MSR Evo Tour 22 Snowshoe

Evo Tour
June 20, 2011

I bought these last winter. They were easy to get into, with only one strap. You have to adjust the strap prior to wearing the snowshoe. Then you put your foot in and when you turn it, the cam action locks your foot down. They have great grip on ice and are very durable. My daughter uses them (too small for my frame and the wet snow in the Cascades)

Good Snowshoe, but choose bindings carefully
January 31, 2011

I bought this snowshoe for both my wife and son. The specific model is the MSR EVO Tour and we also have the snowshoe tails (extensions). This shoe has the large twist in binding strap and the extra mid-sole strap. The large twist in front binding catches on the inside edge of the snowshoe when it pivots and besides causing tripping, when the shoe doesn't return to normal position, it is deforming and tearing the strap. Rather than pay return shipping I have heated the plastic with a hair dryer and reformed the shape to try and alleviate the binding. Also, since the strap is very stiff, if you are not wearing a fairly rigid boot, it will push down on half of the top side of your boot and cause pinching/chafing. Lastly the push- through strap buttons are difficult to push through. I have found it helps to pull on the strap hard to elongate the hole and work it down. I have also tried flipping them over so the push through the opposite way. My wife and son are still struggling with strapping the snow shoes. The lower priced bindings like what are on the MSR Shift are easy to use. The other item that may/or may not be an issue for you is that they are notably noisier than our other styles of snowshoes (tube frame, wood frame, MSR Lightnings..). The good stuff is the flotation is good, the tails work well, traction is great, and they are durable. Because of the issues with this shoe I put my wife in my pair of MSR Lightning Ascents. She now refuses to go back to the Evo's since the Lightnings are so much lighter and more comfortable to walk in. The heel lift works well, but the incline must be steep, not just an ordinary hill that you could ride a bicycle up. If I was to do it over and price was a major issue, I would buy the cheapest version of the Evo's and if price was not an issue the MSR Lightning Acesnts are fabulous to snowshoe in. Almost like not having anything on your feet.