MSR Revo Explore Snowshoes Review

Bottom Line

The MSR Revo Explore is one of our top picks for a snowshoe technical enough to handle rugged adventures but refined enough to stroll down the trails unencumbered. Its well-designed features, great traction, and ease of use make it great for an all-around performer that excels in many settings. After extensive testing, it remains one of our top picks for best snowshoes.

Serrated teeth along the perimeter of the frame give the Revo Explore excellent traction. Armed with two small front points and a vertical traction bar across the midfoot, slipping was never an issue, and these snowshoes could handle steep slopes with ease. The flotation of these snowshoes is lacking despite their relatively larger size. There is very little decking from the midfoot forward, which makes us feel like the front of the snow shoes sunk in dramatically farther than the tails. This made us feel like we were falling forward when using these snowshoes in deep, untracked snow.

Despite these small shortcomings, the MSR Revo Explore is an excellent snowshoe for versatility and ease of use. The binding system is secure and quick to adjust, and we love their great traction and walkability.

Flotation

The MSR Revo Explore is one of the lightest snowshoes in our lineup. Unfortunately, that low weight comes at the price of their flotation. From the midfoot forward, the snowshoe is almost completely open. While this allows the snowshoe to walk easily, it greatly reduces their flotation. From the binding toward the tail, however, it is solid decking made of stiff plastic.

This combination of open tips and solid trails made us feel like the front of the snowshoes sunk in deeper than the rear, giving us the feeling of falling forward while using them. The back half of the snowshoe provides excellent flotation, but the open front half greatly reduces their float.

These snowshoes are not our top pick for deep snow and off-trail travel but still provide enough flotation for mixed-surface walking. If using these in deep snow frequently, having a pair of MSR’s Revo Modular Flotation Tails could help enhance their flotation.

Traction

We were immediately impressed by the Revo Explore’s traction. When testing all our best snowshoes side by side on the same steep slope, they easily made it to the top without slipping or sliding. While the two triangular front points on the binding are relatively small, they also come equipped with a line of teeth directly behind them and teeth along the metal frame.

The teeth along the metal frame are especially good at gripping firm snow and ice. These teeth run the length of the frame from the toes to the tail and provide excellent traction going both up and down hills. Further traction is provided by molded fins in the underside of the decking to help grip in deep powder.

The Revo Explore offers excellent traction for those wanting to tackle steep slopes and icy conditions, especially in spring snow conditions.

Walkability

This style of snowshoe wants a steep and challenging hike. The metal frame combined with rigid plastic decking makes for a very stiff and inflexible snowshoe. While this means it performs well off the trail and in steep and technical terrain, they often felt clunky and unnatural to walk in on packed and groomed surfaces.

The shape of the snowshoe tapers slightly from tip to tail, allowing for no overlap while walking. The tip shape matches the tail, so we didn’t struggle with overlap or a wide stance.

Because these snowshoes are exceptionally light, their low swing weight and open tips mean that we didn’t fatigue from having to don’t lift heavy snow with each step. The included heel riser is a must for long uphills as it allows a more comfortable and supportive stance.

Ease of Use

New to this year’s model, the Revo Explore comes equipped with MSR’s Paradigm Binding. Gone are the days of uncomfortable ratchet straps across the foot. Instead, a sturdy rubber mesh cradles the foot, providing a more secure fit.

Locking straps are easily adjusted by pulling the strap’s tail and can remain in place between uses. Simply pull the release lever to loosen. Thanks to the oversized toggle, releasing with gloves is easy.

However, we found the heel strap to be less intuitive. While simple in design, the open hook means our heel would slip if we didn’t cinch enough around the heel. It took some adjusting to find the right balance between secure and comfortable. The heel lifters are well-designed to be easily flicked up or down with a trekking pole and stay up securely while walking.

Should You Buy the MSR Revo Explore?

The MSR Revo Explore is a workhorse of a snowshoe, providing solid performance and high-quality features at a relatively affordable price. We love how lightweight these snowshoes are, but found that this means they do not provide as much flotation in deep snow as others we tested. Their excellent traction excels while going up steep slopes or icy surfaces.

If you’re looking for one snowshoe to do most conditions well, the MSR Revo Explore is an excellent option. We found that it is easily overwhelmed in deep snow while off-trail and can feel stiff and clunky while on groomed trails. Still, the Revo Explore remains one of our favorite snowshoes for their versatility and ease of use.

What Other Snowshoes Should You Consider?

MSR Lightning Ascent Review – The big brother to the Revo Explore, the Lightning Ascent provides even more traction, flotation, and burlier construction. If you loved the Revo Explore but want to push your snowshoeing to the next level, pick up the Lightning Ascent.

Tubbs Flex RDG Review – With a similar shape and profile, the Tubbs Flex RDG incorporates everything we love about the Revo Explore but with an easier-to-use binding system using boa technology.

MSR Evo Trail Review – If the price point of the Revo Explore is a little high but you are still looking for a well-built MSR product, check out the Evo Trail. At a lower price point, it still comes with most of the features you know and love from MSR snowshoes.