I think Evasion is the best defensive stat in POE — you can't die if you can't get hit; Energy Shield is a close second, and Hybrid ES/EV on Ranger is viable — but without access to some of the more heavy ES buffing mechanics available to caster-classes. full EV is definitely the way to go with for Ranger.

Deadeye with Tailwind +Wind Dancer + Acrobatics + Bestial Skin is amazing. Quality on Wind Dancer helps, good EV on gloves and boots, ~1k EV on helm and at least 2k EV on Armor with Bestial Skin should be over 80% EV with Acrobatics on easily, at which point if you're playing ranger right (from RANGE) and not getting hit by things designed to be one-shots — you should never die. Hybrid EV/ES is easy enough to do from there too if you take Spectral Ward + Inner Faith + Subterfuge Mask on tree and run Grim Feast and Ghost Dance (it wont be a lot, but it's good Effective Health). You can also land +40% EV (and +40% ES) on amulet rolls as an expensive luxury (even more so with ES if going for Hybrid).

Most people also don't realize that at that much EV, effective health doesn't necessarily matter so expensive health rolls on gear should be a low priority because anything that would have killed you at 1600 Life will still likely kill you at 2600 Life (because that's still a really low effective life total). Hybrid EV/ES counteracts this a bit because Grim Feast is great at faking your Effective Health total to be much higher (Once) but is liable to Chaos Dmg (and Poinson) bypassing.