The differences between unisex and gender-specific snowshoes, though quite subtle, can make somewhat of a difference in the overall performance and enjoyment of your snowshoeing experience.
You see, snowshoes just like regular shoes come in all sorts of different sizes, styles, uses, age ranges, gender types and so forth. Just like the saying goes “not one-size-fits-all”, and it’s the exact same a snowshoes. Granted, snowshoes do allow for more forgiveness when size is not exactly correct then your typical running shoes would. But still it is ideal to get a snowshoe that will work properly for you and your overall weight (with gear), gender type, and desired snowshoeing style.
Now, that is not to say snowshoes that are specifically designed for a man will not work well for a woman. As, in some situations a male specific snowshoe will work better for a woman that a female specific snowshoe would. Same goes for the opposite.
The overall goal for this article is to explain to you what the differences are between sex-specific snowshoes, and those that are unisex – meaning they are not gender-specific but rather specific to a certain weight. As well as the different caveat that may come up that may better suit different users then others.
Below we will be going over the major differences between snowshoes that are Unisex vs. those that aren’t. But first off:
Are Snowshoes Unisex?
Basically when a snowshoe is specified as unisex, it means that it was designed with the intentions to fit a much broader array of people. Both in terms of size and weight. Now, not all snowshoes are unisex. Some are, and those that are, allow for a much broader array of users then those that are sex-specific / gender-specific. The major differences between unisex snowshoes and gender-specific snowshoes is simply just the overall dimensions size, as well as the snowshoes binding size. These differences can vary depending on the manufacturer.
Picture it like this, you have a men’s specific snowshoes which in essence, are typically larger than women’s specific snowshoes. Now, if you take a snowshoe that is unisex and try to compare it to a men’s specific snowshoe as well as a women’s specific snowshoe to which all three are manufactured by the same manufacturer, and are of the same manufacturers specific product line.Essentially, you are likely to notice that the men’s snowshoe is larger than the woman’s snowshoe. But in most cases the unisex snowshoe will compare closer to, or exactly two the men’s sizing.
But in this example that is considering that a manufacturer produces all three. A male specific snowshoe, a female specific snowshoe, as well as a unisex snow shoe. But in most cases a manufacturer will either produce a women’s specific line, as well as a male specific line. Or they will simply produce just a unisex specific line. It always based upon the users weight too the dimensions of the snowshoe. But to make a snowshoe men’s or women’s specific factors in different walking styles and attributes such as, leg lengths, as well as gate, and strite style. Which are most common to men or women.
In this example let’s use the popular “Tubbs Panoramic snowshoe” which comes in both a men’s, as well as a woman’s. But is not offered as a unisex. The major difference between the two is just simply color, as well as overall dimensions. You see, the woman’s specific of this snowshoe is essentially just smaller turn the large counterpart of the men’s specific. So essentially both the men’s, and the woman’s snowshoe of this particular brand could basically be considered unisex throughout the full range from smallest to largest of this snowshoe. Check the table below for the comparisons between the men’s, and the woman’s snowshoe of the “tubbs panoramic snowshoe”.
| Tubbs Panoramic Snowshoe (Womens) | Tubbs Panoramic Snowshoe (Mens) |
| 21″ x 8″ 80-150 lbs | 25″ x 8″ 120-200 lbs |
| 25″ x 8″ 120-200 lbs | 30″ x 9″ 170-250 lbs |
| 36″ x 10″ 220-300 lbs |
Notice how both the men’s snowshoes as well as the women’s snowshoes match at least in overall Dimensions, as well as weight ratings. The only difference is that the men’s sizing starts bigger, and ends much bigger then the women’s, and the women’s sizing starts much lower, and ends lower…
So essentially there isn’t much of a difference between the men’s specific snowshoe, when compared to the women’s specific snowshoe. Now this does only take into consideration the overall dimensions of the snowshoe as well as the weight ratings. There are likely to be other subtle differences possible, such as binding sizing, and tail shape, and things of that nature…
Also keep in mind this was a comparison done only using one manufacturer, as well as only one of their product lines the “Panoramic”, so we don’t know if this is consistent throughout all snowshoe manufacturers. But in this situation it looks like essentially a man would wear a women’s snowshoe, and a woman could wear a mans snowshoe, which could potentially classify all sizes of this snowshoe as unisex in this situation…
Differences Between Men’s & Women’s Snowshoes
Essentially there are differences between men’s snowshoes as compared to women’s. However, the differences don’t extend quite as far as you may think, at least in most cases. From my experience with snowshoe sizing I’ve come to realize that for the most part women’s snowshoes are simply just smaller in size than men’s snowshoes. By this I do not mean sizing will be different when comparing a man that weighs 150 lb versus a woman that weighs 150-lb.
But rather sizing is based on a scale for example, women’s snowshoes typically running length from 21” to 25” whereas men’s snow shoes typically run from 25” to 36”. Which is kind of strange in my opinion because essentially they could specify snowshoes as unisex. But like I said above, in many situations sizing based on gender typically has a few more factors of coming to play such as the following:
- Length
- Width
- Binding Size
- Color
Can Women Wear Snowshoes Designed For Men?
Of course, given the fact that the differences between men specific snowshoes and women’s specific snowshoes is so subtle that really gender isn’t so much of a concern when it comes to selecting a snowshoe. But rather the biggest factor that comes into play is the weight rating the snowshoe is designed for. As that is what is going to most impact your experience when you were snowshoeing.
The bigger the snowshoe the better you will float near the surface on the snow. The smaller the snowshoe the more likely you are to sink. This is all based on weight. As someone that weighs 150 lb will require a smaller snowshoe then someone who weighs 220 lb. But this is highly generalized, as it depends 100% on the manufacturer and they’re manufactured specifications of the snowshoes weight rating.
Can Men Wear Snowshoes Designed For Women?
Again, of course, like I said above, snowshoe sizing isn’t necessarily based on gender as much as it is on overall weight. Check out the following example.
Now, don’t make fun of me but, me personally, i’m definitely not the heaviest guy around. As I weigh in at about 130 lb. With my gear I make it near 145 to 150 pounds. This means,based on some manufacturers weight ratings I would fall into a woman’s sized snowshoe rather than a men’s. Because the men’s rating scale is much larger than what I need.
Now, I know what you may be thinking, “but I don’t want to wear a women’s snowshoe. That sounds embarrassing.”And I thought the same when I was looking for a pair of snowshoes at one point, but really you would be much better off doing this if you are a lighter hiker. The repercussions abusing is snow shoe that is too big for you can make the experience nowhere near as enjoyable as it would be if you were wearing a size that fit you will.
I promise, it isn’t that big of a deal. And in most cases women’s specific snowshoes don’t clearly specified that they are women’s snowshoes. So essentially anyone and everyone you go hiking with as long as you do not tell them they will not know. Well, unless you’re wearing a pair of pink or purple snowshoes then they might wonder…
Conclusion
That really, the biggest difference is between unisex snowshoes and sex-specific snowshoes it’s simply just a size scale in most cases. Women’s are typically at the smaller end of the sizing scale where as men’s are typically at the higher end of the sizing scale.
I typically gender specification on a snowshoe occurs based on the manufacturer. Meaning the manufacturer typically decides whether or not they want it market the snowshoe, or snowshoe line as either gender-specific, or simply unisex. But in most cases whether it is gender specific or unisex, either way the biggest factor when it comes to snow shoe size or just simply overall snowshoe use is the weight factor. Meaning, snowshoe dimensions typically are made as they are in order to accommodate a user that is of a specific weight range. But not so much gender-specific.
I hope you gain some value from this article. If you need any further information regarding anything snowshoeing related then be sure to check out the Outdoor Luxuriez Snowshoeing Lounge for more info.
Next:
Learn what size snowshoes will fit your needs the best! Check out my recent post on How to get your snowshoe size right the first time!