Yukon Charlie Snowshoes

anyone have opinions on them? - I need a new pair and they are very reasonable price wise. I don't use them enough to justify a 200 dollar pair.

Have 2 pair for several years

I haven't had any problems with them although I am on them only several times a year. I also haven't used many others so I can't compare much. One friend (who does have more to compare against) bought 8 pair for his boy scout troop after he saw mine. I just bought another pair as a gift yesterday. At $70 with adjustable poles included, it is quite a deal. I do always carry repair equipment (wire-ties and duct tape).

For those that don't know what we are talking about, these are sold at Sam's Club (perhaps elsewhere) and come in 3 sizes 21" (Blue), 25 (red), and 30" (gold). They have fastex type buckles, and decent cleats underfoot. They only have them seasonally and they do sell out.

Yukon Charlies

I've rented them in the past from Ramsey Outdoors before I bought my MSR Denali Ascents. I liked them, never had a problem. Good starter shoe. Got me into the woods in the winter. You'll likely want to upgrade to a more aggressive crampon if you decide to climb on steeper terrain (which was one of the main reasons I ended up buying the MSRs).

shoes

They are low end and thats putting it nicely. If you think you wont go out much and your willing to upgrade if you do go out alot, then go for it, but if you want to buy a pair that will perform well and LAST dont buy them, imo.

probably should have added that low use means that plan to use them on approaches and take them off at treeline. Basically, I will use them when I have to. basically, I won't be going snowshoeing for fun in the woods - just as a means to get me from parking lot to treeline - then the crampons go on

thanks

Bought my pair 2 or 3 winters ago. Was amazed at the low price, workmanship and guarantee that beats the others. Have used them on countless winter hikes with steep elevation ascents/decents. They perform great, and I'm completely satisfied. Save a hundred, buy them, you'll love them!

I also bought the U.C. thick denier carrying bag. It holds the shoes and my Grivel G-10's nicely.

A friend recevied these as a gift several years ago. He never used them. I asked to borrow them last winter and when we pulled them out of the shed they were falling apart. The plastic was brittle, both the bindings and the lacing holding the decking on were ruined.

I keep looking at them to this day since I don't use snowshoes much and the price is appealing, but I just couldn't trust them. An old friend of mine used to say "You soon forget the price of quality equipment, but low cost will always keep reminding you".

Tony

Aren't they made by Tubbs? Just with a different product name for a specific chain store?

My brother & I have these snowshoes & have used them during a few Winters with little trouble. I did have a rivet on a binding come lose & sent it back for repair. A few weeks later I was sent a complete new binding.

I bought a pair a few years ago and have used them 5-6 times in the ADK's on a few of the 46. I have not experienced any problems with them....if fact the bindings seem to work better than the bindings on the Tubbs I rented for the kids from the Loj. I suppose if you use them every weekend it might be a different story....but for what I've used them for so far they've been good and the price was great....I still covet the MSR's when I see them tho...... ah, some day......

Just a few quick questions? Does anyone use plastic boots with their snowshoes? Do they feel too heavy after a while (5-8) miles? What are your thoughts here? Thanks

giggy said:

. . . basically, I won't be going snowshoeing for fun in the woods - just as a means to get me from parking lot to treeline . . .

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One might argue that getting from parking lot to treeline might for most of us comprise 100% of fun related snowshoe use. Certainly this is the most typical use of snowshoes while hiking where strong construction, reliability and durability issues come into play, yes?

Trout said:

Do [does] anyone use plastic boots with their snowshoes? Are they too heavy after a while (5-8) miles?

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Well, absolutely some people do (often) use plastic boots with snowshoes - I myself did so just yesterday for what seemed like a few miles. They are pretty much the same weight after 5-8 miles than they were at the beginning, unless parts have fallen off or the use has allowed ice to build up unchecked. To answer your intended question, there is always a compromise at play between safety, utility, and weight when it comes to winter footwear/gear. Often on ambitious winter hiking/peakbagging outings, that compromise makes quite appropriate the use of plastic boots and snowshoes together for many miles, yes.

When I made the move from wooden snowshoes to ones with crampons, I tried Tubbs then Atlas, returned both, then decided to give Yukon Charlies a go. I had my doubts when I bought 'em, but they are the best so far...they show some wear after 2-3 years, but I use them a lot...from snowshoeing on the fields behind my house to winter excursions to Baxter and other places.

I've found that on steep rocky trails, they do fine.

I have a pair of 36" Yukon Charlies and they have performed well for me over the past year. My brother has a pair of 30" and he likes how they've worked. He had a problem with a rivet that was working loose and sent back the piece with the bad rivet and they replaced the whole piece quickly with no fuss. I don't use em a ton but they sure have good grip, stay on, and have performed well for me.

Yukons

Giggy

The co. is out of Plymoth MA. They make snowshoes for Sam's, some LL Beans, & a few other outdoor stores. Not sure of the history but I found a pair in Boston that caught my eye & had an Axis Extreme label on them out of Pocasset MA w/ a tel #.
That # is the same as Yukon Charlies??? If you want, here it is,
1 866 sno shoe
They also have a web site w/ their models on it. The shoes they make for LL Bean are not the same as the ones they sell, so..........be careful! They must have several different ones out there. Hope that helps.

Tom

Snowshoes

Our local Wal*Mart (Brunswick, Maine) sells YC Snowsholes & also a store called Reny's Dept Store.

Llb!

Welp, I gotta tell ya, I bought my wife a pair of LL Bean snow shoes last winter (she has yet to use them!). And after looking at Yukon Charlies, I can say with some certainty that LLb is getting their lower model shoes from Yukon, or from Yukons manufacturer. I saw a pair in EMS (under a different name) as well. So I'd say they are a good entry level snow shoe. LLB slaps their lifetime warentee on them. How bad can they be? As long as they are not "Stellar snowshoes". Those are really cheap and terrible quality!.

We bought a pole / snowshoe Yukon Charlie package from Sam's club ($60) to be used by my wife for the couple of trips she will make in winter. I use an aggressive pair of Tubbs, and I must say the Yukon C's worked very well for her. The bindings were easy to fit to her boot and there was enough adjustment for all sizes that may be required. I can not say the same for the poles (garbage). One pole we had to fix many times and the baskets do not remain on. At the end of the season, Sam's Club normally clears them out. I would give the Yukon C snowshoes a thumbs-up.

Yukon Charlies Snowshoes

After a stellar review from a friend who's tried many brands, I got a pair of Yukon Charlie's 930's (Wal-Mart - NH) for $75. I started snowshoeing this past 12/27 and liked them so much I wanted a second set to have friends join me. I found the Atlas 1030's locally marked down to $120, (from $260) and thought this was a no brainer.

I now prefer the Atlas; they'rer somewhat lighter, and with their suspension system of the bindings "softer" on my feet. However for the regular price difference the YC's are clearly much more for the money; look more rugged and I've gotta say I prefer their bindings in that - once adjusted - they go on and off easier. True, the Atlas binding is nice, but it results in a big floppy loop of webbing, and once iced up takes a bit of dexterity to loosen.

Today will be my 15th trip - in 6 weeks. Gotta enjoy this snow while it lasts!

Peter from Plymouth, MA