The Redfeather Hike Snowshoes have proven to be durable thus far.  I tested them on 4 separate day-hikes, or better yet, they tested my endurance.  The first test was a 5 mile (8 km) hike in loose powder-snow about 9 inches (23 cm) deep.  I was exhausted by the end of my hike, my beard covered with ice particles and my pant legs frozen stiff, but I was not cold as long as I exerted myself.

            I had to stop 3 times to replenish sagging strength by eating and drinking.  The last stop left me pretty chilled, I enjoyed running in the shoes to get warmed up again.  The most enjoyable task was to climb hills.  The built-in crampons dug into the snow covered hillsides.  I felt invincible as the shoes allowed me to defy gravity with the greatest of ease.   In the powdery snow I found that descents could be skied, kinda, only of  I leaned back onto the tail of the shoe taking as much pressure off of the crampons as possible.  It wasn't highly effective because the teeth would eventually catch.  Each descent was "skied" then in short bursts.  It was fun.  After I learned to ski and slide down the hills with the shoes, I tried applying a cross-country ski stride to the flat stretches and met with a bit of success. 

            My last test-hike was also 5 miles (8 km) through drifts that maxed out at about 1 foot 9 inches (53 cm).   Outside of the scenery, the flatland sections of this hike in deep powdery snow were strenuous, tedious and a bit boring.  My snowshoes, like any other would in these conditions, sank like rocks.  At the bottom, they rode on a compressed layer of about 2 inches (5 cm).  Each step, picking up, my feet brought with them snow stacked on top.  The one good thing was the snowshoes cleared the snow in front of me allowing me to wear cotton bluejeans (definitely not the thing to do on a longer hike) in the snow without them getting wet.  When my hike was over that day and I was back at the car, I went for a walk in the deep snow without the snowshoes.  My pant legs became soaked in minutes.

            On the hikes,  the snowshoes never left my feet of their own volition.  After one or two steep and rigorous climbs though, the ATB bindings were loose enough to effect my stride and required tightening .  On the first couple of test-hikes, the bindings made my feet feel centered on the shoes, almost as if they were a natural extension of my body.  The last hike saw my right foot slightly off-center on the shoe for the duration of my hike, i.e. my foot would was not perfectly on the target pattern.  Without the manual in hand, I was unable to completely correct the problem.  It was only a minor irritation.

My Likes:

• Each shoe is clearly identified as "L" for left, or "R" for right
• The crampons
• Bindings are fairly easy to tighten      

• Bindings are tough to get into and out of
• In deep powder snow, I might prefer the pointed ends of the Ojibwa style snowshoes which do not track large amounts of snow  or perhaps snowshoes with a bigger footprint
• Need to re-read the manual to ensure proper fit and centering.

Paul AT qtm DOT net (primary)
ElTorro AT BackPacker DOT com 

Backpacking Background: 

            I grew up on a farm and have been hiking for 25 years. In the past 11 years, I've been on several multi-night backpack expeditions. In 2002, I spent 7.5 months hiking roughly 2 thousand miles of the Appalachian Trail (AT). In 2003 I hiked 350 miles on the North Country Trail (NCT) through Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Other outdoor activities within the last 20 years have included rock-climbing, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, ice fishing and cycling. Although I have a paralyzed hand which limits my ability to paddle, I've ridden inside a canoe on the Green River through Canyon Lands National Park in Utah.

            My hiking style is lightweight but I carry the gear needed to be comfortable. Currently my base pack weight ranges near 20 lb (9 kg). On the AT, I carried only a sylnylon poncho tarp that measured 3 x 8 feet (0.9 x 2.4 m). On the North Country Trail I used an 8 x 10 foot (2.4 x 3 m) silnylon tarp, with 1 hiking staff, an alcohol stove and a titanium pot. My synthetic sleeping bag continues to be the heaviest item in my pack. One day I will purchase a down sleeping bag.

Where I Recreate: 

            The terrain of Southwest Michigan ranges from the sand dunes of coastal Lake Michigan to inland forests, meadows, marshes and bogs. The highest point in Michigan is Mount Arvon at 1,979 feet (603 meters) above sea level. The average elevation throughout the state is about 900 feet (274 meters), according to Netstate.com.

            Temperatures in Michigan range from an average winter low of 17° F (-8° C) to an average summer high of 81° F (27° C). The highest temperature ever recorded was 104° F (40° C) and the lowest temperature ever recorded was -21° F (-29° C), according to the Midwest Regional Climate Center's website. We have quite a few lakes here in Michigan; summers are humid and sticky.