US2619742A - Snowshoe harness - Google Patents

Description

J. D. CUMMING SNOWSHOE HARNESS Dec. 2, 1952 Filed July 12, 1951 6 i J Z H m W m .323. N r L 5 z "i" an 0 a M. J

Patented Dec. 2, I952 SNOWSHOE HARNESS James Deans Cumming, Havelock, Ontario, Canada Application July 12, 1951, Serial No. 236,338

In Canada December 20,, 1950 4 Claims.

This invention relates to snowshoe harness for securely attaching snowshoes to any of the usual styles or types of foot covering worn by snowshoes.

The common practice in devices of this kind is to use webbing such as candle wicking or straps similar to skate straps or other combinations of leather or fabric so. assembled as to hold the snowshoe to the foot in a fixed position in relation to the large aperture in the snowshoe, and to allow the foot to bend or pivot over the back edge of the said aperture to allow of easy walking. It is also necessary that the toes do not strike the wooden front edge of the said aperture.

In certain types of flexible footwear such as moccasins, mukluks or rubbersoled shoes, there is no substantially resistant body of material as part of the toe of the footwear itself to interact with the ordinary type snowshoe harness to prevent this forward movement. The stifi. tapered toe of a leather boot would serve this purpose but these are not satisfactorily used under snowshoeing conditions. The object of such construction is to keep the foot from advancing when using webbing or other strap harness and is attained by tightening the webbing or strap toeband across the top of the foot or toes.

This latter arrangement is the greatest fault of such types of snowshoe harness, in that if the transverse straps or webbing across the toes are tight enough to prevent the toes slipping forward the circulation of the blood to the toes is restricted and causes chafing and sore toes which may result in frost bitten feet.

A cup or box for the toes might be considered the obvious answer but such a cup or box is difiicult to adjust to widely varying shapes of footgear. Under certain weather conditions snow packs and freezes under the foot and in and around this cup making it impractical. The

result is that it is necessary to design a snowshoe harness so that no portion of the harness is made to operate between the sole of the shoe and the snowshoe itself.

Quick and definite adjustment of snowshoe harness is also necessary under snow conditions changing from extreme frost to wet snow or slush, perhaps during the same day. Webbing or candlewick tends to stretch when wet and being absorbent the knots freeze solidly during frosty weather. Where the same equipment is used by various persons with various types of footwear the adjustment of webbing harness is slow and impractical.

For the experienced Woodsman or trapper wearing moccasins or similar footwear in his daily work, the webbing type of harness was adequate in very cold weather, but for ordinary pleasure or military use where styles of footwear vary greatly, where the snowshoes are used by large numbers of relatively inexperinced persons and where quick attachment to the snowshoes and where. quick adjustment to the footwear is required under all changing snow conditions, a different type of harness. is desirable.

In rough, broken or wooded country where the.

trail twists and turns, the ability to swing or direct the snowshoe called heel control, is very essential. Many types of harness while arranged to allow of free pivoting of the foot in a vertical plane at the same time sacrifice the ability to readily swing the relatively long tail of the snowshoe as desired and in doing so the foot may come out of the harness entirely.

In order not to pick up a snow load a snowshoe is pivoted and free to swing up or down on a transverse horizontal axis directly under the ball of the foot of the wearer, and the snowshoe is heavier toward the back; so that as the foot is lifted, the toe of the snowshoe rises and the heel trails on the snow. See Fig. 5.

It is thus highly essential that the snowshoe harness be designed to allow of free and unimpeded hinging or rotation about this fixed transverse axis, which is located in the heavy strand of twisted hide at the back of the large aperture 7 in the snowshoe webbing l l, of interlaced leather strands.

In the accompanying drawings in which each reference character denotes the same part in all the views:

Fig. l is a plan view of the snowshoe harness showing details of construction,

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the harness adjusted on a snowshoe,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the harness, and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the harness associated with a boot and adjusted on a snowshoe.

In Fig. 1, l is the top section of the snowshoe harness to which the two toe straps 2 are at tached along the frontal perimeter at its relative corners in angular relationv to the middle axis of the top section I and so positioned that the point of attachment of each strap 2 and the respective strap buckles 4a are not superimposed on one another. The heel strap 3 is attached to the top section I at the rear by being sewn or riveted at one corner and making Contact through buckle 42: attached to the rear top section I at the opposite corner. When adjusted 3 for use the toe straps 2 with buckle holes "I are passed through the webbing II in the snowshoe I5, as shown in Fig. 3, then around the braided cross thong l3 and are adjustably fastened at the buckles 4a. The heel strap 3 with buckle holes I is passed around the heel of the wearers shoe [6, as shown in Fig. 5, and is adjustably fastened at the buckle 4b.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the resultant position of the toe straps 2 after being passed through the Webbing ll of the showshoe l5 and around the braided cross thong l3, as shown in V Fig. 3, when fastened at the buckles Ga, so as to give the tapered form 8 to the top section I (the webbing l i and braided cross thong being omitted for purposes of illustration of the tapered form 8). The tapering effect to which the top section I is subjected is shown by the relative positions of the toe straps 2 after being adjusted through buckles 4a. It is to be noted that the toe straps 2 when fastened by the buckles ila respectively are in a side by side or lit-par lit po sition.

For all practical purposes it has been that in actual use a relatively wide top band transversely across the top of the front part of the foot, when made double of leather or other material, preferably to contain padding t, provides a certain amount of insulation and prevents chafing of the toes or top of the feet by distributing the weight of the shoeshoe and any attached snow over a much wider area of the foot. See Fig. 2.

By constructing this transverse top polygonal in shape as shown in Fig. 1 with the front corners tapered diagonally toward the front and at approximately 45 degrees to the front-to-back axis of the snowshoe and harness, so that when the toe straps are brought down over the top and sides of the wearers shoe they form a tapered enclosure, the shoe is prevented from going too far forward and striking the wood crossbar it in Fig. 3 at the front of the large aperture E2 in the snowshoe l5.

The toe straps 2 and buckles are so placed in relation to each other, that when the toe straps 2 pass down through the webbing H and return to the buckle 3a it forms an additional wide support to and continuation of the tapered enclosure 8 and by means of the buckles "ia the tapered enclosure 8 is thereby made adjustable in size and tension.

The toe straps 2 pass through the eyes in the snowshoe webbing ll, pass around the braided cross thong l3 which coincides with the of pivoting action iii and return to attachment to buckles 4a, thereby forming a hinge or pivei, allowing partial rotation of the wearers foot at the axis Ii) coinciding approximately with the ball of the foot.

By making the heel strap 3 adjustable by means of buckle ll) and attaching it to the triangular webs 18 which have relatively wide bases attached to the top section i, when the heel is moved laterally as in turning the foot to change direction, this construction transmits the moion positively over its wide base of attachment to the top section i and to the two straps 2 and thereby also to the snowshoe l5. This construction has a very definite and beneficial action in giving heel control and therefore directional control so necessary when snowshceing in thick bush and rough terrain.

What I claim is:

1. A snowshoe harness comprising a top section, two adjustable toe straps, one adjustable heel strap, said toe straps being adapted to be passed around the braided cross thong of a snowshoe and so fastened to said top section by buckles that when drawn securely over the foot of the wearer of the snowshoe said top section forms a tapered enclosure abutting on the toe of the foot of the wearer, said toe straps and their respective buckles being so positioned that the inner and outer portions of each toe strap when buckled lie side by side forming an extension of the tapered enclosure to prevent the shoe of the wearer from moving too far forward to engage the wooden crossbar of the snowshoe but free to move in pivotal action in a vertical plane within the frame of the snowshoe.

2; A snowshoe harness comprising a top section, two adjustable toe straps, one adjustable heel strap, said heel strap being attached to triangular webs forming part of the top section by wide bases that transmit lateral action of the heel of the foot into lateral action of the snow- I shoe to facilitate heel control and the turning of the snow shoe as required when walking.

3. A snowshoe harness comprising a top section, a pair of buckles connected to said top section, a pair of adjustable toe straps, an adjustable heel strap, said toe straps being adapted to be passed around the braided cross thong of a snowshoe and so fastened to said top section by said buckles so that when said toe straps are drawn securely over the foot of the wearer of the snowshoe said top section forms tapered enclosure abutting on the toe of the foot of the wearer to prevent the shoe of the wearer from moving too far forward to engage the wooden crossbar of the snowshoe but free to move within the large aperture of the snowshoe and said toe straps and their respective buckles being so positioned on the top section that the inner and outer portions of each toe strap when buckled lie side by side forming an extension of the tapered enclosure.

4. A snowshoe harness comprising a top section having substantially parallel front and rear edges and having side edges disposed at an obtuse angle to the front edge, a heel strap secured to the rear edge of said top section, toe straps extending across the side edges of said top section outwardly therefrom and adapted to be passed around the braided cross thong of a snowshoe, one end of each of the toe straps being attachable to said top section, and fastening means for the other end of each of said toe straps attached to said top section, the locations of attachment of each of said toe straps and of the corresponding fastening means being spaced apart on the surface of said top section angularly with respect to the position of the center of the corresponding toe strap whereby when said toe straps are drawn securely over the foot of the wearer of the snowshoe said top section forms a downwardly tapered enclosure abutting on the toe of the foot of the wearer.

J AlVIES DEANS CUMMIN G.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in t file of this patent: he

Images