe and inseam.

Walking in the snowshoes:  The Redfeather Hike snowshoes are designed for recreational hiking and casual walking for people new to snowshoeing.  Though these snowshoes looked huge coming out of the box, they didn’t feel clumsy on my feet.  I was able to walk normally with the snowshoes on and not trip myself.  The width of the snowshoes was comfortable and didn’t force me to take an extra-wide stance.  During the time I had the snowshoes on, I didn’t notice their weight.  I was able to walk on deep powder and up a steep incline, both things I was not able to do without the snowshoes.  One difficulty I had with the snowshoes was turning around in deep powder snow.  Another was ice forming on the heel bed under my boot.

Test Plan: 
In the coming months, I will test the Redfeather Hike snowshoes on day hikes and backpacking trips along the Continental Divide and on other snowshoeing trails in Montana.  I will test the snowshoes alone and with hiking poles.  I will concentrate on the All Terrain Bindings, focusing on their ease of use, comfort, and stability.  I will see if the extra length in the straps poses a tripping danger.  I will assess the Live Action Hinge to see if the action feels smooth and ergonomic.   I will also look at the crampons and Rounded Western Tail to see if these features offer superior traction and maximum flotation.