Casacde Mountain Tech Expedition Path Snowshoes Overview

Cascade Mountain Tech, the corporate that broke the trekking pole market by promoting cheap high-quality trekking poles on Amazon and at Walmart, now presents cheap snowshoes that value one-half to one-third of the value of identify manufacturers like MSR, Atlas, or Tubbs. Bundled with snowshoe poles, winter pole baskets, and a equipment bag, their Expedition Path Snowshoe package deal is an affordable package deal that’s enticing for newbies to make use of on pre-established trails. The satan is within the particulars nevertheless and we predict you’d be higher off giving this package deal a move. You may get a a lot increased high quality pair of snowshoes for not rather more.

Specs at a look

• Mannequin examined: 25″ Expedition Path Snowshoes
• Weight / Pair 4 lbs 1.4 oz
• Snowshoeing poles: three-section twist lock, with optionally available snow baskets and rubber ideas
• Equipment bag: included
• Materials: Anodized Aluminum w/ plastic decking
• Televators: No

Building

These Cascade Mountain Tech Expedition Path Snowshoes have a traditional teardrop form that’s huge in entrance and tapered within the again. The plastic decking is riveted to the aluminum body, with a hinged entrance crampon beneath the ball of the foot and a braking crampon beneath the heel. The flotation is completely sufficient for pre-established snowshoeing trails which were packed down with use however the decking on the 25″ mannequin doesn’t present the diploma of flotation you’d count on on 25″ snowshoes. I used to be stunned at how restricted they have been in powder or on crusty snow.

As well as, with regards to hill climbing, these snowshoes should not have televator bars to alleviate calf pressure when mountain climbing on inclines, limiting their applicability to softly rolling terrain until you’re prepared to suck it up and climb uphill with them anyway.

Binding

The Expedition Path snowshoes have a three-strap binding which incorporates two prime straps that shut with consumer-friendly ratchet buckles and a conventional rear ski strap to lock within the heel. The highest straps are massive sufficient to accommodate high-volume Pac boots, however the binding doesn’t restrict how far ahead you set your boots into it. It is a fascinating characteristic on snowshoes designed for inexperienced customers.

For instance, should you examine the Expedition’s binding with the Paragon binding on MSR Lightning Ascent, or the inexpensive Atlas Helium Path Snowshoes, their bindings are designed to make sure that your boots are optimally positioned each time by limiting how far ahead you may place your boots. That is more and more widespread in snowshoe design.

There’s additionally a rear strap on the expedition Path that holds your heel in place and prevents the boot from shifting again within the binding and falling out. It appears a little bit quick and doesn’t have loads of slack to accommodate large-sized boots. Cascade Mountain Tech doesn’t publish a shoe sizing information for the Expedition Path snowshoes and whereas my measurement males’s 11 boots match tremendous, I do marvel if the identical could possibly be mentioned for a measurement 13 or increased, together with bigger and longer pac boots. They’ve one other set of comparable snowshoes that solely go as much as a measurement 12…however your guess is pretty much as good as mine about bigger sizes.

Crampons

The Expedition Path’s entrance crampon is serrated with entrance, again, and facet enamel, offering a very good chunk on crusty snow or ice, whereas offering good lateral stability. It’s completely appropriate for mountain climbing on snow-covered trails and intermittent ice, though the entrance crampon is on the quick facet and simply blunted if you might want to stroll over naked rock. The rear crampon is designed for braking on slopes and helps stop the snowshoe from fishtailing on slippery surfaces, however can also be simply blunted.

Cascade doesn’t record the fabric that these snowshoes crampons are made with; nevertheless they use an aluminum crampon on the entrance and a metal crampon on the rear on their dearer fashions, so it looks as if a secure assumption that they do the identical right here.  Aluminum crampons put on down rapidly and I wouldn’t suggest them for snowshoes that may be utilized in combined rock and snow situations. They received’t final.

Snowshoe Poles

The Expedition Path Snowshoe Equipment features a pair of 3-section, 135cm twist lock snowshoe poles with carbide ideas, rubber grips, and adjustable webbing wrist straps. Snow baskets, a must have for winter use, and rubber ideas are additionally included. These poles are sufficient, however nothing to write down house about.

Evaluation

I made a decision to evaluate these Expedition Path Snowshoes due to Cascade Mountain Tech’s popularity for producing high-quality however low-cost trekking poles. High quality snowshoes have gotten actually costly and I hoped to supply my readers with a suitable value-based different. Sadly the outdated adage, “you get what you pay for” rings true for the Expedition Path Snowshoes.

Whereas the low worth level ($113) for this entire equipment is enticing, I’m not wowed by their lack of flotation in comparison with different 25″ snowshoes, lack of sizing and materials info, and modest crampon measurement. Whereas this snowshoe package deal could possibly be utilized by newbies on pre-established snowshoe trails, I feel you’d be significantly better off spending one other $37 bucks for a low-cost however a lot higher-quality snowshoe just like the Atlas Helium Path ($50) that has significantly better flotation, carbon metal crampons, a better to make use of binding system, and televators. That’s a product that may present a few years of rugged use and be rather more pleasurable to make use of.

Disclosure: Cascade Mountain Tech donated snowshoes for this evaluate.

SectionHiker is reader-supported. We independently analysis, take a look at, and price the most effective merchandise. We solely become profitable if you buy a product by our affiliate hyperlinks. Assist us proceed to check and write unsponsored and impartial gear critiques, newbie FAQs, and free mountain climbing guides.