hispixie1974
2007-04-05 02:11:42 UTC
Here's my second attempt at an Owner Review:
TUBBS ADVENTURE 25 WOMEN'S SNOWSHOES
BY JOANNE WALKER
Owner Review
April 4, 2007
TESTER INFORMATION
NAME: Joanne Walker
EMAIL: raymondmom AT msn DOT com
AGE: 50
LOCATION: Moreno Valley, California
GENDER: f
HEIGHT: 5' 2" (1.57 m)
WEIGHT: 160 lb (72.60 kg)
I'm a city girl. I never slept in a tent or wore a backpack until
nine years ago. I became involved in Cub Scouting and it's been
uphill ever since! We camp about 40 to 50 nights a year in locales
ranging from a primitive Baja beach to the Sierras to Southwest
deserts. I also enjoy paddling and the occasional geocache. This
year, my plan is to begin backpacking. Looking at the contents of
my garage, I realize that I need a 12 step program for gear addicts.
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Tubbs Snowshoes
Year of Manufacture: 2005
Manufacturer's Website: <<HYPERLINK GOES HERE -
"http://www.tubbssnowshoes.com/" LINK TEXT = "manufacturer's
website">>
MSRP: n/a
Listed Weight: n/a
Measured Weight: 30 oz (860 g)
The "Adventure" line of snowshoes from Tubbs appears to be
equivalent to the current "Venture" models.
From Tubbs' literature:
" The Tubbs Adventure Series Snowshoes are designed for recreational
hiking and fitness walking. This type of snowshoeing is
characterized by all around recreation on packed, broken trails and
backyard terrain - a low-key environment found on local trails and
parks or in the backyard.
The Adventure Series Snowshoes are designed for the person who wants
good price performance in a recreational snowshoe. The round,
western style tail provides optimum balance and flotation in all
snow conditions.
The women's 21 and 25 models offer:
Ergonomically shaped frames that accomodate a woman's narrower stance
Patented binding designs that are built to a woman's last to custom
fit women's smaller boots sizes 5 - 10
Overall lighter weight
The TDS Control Wing binding
Is easy to use
Wraps around the boot keeping the heel centered for superior
control and balance on uneven terrain
Patented design in men's and women's sizes ensures a secure,
comfortable fit with minimum adjustment
Fixed toe cord keeps the stride effortless on flat, rolling
terrain and packed trails
The aluminum toe and heel crampons add grip underfoot on primarily
packed trails. The toe crampons are attached by a rotating toe cord
to maximize crampon penetration and minimize fatigue in powder or
packed snow conditions
The new TriTec decking material has a unique 3-layer construction
for enhanced durability. Two abrasion resistant waterproof layers
surround double weave fabric making it 15% stronger that industry
standard Hypalon."
For the past three or four years I have wanted to try snowshoeing,
but Southern California remained warm and dry. This year, I finally
purchased snowshoes and went looking for snow.
Product description:
These snowshoes appear to be typical modern western snowshoes.
The length is 26 in (66 cm) and width at widest point is 8 1/4 in
(21 cm). The frame of the shoe is made of a matte black metallic
tubing shaped into an oblong.
The area between the frame is covered by a synthetic material
similar to vinyl. The material is light gray for the rear two
thirds and very dark gray in the front. The edges of the material
have been cut in a triangular sawtooth pattern and the material
points are folded over the frame and fastened together with rivets.
The binding consists of two parts. There is a black, hard plastic
frame which has a three prong toe cup and two rear straps. It is
labeled 'TD91 control wing system'. The other part of the binding
is made of an atrractive red and black webbing. The webbing
connects the three prongs of the toe cup and is tightened with a
light gray plastic buckle. The heel webbing is attached to the
plastic straps by rivets and can be tightened with buckles at two
points, one at the left rear of the heel and the other at the front
right of the ankle. The straps also have a light gray plastic quick
release buckle. There is a black heel plate attached by rivets to
the gray material.
The underside of the snowshoe has crampons attached by rivets.
These look like big metal teeth. The pair of heel crampons measures
3 in (8 cm) long by 2 in (5 cm) high with three teeth each. The toe
crampons are slightly larger. The heel crampons are placed at
about a 60 degree angle outward and the toe crampons are placed
horizontally to the shoe. The crampons are placed about 4 1/2 in
(11 cm) apart. The toe crampons include an additional tooth on each
side. The metal from which the crampons are formed is 1/3 in (.8
cm ) thick. The toe crampon pivots on a metal rod which is attached
to the shoe by a bright red clear coated webbing strap.
FIELD USE
I used these snowshoes during the months of January, February and
March of 2007 in Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. The
elevations ranged from 5500 feet (1676 m ) to 7500 feet ( 2286 m)
and temperatures ranged from 25 F to 65 F ( -4 C to 18 C). I
attempted to use the Tubbs Women's Adventure 25 snowshoes in Arizona
and Utah, but the weather warmed up and the snow melted. My use was
limited to the Sierra Nevadas of Southern California.
My first use of these snowshoes and my first experience with
snowshoes was a ranger led 2 hour hike in the Lodgepole area of
Sequioa National Park in January 2007. The temperature was hovering
around freezing ( 32 F / 0 C) and Lodgepole was the only place in
the park with enough snow to snowshoe. The snow was old and
relatively hard and dry. The other members of the group wore
traditional wooden snowshoes. I found it very easy to walk and turn
in the Tubbs Adventure 25. The hardest part was putting on the
snowshoes, but that was due to my personal health issues that day.
I did find it a bit annoying that the heel strap would slip off
after about 30 minutes, and later learned that I needed to shove the
toe of my boot all the way forward into the bindings. I did not
fall nor did I tire during this first experience.
I was lucky the next month as I arrived at the park the day
after a good snowstorm. The ranger suggested a walk up Morro
Road. There were tracks from one other snowshoer and a cross-
country skier, but otherwise the snow was unbroken. My stride did
not match the broken trail and occasionally I would sink into the
snow up to my knees. I was wearing a light daypack and it appeared
that when walking in soft snow I would need the additional
flotation of a 30 in (76 cm) snowshoe. Although we were walking
along a road, it was steep. I did fall a few times because I
stepped on my shoes. However, there was another problem that slowed
me down. My tracks looked as if I had tennis balls on the bottom of
my feet. Snow was sticking to the crampons on the snowshoes and
clumping up into balls that would reach six to eight in (15 to 20
cm) in diameter. This occurred primarily on my right shoe and
slowed my speed and required that I stop and try to remove the
snow. I spent about two hours snowshoeing that day. The
temperature had ranged from 30 to 40 F ( 0 to 4 C).
The next day, I was outside snowshoeing for five hours. The day
warmed up quite a bit and the snow melted and dripped from the
trees. I was carrying a 17 lb ( 8 kg) pack and taking my turn at
breaking the trail through the 20 in (51 cm) of new snow . I fell
at least once on a steep hill with a narrow trail, but I believe
that was due to my own clumsiness, not the snowshoes. After about
three hours, the snow started clumping to my right snowshoe again.
This was annoying, but I got the hang of banging the shoe with my
trekking pole to dislodge the snow.
When I returned to the lodge, I did some research and learned that
applying vaseline or cooking spray on the crampons would help
prevent the snow from adhering.
The next day, I joined another 2 hour ranger hike. This time, I
had my son wear the Tubbs Adventure 25. Although he is the same
height and shoe size as I am, he is thirteen years old and weighs 65
lbs ( 30 kg)less than I do. I thought perhaps my weight and the
fact that I have a sore right knee was affecting the snowshoe.
Again, after about 90 minutes, I noticed snow balling up under his
right foot. It did not occur on the snowshoes that I wore, nor did
anyone else in the group have this difficulty. I discussed the
problem with the ranger. She owned the same model of Tubbs snowshoe
and had never had the balling problem occur. I mentioned the
possible solution of vaseline or cooking spray, but she responded
that it would be prohibited in a National Park as altering the
natural environment as well as counter to Leave No Trace
principles. We agreed that perhaps ski wax could be used instead of
cooking spray.
Once home, I emailed Tubbs customer support concerning the problem
of snow balling on the crampon of the right shoe. They responded
and suggested using cooking spray. I replied and informed them of
the ranger's comments and again repeated my question concerning the
reason why only the right shoe collected so much snow. I did not
receive a response to my second email.
SUMMARY
A beginner can have fun in these snowshoes. Because of their ease
of use I was encouraged to learn more about snowshoeing. After 11
hours of use, the snowshoes are in excellent condition. As a note,
the other pair of snowshoes used on these trips did pop a rivet on
the last day. I would purchase Tubbs snowshoes again in the future,
but, because I am dissatisfied with their customer service, I will
also purchase other brands. I do not feel any customer loyalty to
Tubbs.
Compliments
Attractive Looks
Bindings are easy to remove.
Comfortable and secure footing.
Durability.
Complaints
Snow clumped up on the crampon.
A narrower tail may eliminate some falls.
Repair instructions were not provided.
I would like to se a repair kit included or available for seperate
purchase.
SIGNATURE
Joanne Walker
TUBBS ADVENTURE 25 WOMEN'S SNOWSHOES
BY JOANNE WALKER
Owner Review
April 4, 2007
TESTER INFORMATION
NAME: Joanne Walker
EMAIL: raymondmom AT msn DOT com
AGE: 50
LOCATION: Moreno Valley, California
GENDER: f
HEIGHT: 5' 2" (1.57 m)
WEIGHT: 160 lb (72.60 kg)
I'm a city girl. I never slept in a tent or wore a backpack until
nine years ago. I became involved in Cub Scouting and it's been
uphill ever since! We camp about 40 to 50 nights a year in locales
ranging from a primitive Baja beach to the Sierras to Southwest
deserts. I also enjoy paddling and the occasional geocache. This
year, my plan is to begin backpacking. Looking at the contents of
my garage, I realize that I need a 12 step program for gear addicts.
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Tubbs Snowshoes
Year of Manufacture: 2005
Manufacturer's Website: <<HYPERLINK GOES HERE -
"http://www.tubbssnowshoes.com/" LINK TEXT = "manufacturer's
website">>
MSRP: n/a
Listed Weight: n/a
Measured Weight: 30 oz (860 g)
The "Adventure" line of snowshoes from Tubbs appears to be
equivalent to the current "Venture" models.
From Tubbs' literature:
" The Tubbs Adventure Series Snowshoes are designed for recreational
hiking and fitness walking. This type of snowshoeing is
characterized by all around recreation on packed, broken trails and
backyard terrain - a low-key environment found on local trails and
parks or in the backyard.
The Adventure Series Snowshoes are designed for the person who wants
good price performance in a recreational snowshoe. The round,
western style tail provides optimum balance and flotation in all
snow conditions.
The women's 21 and 25 models offer:
Ergonomically shaped frames that accomodate a woman's narrower stance
Patented binding designs that are built to a woman's last to custom
fit women's smaller boots sizes 5 - 10
Overall lighter weight
The TDS Control Wing binding
Is easy to use
Wraps around the boot keeping the heel centered for superior
control and balance on uneven terrain
Patented design in men's and women's sizes ensures a secure,
comfortable fit with minimum adjustment
Fixed toe cord keeps the stride effortless on flat, rolling
terrain and packed trails
The aluminum toe and heel crampons add grip underfoot on primarily
packed trails. The toe crampons are attached by a rotating toe cord
to maximize crampon penetration and minimize fatigue in powder or
packed snow conditions
The new TriTec decking material has a unique 3-layer construction
for enhanced durability. Two abrasion resistant waterproof layers
surround double weave fabric making it 15% stronger that industry
standard Hypalon."
For the past three or four years I have wanted to try snowshoeing,
but Southern California remained warm and dry. This year, I finally
purchased snowshoes and went looking for snow.
Product description:
These snowshoes appear to be typical modern western snowshoes.
The length is 26 in (66 cm) and width at widest point is 8 1/4 in
(21 cm). The frame of the shoe is made of a matte black metallic
tubing shaped into an oblong.
The area between the frame is covered by a synthetic material
similar to vinyl. The material is light gray for the rear two
thirds and very dark gray in the front. The edges of the material
have been cut in a triangular sawtooth pattern and the material
points are folded over the frame and fastened together with rivets.
The binding consists of two parts. There is a black, hard plastic
frame which has a three prong toe cup and two rear straps. It is
labeled 'TD91 control wing system'. The other part of the binding
is made of an atrractive red and black webbing. The webbing
connects the three prongs of the toe cup and is tightened with a
light gray plastic buckle. The heel webbing is attached to the
plastic straps by rivets and can be tightened with buckles at two
points, one at the left rear of the heel and the other at the front
right of the ankle. The straps also have a light gray plastic quick
release buckle. There is a black heel plate attached by rivets to
the gray material.
The underside of the snowshoe has crampons attached by rivets.
These look like big metal teeth. The pair of heel crampons measures
3 in (8 cm) long by 2 in (5 cm) high with three teeth each. The toe
crampons are slightly larger. The heel crampons are placed at
about a 60 degree angle outward and the toe crampons are placed
horizontally to the shoe. The crampons are placed about 4 1/2 in
(11 cm) apart. The toe crampons include an additional tooth on each
side. The metal from which the crampons are formed is 1/3 in (.8
cm ) thick. The toe crampon pivots on a metal rod which is attached
to the shoe by a bright red clear coated webbing strap.
FIELD USE
I used these snowshoes during the months of January, February and
March of 2007 in Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. The
elevations ranged from 5500 feet (1676 m ) to 7500 feet ( 2286 m)
and temperatures ranged from 25 F to 65 F ( -4 C to 18 C). I
attempted to use the Tubbs Women's Adventure 25 snowshoes in Arizona
and Utah, but the weather warmed up and the snow melted. My use was
limited to the Sierra Nevadas of Southern California.
My first use of these snowshoes and my first experience with
snowshoes was a ranger led 2 hour hike in the Lodgepole area of
Sequioa National Park in January 2007. The temperature was hovering
around freezing ( 32 F / 0 C) and Lodgepole was the only place in
the park with enough snow to snowshoe. The snow was old and
relatively hard and dry. The other members of the group wore
traditional wooden snowshoes. I found it very easy to walk and turn
in the Tubbs Adventure 25. The hardest part was putting on the
snowshoes, but that was due to my personal health issues that day.
I did find it a bit annoying that the heel strap would slip off
after about 30 minutes, and later learned that I needed to shove the
toe of my boot all the way forward into the bindings. I did not
fall nor did I tire during this first experience.
I was lucky the next month as I arrived at the park the day
after a good snowstorm. The ranger suggested a walk up Morro
Road. There were tracks from one other snowshoer and a cross-
country skier, but otherwise the snow was unbroken. My stride did
not match the broken trail and occasionally I would sink into the
snow up to my knees. I was wearing a light daypack and it appeared
that when walking in soft snow I would need the additional
flotation of a 30 in (76 cm) snowshoe. Although we were walking
along a road, it was steep. I did fall a few times because I
stepped on my shoes. However, there was another problem that slowed
me down. My tracks looked as if I had tennis balls on the bottom of
my feet. Snow was sticking to the crampons on the snowshoes and
clumping up into balls that would reach six to eight in (15 to 20
cm) in diameter. This occurred primarily on my right shoe and
slowed my speed and required that I stop and try to remove the
snow. I spent about two hours snowshoeing that day. The
temperature had ranged from 30 to 40 F ( 0 to 4 C).
The next day, I was outside snowshoeing for five hours. The day
warmed up quite a bit and the snow melted and dripped from the
trees. I was carrying a 17 lb ( 8 kg) pack and taking my turn at
breaking the trail through the 20 in (51 cm) of new snow . I fell
at least once on a steep hill with a narrow trail, but I believe
that was due to my own clumsiness, not the snowshoes. After about
three hours, the snow started clumping to my right snowshoe again.
This was annoying, but I got the hang of banging the shoe with my
trekking pole to dislodge the snow.
When I returned to the lodge, I did some research and learned that
applying vaseline or cooking spray on the crampons would help
prevent the snow from adhering.
The next day, I joined another 2 hour ranger hike. This time, I
had my son wear the Tubbs Adventure 25. Although he is the same
height and shoe size as I am, he is thirteen years old and weighs 65
lbs ( 30 kg)less than I do. I thought perhaps my weight and the
fact that I have a sore right knee was affecting the snowshoe.
Again, after about 90 minutes, I noticed snow balling up under his
right foot. It did not occur on the snowshoes that I wore, nor did
anyone else in the group have this difficulty. I discussed the
problem with the ranger. She owned the same model of Tubbs snowshoe
and had never had the balling problem occur. I mentioned the
possible solution of vaseline or cooking spray, but she responded
that it would be prohibited in a National Park as altering the
natural environment as well as counter to Leave No Trace
principles. We agreed that perhaps ski wax could be used instead of
cooking spray.
Once home, I emailed Tubbs customer support concerning the problem
of snow balling on the crampon of the right shoe. They responded
and suggested using cooking spray. I replied and informed them of
the ranger's comments and again repeated my question concerning the
reason why only the right shoe collected so much snow. I did not
receive a response to my second email.
SUMMARY
A beginner can have fun in these snowshoes. Because of their ease
of use I was encouraged to learn more about snowshoeing. After 11
hours of use, the snowshoes are in excellent condition. As a note,
the other pair of snowshoes used on these trips did pop a rivet on
the last day. I would purchase Tubbs snowshoes again in the future,
but, because I am dissatisfied with their customer service, I will
also purchase other brands. I do not feel any customer loyalty to
Tubbs.
Compliments
Attractive Looks
Bindings are easy to remove.
Comfortable and secure footing.
Durability.
Complaints
Snow clumped up on the crampon.
A narrower tail may eliminate some falls.
Repair instructions were not provided.
I would like to se a repair kit included or available for seperate
purchase.
SIGNATURE
Joanne Walker