How to Make Snow Shoe Bindings

Snowshoe bindings come in various styles and designs. They can be purchased separately or as a part of the snowshoe packages. When replacing or making your own snowshoes, the bindings can easily be constructed from durable materials such as rubber or truck tire inner tubes. Durability and functionality are two essential characteristics of snowshoe bindings, and make extra pairs in case of emergency, especially when snowshoeing in back country trails.

Things You'll Need

  • Truck tire inner tube
  • Marker
  • Ruler
  • Arch punch or rowel punch
  • Raw hide strings or nylon twine
  • Hardware scissors
  • Snow boot
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Instructions

    • 1

      Lay out the rubber inner tube on a flat surface. Place your snowshoe boot on top and trace the outline of the boot using a marker.

    • 2

      Trace around the snow boot's heel and its sides, and then use a ruler to trace five inches beyond the toe of your boot. Make a trace shape of a boot, as if your boot size has grown five inches.

    • 3

      Make rounded ear flaps one inch from the toe edge. The ear flaps have a width of two inches and a height of three inches, starting from the edge of the boot side. Adjust as necessary depending on the size of your own boot. Cut out the entire boot pattern.

    • 4

      Use a 3/16-inch arch punch or rowel punch to make a hole in each rounded ear flap. Leave about an inch of space surrounding the holes.

    • 5

      Measure one inch from the middle edge of the boot pattern on both sides. Mark and cut two two-inch slits to the long sides of your boot binding. The slits are both positioned one inch from the middle edge of the pattern, parallel to one another.

    • 6

      Make a hole at the end of each slit to prevent it from getting longer.

    • 7

      Cut a hole on the heel of the pattern starting one inch from the sides. Cut the hole for the heel strap following the curve shape of the heel. The shape is similar to an enclosed "U" shape. Punch a hole at the two 90-degree corners to prevent tearing.

    • 8

      Fold back the toe edge of the binding and slide the rounded ear flaps through the slits. Pull the ear flaps tightly. The enclosure forms the toe cup of your binding.

    • 9

      Take the strings and lace the binding to your snowshoe through the ear flap holes. Space the lacing wide enough to accommodate the toe of your boot. The toe cup stretches to fit your snow boot.