Favourite Shoes

[Ken P]

There may already be a thread on this, just curious what shoes are climbers favourites?

What Shoes Rock?
What Shoes Suck?

[Fred]

La Sportiva Miuras (rock)
Five Ten Anasazi velcros (rock but hurt)
Five Ten Anasazi lace-ups (rock but don't get too small, no stretch)

[martha]

In no particular order.....

5.10 anasazi Velcros (rock for all around climbing - but heel cup is big *and the womens ones blow but the oldschool regular ones are good)

5.10 dragons (rock big time for bouldering or overhanging sport)

5.10 sapphire (sweet comfy shoe for all day)

5.10 moccasym (suck for me)

La Sportiva womens Katana (rock so far but rubber is less sticky than 5.10)

[Fred]

oh right! I forgot about the 5.10 Mocasysms. These stink like poop. Three thumbs down. The leather in mine started rotting from the inside out and pieces were coming out from the inside like fibreboard in a rain storm. It was the weirdest thing. Maybe my toe jam is stronger than the average human.

Not to mention you could buy theses three sizes too small (need hydraulic jack to get them on) and then one week later you can't even stand on a jib because they roll around your foot like a fat wool sock. no lies.

[dcentral]

Don't believe the haters.

I've loved both pairs of mocs I have owned.

But I agree with both of them on the Muiras they are a great shoe.

[granite_grrl]

5.10 Saphires for most routes and general use.

I like the fit of the La Sportiva Katanas, but i haven't actually used them. Instead I have the Anasazi Velcros, which are nice but don't fit my heal.

My Dragon's also fit great, but there's very little overhanging stuff I climb here so I don't wear them much.

I had a couple pairs of Scarpa Reflexes, but I haven't been able to get them for a while. I found the Scarpas fit me pretty good.

[Scooter]

Muira's Rock
Anasazi velcro Rock
Every Boreal and Bufo ever made SUCK
Mugens... good price but fall apart easy so they Ruck
Evolv Predators Rock
Slippers Suck

Those are my verdicts

[Zamboni]

Don't buy any shoes made in china ( aka Mad Rock ) Cheep but don't last long.

[Matt Peck]

I rode a pair of 'sazi velcros for a couple of years, they were mad uncomfortable but worked well.
My Mythos are fantastic all rounders, but size them small.
The best shoe I have ever used is a pair of Montrail Splitters, which have lasted about a year of intensive use (3-4 days a week), but the leather is too thin and tore early. I have seen several other examples of Montrails falling apart, but the owners still really liking the fit and stickiness (better than LS, maybe as good as 5.10.). If I had the option, I'd buy a case of the splitters.

[Stevo]

EBs

[The Mitt]

EB's if your like 90.
Tradmasters for todays climbers.

Mitt

[Stevo]

All I know is that I climbed harder and scarier routes in my EBs 25 years ago than I can in my Tradmasters now. But maybe that is because I was good then and I suck now!

Steve

[Mountain_Marc]

For my feet...

Everything Five Ten sucks big time.
Everything La Sportiva rules!

[Andrew]

Boreal Laser 2 - Very good for the time they were current

Boreal Stingers - Excellent for pockets and edges (sport climbing) but terrible for trad or long climbs. Great toe support. Have been called Cinderella Death Slippers

FiveTEN Newtons - Okay all-arounder, but STINK really bad and don't stretch to fit

FiveTEN Mocassyms - My current pair of shoes for the past 3 seasons. They fit ME very well. They are rough to get on at first, then warm up to fit your foot perfectly. Very little tube-sock feel if fitted correctly. I have had the resoled TWICE at the Quick-Cobbler. They still fit and work great. I climb upto 5.10d/5.11 and have used them on cracks, chunky slabs and face climbs with tiny edges and smearing.

They haven't fallen apart for me. In fact, the y even smell really good.

Everyone's opinion and experience is different.

Climb on.

[*Chris*]

La Sportiva Miuras are sweet. Worth every penny.

p.s. Excellent observation on the stench of the 5.10 Newtons. I thought that was just my old pair but man... there is really something especially rotten about them?

[granite_grrl]

p.s. Excellent observation on the stench of the 5.10 Newtons. I thought that was just my old pair but man... there is really something especially rotten about them?

If you buy full leather shoes they will stretch. If you don't buy them knowing that then shame on you.

The Newton's are my husband's favorite shoes for hard trad lines (read: they perform well for him), he's worn them every where. He was lucky enough to find a pair when we were in J-Tree a few years back, and is very sad that you can't get them anymore.

[dcentral]

I think he means they smell really bad not that they stretch.

I've never owned a pair Five Ten Anasazi velcros but man can they stink.

Does anyone remeber Goobers pair and BG? I don't know what it is about those in particular but they are pretty bad.

[The Teth]

Scooter wrote:

Every Boreal and Bufo ever made SUCK

I disagree. The Boreal Aces I bought in 1997 were/are a great shoe, or at least they were after I had broken them in for six months and then resoled them with C4 Stealth Rubber. I have been climbing in them for 9 years and they are still in good shape. I had to replace the shoe laces once (and will soon have to again) and they have been resoled three times. They are moulded to my feet so tight that when I put them on, my foot forces all the air out of the shoe. I can ware them for 8 hours without discomfort. Before I started buying slippers for bouldering, I used to just put my sandals on over my Aces when walking from one bouldering area to another. The last resole was with 7mm ruber which gives them great support for trad climbing. They rock! Of course it may only be the “ever” part of your statement that I disagree with, as the new blue Boreal Aces seem to blow out within months.

I’m with Andrew on the FiveTEN Mocassyms. I have had nine pair and have liked them all. Well, except for the pair I got which were too small. Turns out there is a limit to how much they will stretch. I do think though that this shoe is highly dependent on the shape of your foot. If your foot is the wrong shape for them they will likely be uncomfortable, ineffective, and ware out very quickly. Try them on to see if they are right for your foot. Fit them tight (but not so tight that you can’t walk three steps in them).

Teth

[granite_grrl]

I think he means they smell really bad not that they stretch.

I've never owned a pair Five Ten Anasazi velcros but man can they stink.

Does anyone remeber Goobers pair and BG? I don't know what it is about those in particular but they are pretty bad.

Sorry, stinking can mean two things I guess.

Regardless the stink of a particularly stinky shoes can be moderated if you manage to keep them out of your pack. But if you have really stinky feet then there may be no hope.

[Andrew]

It's all about the stink.

The 5.10 Newtons may be an okay all around shoe for those whom they fit.

I got mine locally at Eastern Outdoors as I need a pair of shoes for the next day and my Boreal Laser2's had blown a hole and my new ones were too small.

I was a little embarressed at the wall a few times when some girls smelled my evil dirty stinky shoes and thought it was my dirty feet.

Those shoes smelled from the first day I wore `em. I know stink shouldnt really matter when your rock climbing, but it does matter.

I've had plenty of other brands, but all of the others had real leather construction and were unlined. None of those smell much at all.

They don't sell those shoes anymore anyways, do they? STINK BE GONE!

[martha]

I was a little embarressed at the wall a few times when some girls smelled my evil dirty stinky shoes and thought it was my dirty feet.

obviously they couldn't have been climber girls or they would have understood... and likely had some stink of their own! My Anasazi Velcros always have some funk near the end of their life.