In this blog post and video, our Calgary Store Manager and snowshoe enthusiast Brian Casey provides an MSR Evo Trail Snowshoe and Lightning Trail Snowshoe Comparison. The 'trail' series refers specifically to the trail binding on all these models.
The MSR trail snowshoe series bindings have two fore foot straps and a heel strap. These straps are very easy to put on, basically a friction camming setup, you slide your foot in, pull the strap until tight then fasten and use the keeper strap to secure the excess strap.
MSR Evo Trail Snowshoe Overview
MSR Evo Trail Snowshoes
$229.95
MSR Evo Trail Snowshoe vs MSR Lightning Trail Snowshoes MSR Evo Trail Snowshoes remain a favorite of snowshoers around the world, delivering MSR's legendary dependability, built for the trail. With traction bars molded into its UniBody deck, it offers the… Read More
First up there is the MSR Evo Trail Snowshoe Series. These snowshoes are a great, durable, recreational trail snowshoe. These guys are made of nylon, which is very cold resistant, and flexible. This allows the snowshoe to flex side to side (which allows for good performance in uneven terrain), and they also maintain stiffness forward to back which gives great foot and ankle support when walking.
The MSR Evo Trail snowshoes are super durable and are the go-to of many rental programs. I've had a first generation pair that I have had for over 15 years and they still work really well. The MSR Evo Trail snowshoes are 30” long and can have a tail added on to them for additional float in deeper snow conditions.
MSR Lightning Trail Snowshoe Overview
MSR Mens Lightning Trail Snowshoes
$269.96
$359.95
MSR Evo Trail Snowshoe vs MSR Lightning Trail Snowshoes The Mens MSR Mens Lightning Trail snowshoes are exceptionally lightweight, quiet and comfortable for all-day performance. 360˚ Traction™ frames provide serious grip and the Paraglide bindings are easy to use. The pressure… Read More
MSR Womens Lightning Trail Snowshoes
$269.96
$359.95
MSR Evo Trail Snowshoe vs MSR Lightning Trail Snowshoes The MSR Womens Lightning Trail Snowshoes are custom-built for maximum efficiency over rolling terrain. Our lightest snowshoe, they pack the performance of our aggressive and low-profile women's 360 degrees Traction frames… Read More
The next series we're going to talk about is the MSR Lightning Trail Snowshoe models. This snowshoe comes in a men's series and in a women's series. Unlike the MSR Evo Trail Snowshoes, the MSR Lightning Trail snowshoes come in multiple lengths either 22” or 25”. The size is determined by your weight and height. This info can be found on the product pages here (Mens model | Womens model).
Just like the MSR Evo Trail Snowshoe, the MSR Mens Lightning Snowshoe and Womens Lightning Trail Snowshoes are modular and add on tails can be purchased to create additional volume and float in deeper snow conditions (or for bigger snowshoers). The MSR Lightning Trail Snowshoes are lighter than the Evo Trail Snowshoe, making for an easier day on the legs, and a higher likelihood of reaching your snowy objective for the day.
The MSR Lightning Trail snowshoe series is a light, flexible snowshoe. They are built with a rubber coated nylon and have the same trail binding system as the MSR Evo Trail. The men’s and women’s versions are similar; however, the women's specific model is much narrower to allows those with shorter/smaller legs to walk with a more natural gait. They are also a little lighter than the men’s model.
TRAIL SNOWSHOE IDEAL TERRAIN
The ideal terrain for all these trail model snowshoes is relatively low angle, and not ideal for super deep snow conditions. In saying that, the tails can certainly help gain floatation in deeper snow conditions. The main limitation with the trail binding system is climbing or walking through steep terrain. Without the heel riser functionality of more off-trail centric snowshoes, calf fatigue will come on very quickly on steep climbs and trail sections.
MSR TRAIL SNOWSHOE COMPARISON SUMMARY
So, in summary, the MSR Trail series of snowshoes are fantastic for those looking to get out on undulating terrain in the mountains and mainly on trail. See below for the pros and cons of each model we compared here:
MSR Evo Trail Snowshoe
PROS
Inexpensive, Durable, Easy to Use, modular so you can add additional volume with tails
CONS
A little heavier, can be a bit noisy on hard packed snow, not great for sustained steeper trails or off trail adventures
MSR Women’s Lightning Trail Snowshoe
PROS
Lightweight, Durable, Easy to Use, Narrower profile for smaller snowshoers, modular so you can add additional volume with tails
CONS
Not great for sustained steeper trails or off trail adventures, more expensive option than entry level models.
MSR Men’s Lightning Trail Snowshoe
PROS
Lightweight, Durable, Easy to Use, modular so you can add additional volume with tails
CONS
Not great for sustained steeper trails or off trail adventures, more expensive option than entry level models.
Where to Snowshoe in Kananaskis
Where to Snowshoe around Calgary
Where to Snowshoe around Edmonton
AQ Outdoors Contact
Edmonton: (p) 780 463-4892 (e) info@aquabaticsedmonton.com
Calgary: (p) 403 288-9283 (e) info@aqoutdoors.com
