Does anybody know anything about snowshoes? CampMor has a lot on sale. Do I need gaiters and poles too? What's more awkward — too long or too short? Are those bindings as chintzy as they look? What's the top of the line brand and model, and what do they cost (benchmark). What are the odds I will buy these and it won't snow? Or it will snow, a lot, and I will disappear into a snowdrift, to be found again around Easter? Is this just one more dumb thing to buy that I don't need?

Patrick,
I cannot honestly forecast the weather in NW CT. In the Portland, ME area we just got about 5 inches along the coast. Not enough to really snowshoe, and it's fast turning to ice.

A few years ago I ordered a pair of Tubbs shoeshoes from REI when we were living in Switzerland. The French call them 'raquettes.' Fancy that, as if they were involved in gambling or prostitution? I had looked online to see if Alden made anything in shell cordovan, but no luck. I'd always wanted wood and gut snowshoes, the true Trad version, as sold at O'Connells, but once you get walking through deep snow one appreciates the lesser weight of aluminum.

Anyway, I did some research and found the Tubbs to be good quality, and they seem to do the job. What you need to decide what shape you need and factor in your weight. A short, round bearpaw is useful if you're walking in the woods. If you're likely to be in open country a longer shoe is more advantageous as it spreads your weight out.

In the past I didn't use poles, but I recently bought a set, not yet used, to ease the way. I don't use gaiters, as I use my Bean MHS with my trousers tucked in. Seems to work.