Here are some snowshoes that I made. They cost about $9 in new materials, and used some items from my existing inventory. Yes, those are snowboard bindings.
Snowshoes constructed of steel tubing and LDPE, no, polypropylene
Here are some snowshoes that I made. They cost about $9 in new materials, and used some items from my existing inventory, for example the low-density polyethylene, used for the webbing, came from a Sterilite brand 33-gallon tote.The LDPE is probably not the best material for sub-zero temps, but it works for now and gets me out into the woods.
Correction: It turned out that it’s not LDPE. I saw upon closer inspection the triangular recycle logo on this plastic, with a 5 inside it and below the letters “PP”. This means Polypropylene.
The webbing is laced to the frames using vinyl coated clothesline. The tubing is 1/2″ EMT (electrical metallic tubing). I already had the snowboard bindings, which prove ideal because they are 100% adjustable, and provide a very secure mount for the feet. The bindings are mounted on plywood blocks and they pivot to allow a natural gait.
These snowshoes are not as light weight as aluminum ones, but they are very functional and I can even run in them.
Future enhancements include: steel cleat for ascending slopes, neoprene webbing, and new lacing (the present lacing is 10-year old clothesline in all its UV-scorched glory). But we’ll see how they last as-is.