Courtesy of Tubbs Ambassador, Lyndon
One of the odd things about testing gear is packing for a trip and reaching for something that you know won’t perform as well as what you’d normally use. I do my best to keep an open mind and hope to be surprised, but I find myself doing this quite often when testing snowshoes. The silver-lining in this is that by testing other snowshoes, I can rest assured that I have been giving good advice to other snowshoers. And as my third season as a Tubbs ambassador comes to an end, I find myself even more impressed with the FLEX VRT!
I posted my first review of the FLEX VRT a year ago. The time spent using my VRTs since writing that review has continued to increase my appreciation for the VRT’s design. In my opinion, the VRT is the best all around snowshoe out there and has the best binding system of any snowshoe I’ve seen or used.
Rather than repost my points from my first review, which can still be read on the Tubbs blog (Gear Review: Tubbs Flex VRT Snowshoes), I’d like to just add a few observations here as an update, after my third season of using the FLEX VRT:
The Best All Around Snowshoe
Prior to this year, I had mostly used the FLEX VRT in a backcountry setting. I assumed that if I was snowshoeing on groomed or packed trails, I’d likely prefer to use a different model, quite possibly something that weighed less since the snowshoe would not need all of the features that make the FLEX VRT stand out. Even hiking on groomed trails I realized that I really like these features (BOA bindings, aggressive traction, heel lift) and they make my experience on the trail more enjoyable. Whether I’m headed out to break trail on a backcountry adventure, hitting Okemo’s Nordic Center with the family, or seeking out the steepest trails I can find, the FLEX VRT is my first choice!
The FLEX VRT – not only for backcountry use
The Best Binding System
This season, I worked several snowshoeing events at Okemo Mountain Resort, helped a youth group earn their snowshoeing merit badges, and hit the trail several times on my own.
The next generation of snowshoe enthusiasts
Personally, I used 5 different models of snowshoes from 3 different manufacturers. All-in-all, I snowshoed with close to 40 different people, helping many of them adjust their snowshoes of different makes and models, using many different binding systems. Seeing others struggle with their binding systems and trying to help them work through their problems reinforced my initial impression of DynamicFit: it is the best binding system out there.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’d say my point is this… If it’s time to replace your old snowshoes or if you’ve grown tired of your current binding system, look at the Flex VRTs, whether your preferred terrain is an unbroken trail in the backcountry or a groomed trail system at your local Nordic center, you won’t be disappointed.