A step by step video of how to make the Roycraft snowshoes. Also known as Mors Kochanski snowshoes, Roycraft snowshoes and survival snowshoes. The construction is fininshed after 14 minutes. Then you will see it in use. Enjoy!
Yes, up here it's now minus 40c after getting 1.2m of snow. We are running low on wood for heating and melting the snow for water is getting harder each day. This old house is also full of holes and we've got no more wool and moss to seal the holes. Brrrr.....
I always wondered why "new" snow shoes are wide. It just makes more sense to distribute ones weight front to back. It is in the knowledge bank, Thank You!!!
I think it is just to make them more practical to store and pack. These are long as skies, but not to wide. They weigh 2kg in total, both of them including the webbing. So it is not to much. The good thing is that they are easy to make, even in a drak night by the fire. And they perform as well as any other snowshoes I have used.
Hey Odd, good to see you! You have mad skills, sir . . . you're a natural. When I was a child I had a pair of tennis racket, hand-me-down adult snow shoes to go into deep snow . . . these are waaaaay better :)) Thank you for the excellent video. Take care, Donna
@@NorwegianBushcraft Yes, Mors Kochanski, did popularize the Roycroft Skishoe, (so named after Col. Tom Roycroft, long time survival instructor for the Canadian Military. And for the fact that is part ski, part snowshoe). However, Mors has shared this with Lars Falt and the Swedish military, (since the 1980's), on several occasions. And as Lars and Ray Mears are friends, it is easy to see how Ray would be sharing the Roycroft skishoe with HIS students.
Those are looking awesome. I made the same style and model a few weeks ago. Thay are surpisingly effective in deep snow. I am curving up the fronts as they dry out right now.
I heated them a bit when curving, and after 24hours they were holding the position. My first set I made outdoors by the fire. With them I just tensioned the line and after some days they were holding the bend too. I keep the line in case they get wet and warmer and wants to staighten.
Fantastic use of the environment. I like the way the centre of gravity elevates the front portion of the shoe. Great video and it also highlights how important cordage can be too.
Absolutly. I did cut out a part I said during filming, "try to do this with paracord innercord!" IT might be possible, but I cant see that it will last. Some good cordage are important to have.
Good demonstration Odd, it’s absolut worth to take some time to make them proper, so they will work even better and last for a while, thanks for sharing, take care, Taro
Nice job :o) Great to see them work in actual snow, even though it was mostly deep powder - after a few km your legs would tell you the snowshoes are doing a good job. Atb, Dave
Well, first to comment! LOL Great vid, my friend. Good knowledge to have. Skol! PS, having seen the guitar in the background, I'm assuming you play the music to your channels introduction as well?
Safety reminder. Do not cut inside the triangle of death. That plumbers vise you used on your sizing first cut is great but your are supposed to cut outside your legs not in between them.
Excellent video and presentation. I will use #36 bank line and tag elders for my materials. My area has an abundance of tag elders, but little spruce. Would rather make them out of spruce or willow. Thank you for your knowledge and your sharing of it.
Thanks. Originally from Tom Roycroft design, it was spruce. But I used any sapling I could find, and it works perfectly. Still used them just a few weeks ago.
Wow you make it look so easy. I've seen the prices of snowshoes lately, very expensive for a pair that size, makes me want to try to make a pair. What do you think the durability of these are if treated carefully?
My first set I made 4-5 years ago. In the end of the seson I managed to break on the saplings. I put the set away with plans to replave that sapling towards the next season. Well I never came around to do it. Last spring when I was moving I found them and they were still good except of the one twig thas was broken. But I discard them in favour of making a new set on video. So a set will last you a long time, if you make it with care the first time. You dont need to treat it in any way, but if you want, you can oil it after it has dried completly.
I absolutely love that Hansa, mmmmm,,, and a free-bee from Kiwi is also a plus,,, seriously, I really like the video and the content,,, I would however, if I was to make permanent and not emergency "truger", have made them in spring time when the sap is flowing and the bending is easy,,, also, if I didn't need birch (Betula) "brooms" w/leaves for my sauna, I might have tried ash (Fraxinus) or willow (Salix),,, straighter, lighter and stronger than the birch.
Thanks, yea they will be more flexible in the spring. But it will be so long to wait for testing ;) These saplings are a mix of rowan, aspen, birch and bird cherry. You take what you got. Goat willow is very bendy and light after its dried out, so that would be good.
My man. Very very cool. I'm a carpenter and outdoorsman in New England u.s.a. good job at both. Good knife work. What types trees bend the best ?? Give more info on ideal usage for different tree species.
Nice Video, I love how simple these Snowshoes are, I have a few rolls of Lampwick Tape so I might try using that although the Nylon Webbing would be waterproof so it might be better to use Nylon, Thanks for posting the Video.
You play guitar, me too, I notice you have a cut away acoustic, me too. Love guitar. Do you play the guitar music for your intro. Really interesting vid as well Odd.
These was a mix of different types. Originally it was spruce sapling they used. I did not want to cut down young spruce trees from others property, so I settled with brush like willow, birtch and bird cherry (hackberry).
These are not suited as skies. I tried to slide down a steep hard little hill, but they didnt want to. It is possible to make skies, but it reqire a lot of work with an axe and a knife, so it will not be suited as emergency type skies.
a few questions, what gauge/diameter of bank line tarred nylon cord are you using (took me a moment to figure out exactly what you said), and where did you get your pants?
