We’ve had these for a year (we are on our second season with them), so I thought it would be a good idea to review them after we have had a chance to use them a season.

We started snowshoeing a few years ago but had always rented the shoes at the mountain. Doing this we got to try out different styles and brands of snowshoes. We liked the ones from MSR the most and started looking for a pair we could buy.

We selected the MSR Revo Explore snowshoes after checking them out at MEC. We put those on our wedding registry, knowing they were a big ask unless people pitched in. When the wedding came we were blown away and instead of smaller items our friends all pitched in and got us a our ZPacks Duplex (save that review for another post!). So for snowshoes we were left to buying them ourselves.

My coworkers we’re very generous and pooled money for MEC gift cards as a wedding gift prior to me taking holiday that year for our wedcation so that gave us a good pool of funds to use for gear. I also was fortunate to get a small bonus (in a form of prepaid VISA cards) at the end of the year. That left us with a lot of money we not only had to use at MEC but some extra to cover other gear. After listing out the gear we needed that year we were able to buy the REVO Ascents instead of the Explores.

I have to say I’m quite pleased with them!

We each got a pair. Natasha has the purple ones. I have the red.

Mass/ Weight

I can’t remember the numbers and we never did a detailed analysis on mass. We only planned to wear them for day hikes so mass was less of a deciding factor (although still important!).

They are not the lightest, but I really don’t feel fatigued with them on for a day. For how durable they are and how aggressive they are I think they are quite light.  We have used heavier ones and these are much lighter than some of the ones we have rented.  Unless you see carrying them on a multi day trip or a through hike I don’t think the weight is a factor to be concerned about with these. They are light enough for me.

Features

They are quite aggressive, as they are meant for ascents. I have had sufficient grip on packed, icy and powder. I don’t think I have slipped once in these. They have enough surface area to keep me from sinking in deep powder as well. Natasha has had similar experiences.

There is a heel riser in the back that you can easily pop up with the basket of your poles. This makes a huge difference and really reduces fatigue. Natasha’s feet are small and her boots are 3 season boots (with small soles) so her riser is close to the edge of the heel of her boots. It still works but I suggest testing the fit of your boots and snowshoes before going out for this reason. I wear a pair of Salomon X Ultra Winter Boots and I don’t have this issue.

The straps are appropriately placed and have enough stretch to keep them tight and not too tight.  The straps remain contained and don’t come undone and “flap around”.

Durability

It’s too soon to tell but they seem to be holding up. We went on several day trips last year (probably twice a month) and the most that happened are scratches due to my toes clipping. Nothing has broken or worn yet. The only thing we have had to do is wax.

Overall

I quite like them. The only reason I might consider another pair is if we have a heavy snow season prior to hiking the GDT next year and need snowshoes instead of crampons or microspikes.  These would be too heavy to carry. But for a two or three day trip in the winter they would work very well.