Review of Tubbs Flex Alps Snowshoes

Rating: Very Good

List Price: $240

Purchase: Purchase at Tubbs Web Site - Also available at most hiking stores

Durability: Very Good
Bindings: Fair
Grip going uphill: Excellent
Grip going downhill: Very Good

Mens Weight: 4.5 / 5.0 lbs
Mens Sizes: 8" x 24" / 8" x 28"
Mens Colors: Orange / Black
Mens Max Weight: 190 / 220 lbs

Womens Weight: 4.0 lbs
Womens Sizes: 8" x 22"
Womens Colors: Blue / Black
Womens Max Weight: 250 lbs

Summary:
Most hikers really like these snowshoes. They are very functional and durable. The plastic decking seems to have just the right formula to be rigid, but durable. The crampon on the toes are as good as you can get. They can go up just about anything. We also like the metal bars on the side. The MSR Lightning snowshoes seem to have a slight edge on going downhill over the Tubbs Flex Alps. The shape of the plastic deck seems to work well. We do wish that they had extension tails for deep snow. After a big snow storm they sink in further then we would like. The binding could use some improvement. But, all the manufactures have poor bindings. These snowshoes also have a heel lift that makes it easier to walk uphill without stretching your ACL to the breaking point. One of our female staffers has tested these snowshoes for over five years, and she likes them a lot. She weighs 125 lbs, so she is quite a ways from the maximum weight limit. We don't know how they would hold up with a heavier hiker over time.

Things we DIDN'T like:
Bindings - Are a disappointment for just about all hikers. It is difficult to get your toe into the front of the bindings. Then it is even harder to tighten down the front of the binding. And, the rear strap is just horrible. Everyone struggles with them. Form some odd reason everyone has a difficult time adjusting the rear strap. Not sure how to get it adjusted to the hole in the strap. But, to be fair, every manufacture of snowshoes has poor bindings. Not sure what it is going to take to get someone to engineer some good bindings.

Size of snowshoes - For men, the longest snowshoe is 28". This is far too short for fresh deep snow. It sucks all the energy out of your body. For women it is even worse. They can only buy 22" snowshoes. It would be nice if they had an extension tail that you could just slide out to make them longer.

Things we DID like:
Plastic Top - Is quite durable. Some of the other manufactures of snowshoes had breakage issues. These snowshoes seem to keep their flexibility without breaking. We tested the women's version for over 5 years, and they still look great. Over time they do wear out, but it does take a lot of snowshoeing to wear them out. We are very pleased with them.

Grip bars & Crampon - The cramp on on the toe are excellent. Not problem going up the steepest slopes. The side bars are also excellent for going uphill. The MSR Lightning snowshoes seem to be better at going downhill then the Tubbs Flex Alps. But, they only have a slight advantage.

Heel lift bar - The lift bar on the heel worked well. But, we do wish they had it spring loaded to snap up with a push of your hiking poles. And, push it again to push it back down permanently. But, now other manufacture is doing that either.

Side view of snowshoes

Metal grips bars and crampon

Links and References:

Tubbs Snowshoes

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