Tubbs Discovery 21, 27

Review Date
October 20, 2000

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: T23 of T&M Clan(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer , from H-town, N.Y U.S.A.

Price Paid:  $130.00 at Local Shop

Summary:
When I bought myself a pair of Discovery 27's I intended to use them as recommended by the manufacturer. This is a shoe intended for recreation and excercise on gentle terrain. It proved iteself worthy on my local snowmobile trails.
BUT, do not attempt to use this snowshoe or any other type of recreational snowshoe on any real expedition type sh*t.
My pair looked nearly brand new after approx. 50 hours of use before, I took them with me to the Adirondaks in March of '00. The most detrimental effects of this trip were seen on the shoe's crampoon which was dulled too the point of uselessness. On my decent I might as well have been wearing two Burger King trays on my feet. I was in a continium of sliding-skiing-falling. On the positive side, this shoe was easy to take on and off, and this sticky rubber that the straps are built from kept them in place, which was nice considering that when things turned from bad to worse a.k.a. -30 wind chill, they didn't require a lot of adjustment. My esteemed collegue, the Mza, did not fair as well and had alot of problems with the straps on a pair of Adventure 25's. He spent a considerable amount of time freezing his a-hole off while trying to adjust the bindings.
The point is if you plan to use this shoe for recreation on FLAT terrain and in moderate temperatures it is decent. If you intend to get hardcore like the mid-winter expeditions of TandM Clan and you want to stick with Tubbs, get a pair of Mountain 25's or a pair in the Peak series.
Some of the problems we encountered we could blame ourselves for. When buying gear, consider what you will use it for and make sure that it is rated for that usage. I.E. If you go to the local nature walk your gear should be durable, if you go to Adirondak High Peaks in December your gear show be Oklahoma City bomb proof.

Similar Products Used:
Additionally, I'd like to plug O.R's gore-tex knee height gators, which kept my legs dry when I took the snowshoes off; because of their instability on my decents. Outdoor Research is an official sponsor of T&M Clan Expedition.

Review Date
April 27, 2000

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Reviewed by: Corey Larrabee(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Cedar City, Utah

Summary:
I love to snowshoe the Tubbs were my first pair of snow shoes and broke the binding after 5 times out had to send them in and get a new binding put on them.
Need a stiffer more durable binding

Similar Products Used:
Atlas

Review Date
March 24, 2000

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Reviewed by: steve mongeon(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer , from essex jct, vt, usa

Summary:
I bought these shoes for my wife but have used them for > 80hrs myself. They are small and light, good for spring snow. They don't hold up too well to rough use, decking is flimsy and now almost destroyed, heel strap is prone to sliding off, and the fixed toe cord is best suited to packed rolling trails. I recommend these only for light use, or as a just-in-case take along.

Similar Products Used:
Tubbs Sierra - way better choice!

Review Date
February 8, 2000

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: Eric Holsinger(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Portland, Maine, USA

Summary:
I bought these because they were for 'rolling hills'. Unfortunately, I was struggling the first time I used them on a small 600' hill climb.
These shoes are made for a weekend snowshoe trip in areas where you might also cross-country ski. The shoe doesn't drag when you lift your foot, but it tends to flip snow up the back of your leg, and it is hard to drive you toe into the side of a slope to make a step.

Similar Products Used:
MTN 36

Review Date
December 15, 1999

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Reviewed by: UK(Unregistered User) ,  Day Hiker , from FALMOUTH, MA

Summary:
CHEAP BUT FLIMSY!
I GOT THE LARGEST SIZE FOR A GOOD PRICE.
BUT I'VE HAD TO RE-RIVET THE BINDING TO THE SHOE 4 TIMES. THE MATERIAL USED IN THE REAR PORTION IS ALSO WEARING QUICKLY.

Similar Products Used:
REDFEATHER SNOWSHOES