Hello and welcome to my Vans Invado Pro review.
In this review I will take a look at the Invado Pro as freestyle snowboard boots.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Invado Pro a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other freestyle boots.
Overall Rating
Boots: Vans Invado Pro
Price: $315 (USD recommended retail)
Style: All-Mtn Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium (5-7/10)
Flex Feel: Medium (6/10)
Rating Score: 92.0/100
Compared to other Freestyle Boots
Of the 23 current model freestyle snowboard boots that we tested:
❄️ The Invado Pro ranked 2nd out of 23
Overview of the Invado Pro’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Invado Pro’s specs and available sizes.
SPECS
STYLE:
ALL-MTN FREESTYLE
PRICE:
$315 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
weight:
Felt normal
LACING SYSTEM:
HYRID - TRADITIONAL LACE WITH BOA
SIZING
US MEN'S SIZE | UK SIZE | EURO SIZE | MONDOPOINT |
|---|---|---|---|
7 | 6 | 39.5 | 25 |
7.5 | 6.5 | 40 | 25.5 |
8 | 7 | 40.5 | 26 |
8.5 | 7.5 | 41.5 | 26.5 |
9 | 8 | 42 | 27 |
9.5 | 8.5 | 42.5 | 27.5 |
10 | 9 | 43.5 | 28 |
10.5 | 9.5 | 44 | 28.5 |
11 | 10 | 44.5 | 29 |
11.5 | 10.5 | 45 | 29.5 |
12 | 11 | 46 | 30 |
13 | 12 | 48 | 31 |
Who are the Invado Pro Most Suited to?
The Vans Invado Pro are best suited to anyone looking for that middle of the spectrum flex to strike that balance between good slow speed riding but also being able to lay down a pretty heavy carve and stay stable at fairly high speeds.
Also a great choice for those who tend to have trouble getting a good fit in snowboard boots, particularly issues with heel-hold. The Invado Pro's are super adjustable, so should be able to dial in almost anyone's feet.
They're not particularly unforgiving boots or anything, but not quite beginner friendly.
Best matches with boards in the 3/10 to 6/10 flex range and most optimal for 4/10 to 5/10 flexing boards.
The Invado Pro in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Invado Pro are capable of.
Demo Info
Boots: Vans Invado Pro 2024
Size: 10.0 (US Men's Sizing)
Date: January 25, 2024
Conditions
Overhead: Raining, fairly heavy at times.
Not great visibility - 50-60%. Quite hard to see ahead to pick line, but not awful.
Temperature (°F): 34 (25 with wind chill) morning and 36 (27 with wind chill) afternoon.
Temperature (°C): 1 (-4 with wind chill) morning and 2 (-3 with wind chill) afternoon.
24 hour snow: 0.5" (1cm)
48 hour snow: 0.5" (1cm)
7 day snow: 0.5" (1cm)
On groomer: Soft packed with slushy patches. Slushier as the day went on.
Off groomer: Shallow powder - there had been snow overnight. It was OK first thing, but got pretty sloppy as the day went on, with the rain.
Foot to Boot Fit
Length Fit:
My toes touched the fronts of the boots but weren’t bent over or scrunched. The toe room was, well, not very roomy with some pressure all around, but also not painful or cramped.
The perfect amount of toe room can be a very personal feel, and these boots will make your toes feel either secure or claustrophobic depending on your preference.
Width Fit:
Initially the Invado Pro's felt narrow because of the overall tight fit, but after wearing them for a while it’s probably more accurate to say they’re normal/medium.
In-Step:
The in-step fit me really well. Although overall this boot is snugger than normal, this aspect hit me just right. Snug but no pressure points.
Around Ankles:
The ankle Boa allowed me to get a nice snug adjustment around my ankles, but I without getting any hot spots.
True to Size?:
These definitely fit tight. The whole time I was testing I kept assessing if they were just too small or if they would break in after some riding and be true to size.
After combining all my notes from both indoor and outdoor time I think I’d say they’re about ¼ size off. I tested a size 10/Mondo 28, and I think a 10 ¼ would be perfect for me. Yes, that’s picky, but if you struggle with fit and sizing, it’s nice to know ahead of time.
Boot to Binding Fit
I had to adjust the heel strap on notch bigger (so just a little bulkier around the ankle area than my control boots), but after that the heel hold scored among the highest of any boots tested. The toe strap was fine without any adjustment.
Carving & Slow Speed Response
During my in-house testing, the Invado’s flex felt a little on the soft side, but after riding them I shifted their rating to a just above average stiffness.
They had a really good balance between solid response for carving and still being able to manage the board well at slower speeds. Conditions were soft and a little slushy/sticky, so I wasn’t able to really put them through their paces for hard-snow carving response but I feel like they would have held up to a degree, but wouldn't be hard chargers based on feel/flex.
Heel Hold
As noted in the section on boot to binding fit, these score quite high for heel hold. Barely any lift, even when trying to raise the heel consciously both during in-house testing and on snow. When just naturally turning, didn't notice any lift.
Adjustability
This boot has all the things needed for good adjustability. Velcro on both sides of the upper liner, good tightening on liner lacing, power strap, heel hold that’s operated with a Boa, and traditional lacing to top it all off.
However, all this adjustability comes at the price of being slow and difficult to get into and all dialed in.
Comfort
While the Invado’s do have a very snug fit, they wrapped my foot in very even pressure with no hot spots or pressure points. Assuming that this evenness continues through the break in period, I would actually expect them to be very comfortable for the long haul.
Shock Absorption & Board Feel
Shock absorption and board feel are both a little above average. During the stomp test they felt pretty damp and cushy, in a good way.
The sole is pretty flexible in the toes and then gets progressively stiffer as it moves to the heel - which is typical of a snowboard boot's sole. Overall they had really decent board feel that was balanced with really decent shock absorption.
Traction/Sole Quality
Nothing fancy here. The tread appeared medium deep, and the material is grippy, so they should handle parking lots and basic hiking fairly well.
Reduced Footprint
The Invado Pro's, typical of Vans boots were quite a bit more low profile than the average boot, coming in at 2.3cm longer on the outersole, versus the mondopoint of the boot. Of course, if you have to go 1/2 a size up, then a lot of that is cancelled out, but would still remain a touch shorter than average.
Entry/Exit
As you might expect from a boot that received a lot of comments about its snug fit, the Invado’s are no picnic to get in and out of. It’s both important and tedious to fully open the traditional laces to create space to slide/cram your foot in.
There’s definitely a sequence to loosening and opening straps, laces, Boa, etc., so plan ahead on a powder day in order to not get left behind.
The liner lacing tightener does feel cheap but it seems to do its job just fine. I was also happy to find that the laces are just the right length; they tie well without too much left over.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Shock Absorption | 4 | 16/20 |
| Board Feel | 4 | 12/15 |
| Carving | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Slow Speed Response | 4 | 8/10 |
| Adjustability | 5 | 15/15 |
| Comfort | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Heel Hold | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Reduced Footprint | 4 | 4/5 |
| Traction | 3 | 3/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 92/100 |
The Invado Pro were a little bit on the too snug side for me in my typical snowboard boot size. But as I rode in them they started to feel better and I think, after a toughing out period they would have broken in nicely, particularly with the amount of adjustability they have. Though, if they were a 1/4 of size bigger, I think they would have broken in to be a good size too and without as much of breaking in period.
Overall, they strike a really good balance between fast and slow speed riding, shock absorption and board feel , are super adjustable with great heel hold and offer a nice level of reduced footprint for those looking to minimize the chances of boot drag.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re interested in learning more about the Invado Pro, are ready to buy or want to research current prices and sizing availability, check out the links below.
If you want to see how the Invado Pro compared to other freestyle boots, or want to check out some other options, check out the link below.
Hello Nate,
Thanks a lot for this comprehensive Review. I am impressed!
One thing: I summed up the rating to 81 instead of 92.
So I guess these boots are not on 2nd range, correct?
Cheers, Dieter
Hi Dieter, thanks for your message and great question. We normalize all our scores, so the total won’t add up. There’s a normalization factor for each of our categories. For Freestyle Snowboard boots, that factor is 88. The factor is typically somewhere between 82 and 96, depending on the category. So the Invado Pro’s “raw score” is 81. But after normalizing it comes to 92 (81 divided by 88, then multiplied by 100).
The reason we normalize scores like this is so we can properly represent each boot (or board or binding) within each category. If the highest score was 82 and the 5th best score was in the 70s, it wouldn’t represent what looks like a good score (in my opinion), even when it’s a quality boot for its purpose. This also gives some cross-category reference ability – the weightings of scores can mean that some categories end up with higher scores, and then it looks funny vs other categories.
We typically set the normalization factor so that there are at least 1 but no more than 5 boots (or boards or bindings) that score 90 or more.
This way we can keep our scores out of 5, for each factor rated, as their raw score, but have a more representative total score.
Hope that makes sense, but I can give a more complete explanation, if you require.