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February, 2023

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ARVA EVO 4 Flaws

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suup
Posts: 1483 - Karma: 4,313
So I purchased this beacon early this year simply because it was cheap option to get me into the backcountry. I've been taking some avy/touring classes over the past month, and have came to the conclusion that it's terrible. Not speaking on Arva's technology it functions fine. However the design of this beacon has some possibly fatal flaws.

First, for the the beacon to be turned on it must be strapped to your chest with its built in harness.
(red key must be plugged in)
photo for ref:


Sure this is a fool proof way to ensure that the beacon is always on and transmitting, whatever. The problem is, in a situation where you're searching for a buried victim its strapped to your chest. It's nearly impossible to get this thing level to the snow when bracketing for a victim.

The second flaw is the switch that toggles between search and send. The switch toggles so easily that in a rescue situation for example your partner is bracketing and you're probing or getting rescue gear out of a pack. The beacon can be switched from search to send with any slight bump, Throwing off your partners signal.

I haven't experienced this so its purely anecdotal, However I also believe that this switch could be toggled from send to search easily in the event of an accident. Leaving you buried without a signal. Much like Nick Mcnutts situation with the Peips beacon. (https://www.instagram.com/p/CHBU5imB18o/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=0f39b511-424c-472f-97b7-2b56ba2864d3)

Glad I found these flaws out while doing drills and not in any real situations.


TLDR: Don't purchase this product.
Feb 3 2022 1:27PM
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cydwhit
Posts: 5047 - Karma: 42,528
Yeah. I've briefly used one and was not a huge fan. That said, Arva does sell a different holster that apparently fixes your first problem.

I get what you're saying with the second part, I would argue that that's present on a lot of beacons though. A lot of beacons "lock" into transmit, but are easy to bump from "receive" to "transmit." It is a huge problem if it can be bumped the other way though.

But, as an example, my Barryvox requires me to hold down a button, and slide over a switch to get from send to receive, but I can bump back to send with just a finger. I actually like that, because, in the case of hang fire popping loose and burying me, there's a decent chance that button will get switched back.

Regardless, beacons that require you to use a special harness, and can't be used in a beacon pocket are infuriating and I refuse to ever buy one.



Really glad you found all of this out in training, not an emergency!

Side note: It's a little wild to me how little innovation we expect from avalanche beacons. The Evo 4 was released in 2015 and is still a "current" beacon. It's still something we trust to save our lives, and the lives of our friends. How many of us are using 7 year old phones? I'd wager a lot fewer folks than are using seven year old beacons. I get that that's not a totally fair comparison, but still...
Feb 3 2022 2:09PM
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XC
Posts: 181 - Karma: 1,268
Can confirm. I was doing rescue drills in a course and the toggle was bumped back to "send" without my knowledge. That's too high of a risk for me in a real rescue scenario. I bought a brand new beacon because of this flaw.
Feb 3 2022 2:15PM
1 0
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suup
Posts: 1483 - Karma: 4,313
cydwhitYeah. I've briefly used one and was not a huge fan. That said, Arva does sell a different holster that apparently fixes your first problem.

I get what you're saying with the second part, I would argue that that's present on a lot of beacons though. A lot of beacons "lock" into transmit, but are easy to bump from "receive" to "transmit." It is a huge problem if it can be bumped the other way though.

But, as an example, my Barryvox requires me to hold down a button, and slide over a switch to get from send to receive, but I can bump back to send with just a finger. I actually like that, because, in the case of hang fire popping loose and burying me, there's a decent chance that button will get switched back.

Regardless, beacons that require you to use a special harness, and can't be used in a beacon pocket are infuriating and I refuse to ever buy one.



Really glad you found all of this out in training, not an emergency!

Side note: It's a little wild to me how little innovation we expect from avalanche beacons. The Evo 4 was released in 2015 and is still a "current" beacon. It's still something we trust to save our lives, and the lives of our friends. How many of us are using 7 year old phones? I'd wager a lot fewer folks than are using seven year old beacons. I get that that's not a totally fair comparison, but still...

I did look into getting that harness, it would fix help with bracketing and possibly keep the switch from toggling in an accident. but I'm confused why it wouldn't just be the standard harness. Not very stoked on Arva selling the piece that makes their product usable separately. once you spend the $45 on the harness you could just get the evo5.

I understand what you're saying in regards to the Barryvox, but that switch isn't as easy to incidentally switch.

I'm pretty mad at myself for skimping on something that could save a buddies life.
Feb 3 2022 3:10PM
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suup
Posts: 1483 - Karma: 4,313
XCCan confirm. I was doing rescue drills in a course and the toggle was bumped back to "send" without my knowledge. That's too high of a risk for me in a real rescue scenario. I bought a brand new beacon because of this flaw.


looks like that's the route I'm on now too
Feb 3 2022 3:11PM
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cydwhit
Posts: 5047 - Karma: 42,528
suupI did look into getting that harness, it would fix help with bracketing and possibly keep the switch from toggling in an accident. but I'm confused why it wouldn't just be the standard harness. Not very stoked on Arva selling the piece that makes their product usable separately. once you spend the $45 on the harness you could just get the evo5.

I understand what you're saying in regards to the Barryvox, but that switch isn't as easy to incidentally switch.

I'm pretty mad at myself for skimping on something that could save a buddies life.


It's SO hard to know what to look for, especially when you're shopping for your first beacon. And they're so hard to review effectively because there are so many unknowns. Sorry you're having to take a loss on this one.

That said, plenty of folks will buy a used Evo 4 and use it for inbounds skiing, where it's always on Send, or something similar. There are plenty of beacons out in the world that are never getting used to search for anything.

Over the last few winters I've been lucky enough to train with a few snow safety pros, and it's always interesting to try to talk beacons with them. Often brand loyalties run really deep. And for the pros, they can basically make any beacon work well enough to meet that "two burials in seven minutes" standard. But the smaller nuances of how well those beacons work, how easy they are to use, and how susceptible they are to electronic interference are so much harder to quantify. It makes it really hard for beginners to get sorted with the beacon that will be the most useful to them.

That said, Mammut Barryvox. It just plain works.
Feb 3 2022 3:18PM
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XC
Posts: 181 - Karma: 1,268
cydwhitIt's SO hard to know what to look for, especially when you're shopping for your first beacon. And they're so hard to review effectively because there are so many unknowns. Sorry you're having to take a loss on this one.

That said, plenty of folks will buy a used Evo 4 and use it for inbounds skiing, where it's always on Send, or something similar. There are plenty of beacons out in the world that are never getting used to search for anything.

Over the last few winters I've been lucky enough to train with a few snow safety pros, and it's always interesting to try to talk beacons with them. Often brand loyalties run really deep. And for the pros, they can basically make any beacon work well enough to meet that "two burials in seven minutes" standard. But the smaller nuances of how well those beacons work, how easy they are to use, and how susceptible they are to electronic interference are so much harder to quantify. It makes it really hard for beginners to get sorted with the beacon that will be the most useful to them.

That said, Mammut Barryvox. It just plain works.


Mammut Barryvox all the way! If you can afford it (like you said, hard to find the right beacon).

I actually keep my Evo 4 for clients (ski guiding) or buddies who forgot theirs for the day. Still get plenty of use out of it!
Feb 3 2022 5:18PM
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