Snowshoe Size Charts by Brand: Tubbs vs MSR vs Atlas

The weight-to-flotation principle

Snowshoe length is directly correlated to user weight, so you find the right size in a given shoe by reading the recommended weight ranges on the manufacturer's chart (Outdoor Gear Exchange). A bigger deck spreads your load over more surface area so you sink less; a smaller deck is lighter and easier to maneuver but punches through in soft snow.

The reference weight always includes gear. Tubbs spells this out explicitly on its sizing chart, and the general rule is the same across brands: a hiker weighing 75 kg with 10 kg of gear should choose a snowshoe rated for 85 kg or more (Simard Sport). If you backpack on snowshoes, account for pack weight when you pick a size, since it may push you into the next range up (Outdoor Gear Exchange).

Shoe size is secondary. Tubbs publishes a shoe-size-to-deck cross-reference, but the weight chart is the one that actually sets flotation. Terrain matters too: on packed trails you can sit at the top of a deck's weight range for agility, while in powder or with a heavy load you want more surface area — either a longer deck or, on MSR, flotation tails (Simard Sport).

As a rough cross-brand baseline, adults around 80–160 lb land near a 21–23" deck, 120–220 lb near 25–27", 160–260 lb near 30", and 180–300+ lb near 35–36" or an MSR shoe with flotation tails (Outdoor Gear Exchange).

Tubbs weight-to-size chart (Tubular vs Flex)

Tubbs splits its line into two series that size differently. Tubular is the traditional fixed-length aluminum frame; Flex is a tapered-tail deck that runs shorter for the same weight class. Both charts below use user weight including gear, taken from Tubbs' own sizing chart (evo, evo).

The Flex series tops out shorter: men get a Flex 24" up to 190 lb and step to a Flex XL 28" above that, while women get a single Flex 22" deck. SkatePro's Tubbs guide confirms the same split — Flex 24" M up to 190 lb / 86 kg, then Flex XL 28" M at 190 lb+ (SkatePro). The Tubbs 24/25 catalog lists men's Tubular decks at 25", 30", 36" and women's at 21", 25", 30" (Tubbs 24/25 catalog).

Tubbs shoe-size-to-snowshoe chart

Use this only as a cross-check — weight is the real sizing driver. Tubbs maps boot size to deck length for both series, with women's and men's rows handled separately. Values below are taken directly from the Tubbs chart on evo (evo).

Note that a women's 6–11 boot maps to three Tubular deck options (21", 25", 30") — the right one of the three is whichever your loaded weight calls for. The Flex women's deck is a single 22" regardless of shoe size (evo).

MSR load ratings (Evo Trail, Evo Ascent)

MSR sizes by load rating per model rather than a single weight-to-length table, and the standout feature is flotation tails: you can raise a deck's capacity without going to a longer shoe. The chart below is from MSR's size chart on evo (evo).

So a 22" Evo Trail or Evo Ascent carries up to 180 lb on its own and up to 250 lb once you add tails — that is the whole case for MSR if you want one deck that handles both packed trails and powder days (evo). The 25" and 30" rows on MSR's chart cover the heavier end: 120–220 lb at 25" (up to 280 lb with tails) and 150–280 lb at 30" (180–300+ lb with tails) (evo).

Atlas weight ranges

Atlas publishes its chart as deck dimensions (width × length in inches) paired with a load weight and a surface area. The values below are taken exactly from the Atlas size chart at Next Adventure (Next Adventure). The first four deck dimensions are confirmed on the chart; the source does not label a deck dimension for every weight row, and those are marked n.a. rather than guessed.

Read the deck-dimension column for length: a 7 × 22 Atlas deck is 22" long, 7 × 25 is 25" long, and so on. The surface-area column is the deck's footprint in square inches, which is what actually sets flotation for a given load (Next Adventure).

Brand comparison: Tubbs vs MSR vs Atlas

The three brands overlap on weight ranges but differ in how they get there. Tubbs gives you the most deck-length options and a separate Flex line; MSR leans on a single 22" deck plus tails; Atlas lists deck dimensions and surface area rather than a simple length. The summary below pulls the model-level specs each brand publishes.

Sources: Tubbs Tubular and Flex sizing from evo's Tubbs chart and the SkatePro Tubbs guide; men's 25/30/36" and women's 21/25/30" Tubular availability from the Tubbs 24/25 catalog; MSR Evo Trail, Evo Ascent, and 25"/30" load ratings from evo's MSR chart; Atlas deck dimensions, load weights, and surface areas from the Next Adventure Atlas chart.