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Tubbs Flex VRT Snowshoe Review

Tubbs Flex VRT Snowshoes Review

The Tubbs Flex VRT is a plastic decked snowshoe with an aggressive crampon setup that’s ideal for snowshoeing in steep and mountainous terrain. It has an easy-to-use Boa binding system that clamps down around your boots and won’t slip in use, along with a flip-up heel bar to reduce calf fatigue when climbing hills. The decking provides good flotation and flex, although the plastic can be a little noisy on hard crusty snow. Tubbs also makes a snowshoe call the Flex Alp, which is identical to the Flex VRT, with the exception of the Boa binding.

Specs at a Glance

  • Gender: men’s; a women’s model is available in smaller sizes
  • Weight: 4 lbs 8 oz in size 24″
  • Type: Backcountry, including steep climbing
  • Decking: Plastic
  • Heel bar: Yes
  • Binding: Boa wire lace w/rear buckle
  • Crampon: Front crampon, toothed sidebars, back deck crampon – all steel
  • Sizes: 24″, 28″

Bindings

The Flex VRT has a Boa-style wire lace binding that clamps down on the front and sides of your boots, while a rear heel strap holds it in the binding. The Boa system consists of a wire and a knob that you twist to tension the wire. The wire loops through the tops and sides of the Flex VRT binding, so that when you tighten it, it clamps around your foot. If you pull up on the knob, the wire is released and goes slack so you can remove your foot. The nice thing about this Boa closure is that it doesn’t pop open when you’re snowshoeing.

Closeup of Boa wire lace binding system
Closeup of Boa wire lace binding system

The top of the Boa binding has a foam pad that presses down on the top of your boot, distributing the pressure over a wide surface area. This helps prevent the formation of hot spots on the tops of your toes, especially if you wear a lighter-weight boot without a beefy toe kick or toe box.  There is a strap at the back of the binding which prevents the back of your boot from sliding out of it. The buckle that Tubbs uses to secure the rear strap is non-intuitive but works well if you simply pull on the end of the strap to lock it in place.

When you turn the Boa know, the wire lace running through the binding tightens, providing a secure fit.
When you turn the Boa knob, the wire lace running through the binding tightens, providing a secure fit.

I haven’t experienced any freeze-up with the Boa system, although it’s a concern in mixed conditions when you have to trudge through puddles, mud, slush, and snow. I always carry hot drinking water, so worst comes to worst, I can pour it over the Boa knob to defrost it. However, ice does form inside and around the rear binding buckle. This isn’t a problem when removing the snowshoe, but ice chunks inside the buckle can prevent the internal pin from pushing through the holes in the strap. If the rear strap doesn’t stay closed, open it up and make sure ice hasn’t formed inside it. It’s easy enough to break it off with your finger.

Having a snowshoe binding that stays closed and secure all day is a huge benefit. Huge. The only downside of the VRT’s Boa binding is its bulk because it can make it more difficult to attach the sides of a backpack, where they’re the most efficient to carry. If you do buy the VRT’s, make sure your backpack’s side compression straps are long enough that you can lash the snowshoes to the sides of your backpack.

The Boa bindings are bulky. For example, the side compression straps on my winter pack (TNF Phantom 50) are barely long enough to secure my snowshoes to the sides of the pack.
The Boa bindings are bulky. For example, the side compression straps on my winter pack (TNF Phantom 50) are barely long enough to secure my snowshoes to the sides of the pack.

Crampons

While the Boa binding is a slick feature that adds a lot of value to these snowshoes, the crampon system is where the rubber hits the road. The Flex VRT has a hinged crampon with six large crampon teeth that let you kick into slopes and climb steep hills. There are two long, toothed rails that run down the sides of the snowshoes, and a pair of shorter rails at the tail-end to keep you tracking straight. The Flex VRT’s crampon setup is on par with the MSR Lightning Ascent and MSR Evo Ascent, the two most capable snowshoe climbers available, although configured slightly differently.

Side rails provide additional traction.
Side rails provide additional traction.

The hinged front crampon has crampon teeth that face backward and along the sides, in addition to forwards. This helps prevent backsliding on slopes or ice-covered ledges, while the side teeth prevent lateral sliding. The two side-rail crampons are curved, which provides a better grip on sheer ice, than the straight rails on the MSR Evo Ascent snowshoe. The side rails are quite long and run along the entire snowshoe. There’s also a small third crampon at the rear of the decking. The “Flex” in this snowshoe’s name refers to the fact that the rear decking flexes as you walk and this small rear binding helps prevent fishtailing so your stride remains straight and true.

Net Net. The Flex VRT crampons are best in class.

Tubbs Flex VRT Snowshoes

Weight
Durability
Binding
Traction
Flotation
Comfort

Aggressive Traction with a Boa Binding

The Tubbs Flez VRT Snowshoe is ideal for winter hiking and backpacking in mountainous terrain with aggressive crampons and durable construction. The snowshoes have an easy to use Boa binding which makes putting them on fast and easy.

Shop Now

Heel Bar

The Flex VRT has a heel bar that you can flip up when climbing hills or steep inclines. There’s a small depression in the back of the decking that lets you get your finger under the bar to flip it up. The heel bar lifts up the rear of your boot under the heel (the feeling is like walking in high heels) relieving stress on your calves and reducing fatigue on inclines. Imagine you’re hiking up a hill and your ankle is flexed so your toes point upwards. When the heel bar is deployed, your foot remains nearly flat, making it much easier to climb the incline. You almost have to experience it to understand what a huge difference it makes. When you reach level ground again, you flip the heel bar down and walk normally.

The heel bar reduces calf fatigue and makes it easier to climb hills
The heel bar reduces calf fatigue and makes it easier to climb hills

I consider a heel bar a must-have if you plan on climbing hills or mountain trails. They’re completely revolutionized snowshoeing when they were introduced, but they’re usually not found on recreational snowshoes, just backcountry ones.

Flotation

The Flex VRT provides excellent flotation, in part because it’s only available in 24″ and 28″ sizes. These are not the standard 22″, 25″, and 30″ inch sizes that most other snowshoe manufacturers sell. Being longer, they provide more surface area and therefore more flotation.

However, they are noisy snowshoes since they’re made with plastic decking. On the bright side, you’ll never surprise a large animal or hunter when wearing these snowshoes. They’ll hear you coming.

The aggressive front crampon is hinged, providing maximum penetration on uneven terrain.
The aggressive front crampon is hinged, providing maximum penetration on uneven terrain.

Recommendation

The Tubbs Flex VRT is a premium backcountry snowshoe with a Boa wire lace binding system that is easy to secure and will stay locked onto your boots for the duration of your trip. The durability of its plastic and steel construction, aggressive crampons, and heel bar make it suitable for climbing up steep inclines and in mountainous terrain. If you’ve ever been frustrated by the strap-based binding on MSR’s Lightning Ascent Snowshoes or the MSR Evo Ascents, or it’s a concern, I’d recommend purchasing the Tubbs Flex VRT. While the VRT has a bulkier binding, it’s definitely in the same class as those two best-of-breed snowshoes. Highly Recommended.

Disclosure: Tubbs provided the author with snowshoes for this review.

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11 comments

  1. I got mine as a gift for Christmas, and they’re the best, hands-down, snowshoe I’ve ver used. I’ve owned MSR at Atlas and the Flex VRT isn’t even in the same ballpark as them. The BOA system works beautifully & when my hiking partners are struggling and swearing at their MSR bindings with freezing hands, I’m standing up with my hands in my pockets waiting for them to finish with a smile.

    You nailed it with the packability concerns. The BOA binding does make it much more difficult to strap to a pack, but I’ve found ways around that and prefer the Flex VRT’s over any other snowshoe out there! I’ve probably got 50+ Adirondack high peaks miles on mine and the crampons still look new! For backcountry outings, I highly recommend carrying a BOA field repair kit in your pack.

    • I’m wondering if all BOA repair kits similar? I’m finding little information about which model BOA Tubbs uses. I also emailed Tubbs last week and haven’t heard back.

      • BLUF: Makes sense to me to carry a BOA repair kit.

        Oct 2023: No email response so I decided to call Tubbs. Customer Service was a mixed bag… I talked with a live person quickly, but they had no idea what was needed for a repair. Their suggestion was to contact BOA. Which I did. The Flex VRT uses a M3 BOA (Dial S).

        You can check out a YouTube video called “Repairing the M3 system.” Hope this info helps someone, and hope you never have to use it!

        FYI, I see below a comment on other uses of BOA closures. I have a pair of Fizik cycling shoes that is at least 6 years old that uses the system. No issues for me. It is also used on cycling and ski helmets, motocross boots, ski/snowboard boots, etc. La Sportiva and Zamberlan use a BOA closure on some of their mountaineering boots. Not sure about how it holds up to repeated freeze/thaw like a snowshoe binding but the Flex VRT has been on the market since at least 2016, and Atlas and TSL also offer BOA system snowshoes.

  2. I’ve have the Flex VRT’s and have logged hundreds of miles on them. Very solid snowshoe! Yes the bindings are a bit bulky, but they’re easy and quick to get on/off, which is a big plus. And once you set the heel strap, you don’t need to mess with it … I’ve actually ziptied mine closed, so I only ever deal with the Boa knob when putting them on / taking them off. (Sidenote, the Boa system is a 3rd party that Tubbs has licensed … you can find it on some running shoes as well.) I’ve also never had a problem with the Boa knob freezing up, and it’s pretty easy to adjust with mittens on, not that you need to mess with it much.

    For carrying, depending on the pack I’m using, I either strap them to the sides (Osprey 55L) or put them horizontally under the lid (GG Gorilla.)

    The crampons are about as aggressive as they come, and the televators are (as you mentioned) a godsend on the steeps.

    • The heel strap is what I have been trying to figure out. Mainly, does it need to be redone each time you use the shoes or can it be left in place. You’re remark about the zip ties answers that. Thanks.

      • Maybe it’s the design of my boot (Merril MOAB), but I need to release my binding approx 60% of the time to slip the heel off. I don’t have to move it more than a MM, but I tend to find opening the top alone isn’t sufficient to get out of my bindings.

        Having said that, I love these snowshoes.

  3. I’ve put lots of miles on my MSR Lightning Assents and can attest to the frustration with the strap based bindings in bitter cold conditions – but love then once securely on my boots! The Tubbs Flex have been on my radar and this review may push me over the edge to pull the pin or some similar mixed metaphor (curse you Phillip!).

    • I can’t decide whether I want to switch myself. I mainly use the MSR Evo Ascents, but the rear strap has been pissing me off lately. My buddy has duct taped his closed, which I might try, since you can get in and out of them with the three front straps. The Flex VRT’s are nice though and provide more flotation because they’re larger in a men’s at least. They are noisy beasts though.

  4. WARNING ON THE WOMEN’S VERSION:
    I bought these and the toe area of the binding is so narrow in the toe that they don’t accommodate my Salomon Toundra boots well. The boots are so far back that the front crampon is IN FRONT of my toes rather than under the ball of my foot where it belongs. There may be women’s boots they work with, but the Salomon Toundra is not one of them.

  5. Hi, when was released the Flex Alps and Flex Vrt ?

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