Dynafit Skins

I'm thinking about picking up a pair of the Dynafit Stoke skis but am not thrilled with the idea of using the Dynafit skins, mainly due to the tip and tail attachment system and the lighter weight, which I assume translates into less durability. The specs on the Stoke and the new Dynafit insert system really appeal to me, but the proprietary skins, not so much. It would be nice to not have to screw with cutting the skins down though.

Anybody using BD Accension skins, or anything else with the Dynafit skis?

I've been a huge fan of the BD Accension skins for years and they have never let me down.

Please give thoughts.

I'm using both Ascension and Dynafit Speed Skins. Don't have enough mileage on the Speedskins to make a judgment re: longevity, but they glide really well, pack much smaller than Ascensions, seem to have slightly less uphill grip, and are very nicely cut and finished. The textured glue on the Speedskins has also worked great, though I haven't used them in super cold weather yet (skin material is reportedly sourced from Colltex, and I've experienced problems with their glue in colder conditions).

I adapted a pair of mohair mix Ascensions with STS tails to fit my Manaslus this year, which also works great. Salewa gouges you a bit for the rubber tip thingy(s) ($20 for 2) but it does make a clean tip fix and eliminates the cut cable ends of yore and subsequent stabbed fingers . . .

Looks like you stitched that on Greg. Nice work.
Did you have apprehensions on the BD Mix skins and what sort of report can you give us on those in the PNW snow.
I was thinking of going that route but was uncertain of the up hill traction and the potential of the mohair getting to wet.
How do you like the rubber adjustable tail rather than the fixed tail for a tip removal system?

Yeah, it takes a fairly powerful sewing machine - mine's a Pfaff industrial, kind of the sewing machine equivalent of an AMG Mercedes . . . if anyone needs velcro to to do this to their skins, PM me here, I have tons of it.

The Ascension mohair mix fabric is very nice. It doesn't seem to absorb any more water than my trusty 100% nylon Ascensions, glide is incrementally better, grip seems comparable. Overall, not that much different. I have one season on these and they are holding up just as well as any of my nylon skins - the glue and backing, of course, is the same, which is to say bomber.

I also was thinking that the STS tail might not keep the skin centered adequately, but so far it's not been a problem. With these skins I usually use the STS tail to tension the skin, but rip from the tip rando-racer style.

I have a pair of FR10s with Ascension skins. I took the funky tip things off the skis (looks like the Stokes have a similar setup) and covered the exposed ski core with epoxy; now the tip loop doesn't get hung up on the ski tip when stripping the skins.

Thanks for your input Greg.
So the rubber plug that you got from Salewa is shaped like a T and you folded the velcro over and put a hole in the velcro for the plug.
Looks like you have a small patch of the velcro carpet on the the adhesive side and the hook and loop strip folds the entire distance.
Unless I have that the other way around.
Nice creative setup.