Going to AP for a 3 day weekend at the end of Feb and was wondering if there were any places that rented out snow shoes in area or in London?

Thanks

Hey Brandon ....

I don't know the London area well, but if you have a MEC in London, they will rent them.

Another option would be Algonquin Outfitters (They have stores in Huntsville and Dwight among other.)

There 2008-09 rates can be found at: http://www.box.net/shared/34qj5kbokk
Their web site is: http://www.algonquinoutfitters.com/

The Dwight location is just outside the park and the people are nice. Just check out the snowshoes first though, as a buddy of mine rented a pair of Tubbs that had mismatched bindings (likely due to one being fixed/replaced) and it gave him a hard time.

Good luck!

Jeff P
http://algonquincanoeing.blogspot.com/

Thanks Jeff.

I was wondering if AO would rent them but wasn't even sure if they would be open. Looks like that's where we will be going since there is no MEC around here.

Cheers,

Brandon

Hey Brandon,

For the cost of renting snowshoes for three days you could chip in a few more dollars and buy your own form a surplus store. Most surplus stores carry the magnesium type the military uses for around 90-100$. Your rentals are going to cost you around 60-90 for three days depending on the model you chose.

The mag snowshoes are an excellent shoe that are both light and tough. The "babiche" webbing is coated wire, the frame is magnesium, and the harness is a tough webbing material.

Not to take any biz away from any of the outdoor rental places, but that's just my .02 based on my frugal mind.

Whichever you decide, have fun and be safe!

Shawn

Brandon ....

I would agree with Shawn's last post about purchasing over renting.

I knew I would be using snowshoes for at least 7 days worth this year alone. At $25.00/day that would have made $175.00 Well I ended up spending $265.00 (the equivalent of 4 more rental days)for a pair of GV Polar Trail 9x32 snowshoes, for figure they will have paid for themselves by next winter. If interested see the following link for the specifics on them.

http://algonquincanoeing.blogspot.com/search/label/GV%20Polar%20Trail%209x32%20Snowshoes

Another option to consider is that if you rent from AO, when you rent them from them, upon returning them, if you decided to purchase them they will credit you the rental off the price. (I know they credit the first day, but would bet they would do a larger credit for longer rentals.) That way it's like a multi-day test of them should you like them and decide to purchase them afterwords.

Have fun!

Jeff P
http://algonquincanoeing.blogspot.com/

Brandon, ForestCitySurplus has some functional snowshoes that'll cost you about the same price as renting. Also, CanTire every now and then has them on sale, I picked up a pair of the wooden Fabers with plastic decks ($70). Been using them for 5 years without any problems. Also check out the PlayitAgain sports stores in London for used ones.

When people ask about renting snowshoes, I always wonder if they mean "modern" or "traditional".

Don't most places rent only "modern" shoes?




Barbara

Hey Barbara ,,,,

When Brandon started this thread I was shocked that you had not already answered (with a few of your magic links). leaving me to put in an answer with link or two.

Then a day passed and still no input .... Wow, was I glad to read your response; I was starting to worry! I mean I usually read a post from my "AA-Girlfriend" at least a few times a week. (Don't worry Joan, your still my Algonquin "girlfriend.")

Jeff P
http://algonquincanoeing.blogspot.com/

Good day Brandon, Here at AO we do indeed rent / sell snow shoes. As you have probably already found out our rates are $20-$25 per day for adult modern snowshoes. Most of our snowshoes in rental would retail for somewhere between $150 and $300 depending on what model they are. As some people already pointed out, if you are planning on doing a fair bit of snowshoeing I would suggest purchasing your own pair. We have some very nice models in the $200-$250 (10 days worth or rental) price range, although our retail selection is becoming very limited at this time of the season.

We always will credit you a minimum of a days worth or rental if you decide you want to buy a set after you rent them for a day. This applies to most of the gear we rent.

If you just looking for a fun time on the snow this winter we also have several events you may be interested in

(this Sunday) is the Muskoka Loppet at Arrowhead Park in Huntsville, they have a new showshoe race this year.
http://www.arrowheadnordic.ca/

Saturday January the 31st we will have snowshoes available to try for FREE at the Port Sydney Winter Carnival.
http://www.portsydneycofc.com/HTMLobj-1439/Winter_Carnival_flyer_2009.pdf

Our 15th Annual Winter Fun Day happens at our Oxtongue Lake location on Saturday Feb 21st. There will be lots of free winter activities including snowshoeing.
http://algonquinoutfitters.blogspot.com/search?q=Winter+Fun+Day

Also just in case anyone is wondering if we are open in the winter, we have the following locations open all winter long
Huntsville, Oxtongue Lake, Bracebridge, Haliburton, Hidden Valley & Sir Sam's Ski Areas.
http://www.algonquinoutfitters.com/about_location.html
1-800-469-4948
You can reach me directly at 705-787-0262 x36 if you would like.

Hope this helps, Brandon.


Randy Mitson
AO Huntsville
http://www.aohuntsville.com
http://www.algonquinoutfitters.com
randym@algonquinoutfitters.com

Geez, better not have too many women posting here...you're going to run out of distinctions.

computer issues have had me "down"....literally and mentally. I hate it when something stops working and I don't know why.

and then they magically disappeared....i hate it when something starts working and I don't know why.

the other day, I clicked on the AA button on the taskbar...looked at the clock....and waited...it took 4 minutes for the page to load...

My only link would have been to AO, too. And since you so ably took care of that, I wasn't worried.

sidebar: it was my 6th Year on CCR Anniversary on Tuesday. That means that I've been here on AA for about 6 1/2 years, seeing as I discovered the forums on AA first.


to the topic....quite honestly, buying snowshoes is not a bad idea. If you find you don't like them or aren't into it, then you could probably sell them quite easily.

For myself, not a winter-camper, but a day-tripper, the Faber Winter Hikers we've got are just great. We got them on sale at Canadian Tire.

(We rented "modern" ones from Sojourn once, and hated them. They were noisy as heck.)

Faber Snowshoes website...cute little snowshoe icon for the cursor, in addition to information about snowshoes, in general and the ones they sell...

here's the link (don't want to disappoint anyone )

http://www.fabersnowshoes.com/vitrine/fabersite/activeservice?value=home1&stl=en




Barbara

Brandon,

Take a look at the Canadian Tire flyer for this week, Faber and Tubb snowshoes are on sale right now -you might want to take a look. Let us know which brand and model you settle on.

Harry

Thanks for all of the info guys. I must say that after I saw the rental prices I have been putting some serious consideration towards buying a pair. I have to agree that it makes much more sense $$ wise.

I will check out the CT flyer for sure and FC surplus.

thanks again!