Whatever you want to hike in works. If you might encounter ice, you will want to carry crampons that fit your boots, also.

I would call Redfeather and ask. They may even fix it for free.

MSR has a snowshoe that allows you to add on flotation tails in various lengths. (denali Classic) Great Shoe!It seems 35 inches is as about as large as they come. But unless you are plus-sized, that should be pretty good.I totally agree! Its a conspiracy! I guess they want us to suffer and they want us to think that bright paint somehow makes us float! Anyway, I did just find out that gv snowshoes makes a 12x 42 called Wide Trail. This is very interesting to me, also. They are over $300., though, and am not sure how balanced they are. The picture shows a 28 inch snowshoe and the binding far forward which I don't like at all. They weigh 7.67 pounds also, which does sound a bit heavy. They do have a variety of sizes in the wide trail model. I love my 10x36 Tubbs, but would love to try a bigger snowshoe, as long as it had the advantages of the high tech binding and decking.

Both the RF Explore & Tubbs Frontier are considered recreational snowshoes. The Frontier is gender specific with a frame shape & bindings supposedly more accommodating for women. The Explore is unisex in design with a longer size available for carrying heavier loads. Both use similar quality components & materials. It is important that when selecting the proper size, you remember to add in your pack weight.