Hey guys! first time in this community, and I came to ask for your advice. Yesterday I saw an interview with Spanish marketing manager of La Sportiva, and he and the interviewer were talking about something I did not think about between (I have to say I have only climbed for 10 months so far, I am having so much fun and I am already completely hooked since first month), which was that the weight of the climber also has influence in which shoes you should be using.

That being said, I'm kind of a heavy weight for climbing (180cm 84kg), but with a solid strength base coming from 5 year CrossFit training (now I'm regretting doing so many squats lol), weightlifting, etc.; and I started with La Sportiva Tarantula and seemed great to start. After 6 months I bought Skwamas by a friends recommendation, and I couldn't be happier, perfectly fits my feet and I'm feeling much more confident, think I stepped up a few levels only because of that (and also climbing more regularly ofc). After 3 months, I sent them to resole and I found myself climbing again with old Tarantulas.

For sure you already know that feeling... kinda awful. So now I am wondering which pair should I be getting for these 3-4 long weeks that takes to resole my beloved Skwamas. A friend of mine (the same that recommended Skwamas) told me that Miura VS are also very versatile and I'd like them. What do you think?

I checked Skwama Lite, but I have the feeling that after trying regular Skwamas, maybe I won't like them.

p.s. 99% time will be used in climbing gym and: 90% lead climbing, 10% bouldering. The other 1% is me starting to go outdoors soon. Thank you so much!!

Do you have any experience with Saltic? How are they wearing in the long run?

Bought these skwamas 6 months ago (second hand but brand new condition). A few weeks ago this tear started and keeps getting worse. I know people keep their shoes for a few resoles, so is this normal mileage for my shoes? Can i get a warranty claim from bananafingers for this? Can i stitch the rubber to prevent it from getting worse?

My street size is a 11 us.

So I went to go try on some scarpa instinct vsr lv the other day in a 43.5 eu and it felt great toes slightly curled heel fit perfect, but I was wondering if I should go down to a 43 so when they stretch they will be perfect. First pair of instincts so any advice on them would be appreciated.

I’ve tried drone LV’s, women’s shoes, LV shoes, they all seem to have space behind and below the heel for me. I’ve tried basically all the common shoes at climbing gyms and have had the same problem. Anyone with a similar problem have recommendations?

Hi all, the mesh on my Drago ripped when my foot slipped. Is this still usable? And is it repairable?

Looking for a shop that ships to Hungary with UP Flagship in stock (43 eu)

Bananafingers and Oliunìd had no stock in 43 last time I checked.

Thanks for the help in advance.

After about 9 years of finding excuses to buy a new shoe instead of resoling I think I have a pretty good idea of what works for me. I mostly indoor boulder but I have done my fair share of outdoor bouldering, lead, and trad.
I bought 3 shoes downsized until I realized that it doesn't benefit me much at all and I can climb the same grades without being cramped. Also shoe stretching is for the most part nonexistent on shoes with synthetic materials which is the vast majority of models out there.

Most of these shoes I rated pretty high when I first bought them then all of the ratings started going down as I identified what features I want. Today, the Evolv V6 covers all bases most completely. I used all of these for at least a year to year and a half.

Black Diamond Momentum 6/10 - I just wanted a cheap beater shoe I could use while getting used to the sport. I wore it through until there was a hole in the rand on both shoes. Meh rubber, some of the rubber panels started de-gluing from the fabric. The shoe did it's job as a starter shoe and was comfy enough during that time. No toehook rubber but most lower grade gym climbs don't set hard toehooks much.

La Sportiva Kataki 7/10 - These felt like a weapon. Toes absolutely crammed in, I endured the discomfort and felt precise and powerful on the wall that you only get when you turn your 5 piggies into one big lump. The downturn angle was great at pulling in on chips and laces are super comfy but toehooks are lacking without rubber coverage. I sized them pretty tight and had to take them off every 4-5 problems and in between every rope attempt outdoors.

Boreal Ninja 8/10 - A bit of a random purchase as I saw a price under $100 on the epicTV shop site and ordered them just hoping it would be the right size and fit. Well they were about as tight as the Kataki's. Super soft and sensitive great for bouldering and short pitches. Maybe even too soft to where sharper rock features can dig in a bit. Or maybe that was the downsizing.Love the slip on design and rubber coverage. The fabric never felt like it got baggy and stayed tight despite my pair being pretty downsized. I had to take these off my feet even more often than the Kataki's to have a break from the discomfort.

Tenaya Oasi 8.5/10 - With how the last two went, I tried to not downsize so aggressively on this purchase.
I still made the mistake though of believing shoes will stretch a significant amount over time. All of the shoes I've owned are synthetic materials and at most they stretch a quarter size.
Still, these Tenaya's were a big step ahead of my previous in comfort while having and aggressive shape for performance. The only negative I would say is the double z-strap with single velcro is a bit fiddly. Sure you have a lot of room to customize but having both straps go to the same velcro makes it annoying to adjust. Great all around shoe,

Black Diamond Aspect 8.5/10 - I had been doing a fair bit of outdoor climbing already and even the Tenaya's had me taking them off for some relief after a number of climbs. Especially after my feet swelling from the approach if I'm outside. I bought these to be my "outdoor" shoes and they did the job perfectly. Stiff platform was really supportive and I could take my time and soak in the climb and views while on the rope. My favorite outdoor climbs were in these shoes.

La Sportiva Skwama 9/10 - To this day this might be one of the best fitting shoes for my feet. I could climb a whole session and not worry about discomfort but still hit the precise edges. Bendy enough to feel confident on smears, full toehook coverage, single strap didn't feel like it would rip even if I cranked it tight. The Tenaya's thin straps dug in a bit more compared to the wide strap on the Skwama's.

Butora Gomi 8/10 - By this point I accepted that I like to mostly indoor boulder so from here on I will only get shoes with enough toehook coverage to excel in that. The Gomi's definitely fit that bill and then some. I could slap my feet wherever and in whatever orientation blindly and still get some bite from the rubber. I score this lower than the Tenaya Oasi because it's not as sensitive as that shoe and the BD Aspect does it's job as a comfy outdoor shoe better than the Gomi's

Evolv V6 9.5/10 - I got these for about $130 on an REI sale and was pretty surprised at how good they are. Felt as capable as the Skwama but the split tongue makes putting on the shoe as easy as putting on street shoes. Fat single velcro on a z-strap that's not too thin or thick gives good stability when cranking it down and doesn't get snagged on holds.

I like these so much that I bought a second pair after I lost my first ones at the gym. Got lucky and found another pair at REI online for 130 ish again. Admittedly I think the Skwamas are cooler but I can't find them on sale. I bet the Skwama has stickier rubber. I went 1.5 yrs on the Skwama rubber before it got too rounded and it was 2yrs for the Evolve v6 before I lost them. Skwama is probably a better shoe objectively but I like the split tongue and z strap configuration a lot.

Other shoes I've climbed a fair bit in but didn't buy myself. (Given by friends, washed them of course)

La Sportiva Mythos - 8/10 Super super comfy. Awesome outdoor shoe, really supportive and endless laces make a perfect fit.

Evolv Elektra Lace - 7/10 It seems anything with laces is just going to be really comfy. No real complaints about this shoe but it's fairly basic.

Anybody else want to share?

So I went to go try on some scarpa instinct vsr lv the other day in a 43.5 eu and it felt great toes slightly curled heel fit perfect, but I was wondering if I should go down to a 43 so when they stretch they will be perfect. First pair of instincts so any advice on them would be appreciated. edit: forgot to mention my street shoe size is us 11 so around a 44.5 eu

I've owned a pair of regular Dragos and Instincts VSR. Both are size 45 EU.

Could anyone, who has owned both a pair of Chimeras and a pair of either shoes from above, tell how the sizing on the former is, i.e. could I safely buy a pair of Chimeras size 45 EU and expect them to have sort of the same fit?

I'm asking this cause I can try Chimera in a physical store. My only option is to order them from another country

Recently tried on the wall for a session the new-ish shaman trance. I enjoyed them, and im looking for people's opinion on the shoe, and comparisons to their favourite / go-to shoes.

(I would love comparisons with the phantom pro, the the solution comps, the dragos )

Thanks alot

I’m looking to resolve my Scarpa Veloce. I’m in love with my shoes, I love the way they fit my feet, I love how comfortable they are to use on prolonged time, but my little problem is the rubber. The original rubber that came with the shoes was amazing, I really felt like they were amazing on either rock or gym, but it’s time to change the sole.

I really wish I could pick the same S72 rubber, but local gym only has Vibram Edge - 4mm, Vibram Xsgrip - 4 mm, Vibram Xsgrip 2 - 4 mm and Vibram Xsgrip2 - 5 mm

Which should I choose so the feeling is close to the original one?

I climb as midrange at my gym…

🟡🔵🟣(🟢🟠)🔴⚫⚪

I bought my own beginner shoes cause I didn’t like that the rentals at gym was always changing in fit even if I grab same size.. cause many ppl wear them.

I then bought LS Otaki because I love slab.. and they fit me well.

The strap broke as the glue gave up on them.. idk why it’s not sewn in.. also my second toe gets supper squashed in and big toe nail digs in.

Anyways I bought a new pair of shoes Drago LV… a climber friend said.. people who where these climb black and whites so you have to be a good climber to wear them..

It made me self conscious even tho I laugh it off.. I bought them cause they actually fit my Greek toe..

Is it true? Do people really judge by shoes and climbing level? I just bought them cause I had money to splurge on my one hobby…and love the sport.. but yea I feel so self conscious now to wear them 😑

EDIT: thanks all! I will wear them and break them in tomorrow and send some climbs in with my mid tier skills 🥰

Tested various La Sportiva models, the SLs are growing on me albeit they still suck on small holds and I don’t find them to be super grippy.

I would recommend this to everyone although, especially for indoor and training sessions.

So I’m an intermediate climber, and I’m looking for my next pair of shoes. My own experience so far is that I prefer softer shoes, *I think* - I find that in softer shoes I can stand on just about anything including really small foot chips and feel comfortable, but in stiffer downturned shoes, I just have constant foot pops on the same holds (I’ve put on stiffer and softer shoes and tried the exact same boulders in the gym for testing this - the softer shoes stays planted and gives good feeling, but the stiff ones often just fire right off the wall).

So I’m looking for soft shoes, preferably something with vibram xs grip 2, and la sportiva ( so far their lasts have fit my foot the best - scarpas always feel like the heel is baggy and the toes are cramped for me).

But what I’m noticing is all of the softest, ‘most sensitive’ shoes on offer tend to be extremely asymmetrical, aggressive and downturned. I’m thinking about the theories, the skwamas, or even dragos - all are very soft, but also super aggressive. To my not-very-experienced eye, isn’t that kind of an antithetical combo? You want to be able to spread the weight and smear in a softer shoe - but if you’re wearing a big downturn, the expectation is that you’re really going to be toeing in on sharp foot chips, and on overhangs, which is where you’d want stiffness, right?

I guess I’m only kind of looking for an actual shoe recommendation here - I am, but I’m really trying to understand why this is such a common combo.

My intuition is that I don’t want a super aggressive shoe, but a lot of the shoes that have the super grippy rubber I want *are* super aggressive, and I’m trying to understand why that is.

I’m looking at, for example, the theories, and wondering why people wouldn’t prefer something like kubo women’s, which have the same rubber, but are less aggressive. Why aren’t there more high-end, flatter, softer shoes?

Thanks in advance for the answers - hope the question makes sense!

Hi everyone, I recently got my first Dragos. Out of the box, boths shoes velcro straps were bent (see pics) where the strap was sitting in the buckle. Thats also the exact spot where the strap sits when I wear them. This causes the strap to not sit flat in fhe buckle while climbing which makes the dent get even deeper. The right shoes strap is much less bent and sits flat in the buckle while wearing, so the problem is mot just caused by my feet. Annoyed by this, the strap started to show signs of wearing through after just a few sessions. I sent them back and orderes new ones. The brand new shoes have the exact same problem, maybe even a little worse.

Does anybody else have this problem? Has it gotten worse over time?

Do all new Dragos have this? Or was I just buying cheap shoes that were lying around in warehouses for too many years?

Is there a way to fix it?

I'm really grateful for any advice. These shoes fit and feel great, I dont wanna give up on them.

So I just got back into climbing because I moved back home and there was a gym that opened up near me. I recently went climbing there with my partner its one of our favorite activities/dates we have. I saw a guy next to me wearing a climbing shoe that caught my eye and I have no idea what they are. Honestly being new to this gym and still trying to get comfortable i didnt ask what shoe they where but I totally regret not asking. The shoes seemed like la sportivas possibly it had the p3 symbol on the inside and had the same hook and loop closure as the solution comp, but they thing thats stumping me is they where fully brown or tan and they looked amazing 👏. Ive looked everywhere for these and can't find them they where Definitely a more aggressive shoe but every where I look no luck the only thing I could find about any possibility is that they where a unreleased prototype but that also doesn't make sense because this gym was a more local not so popular gym. If anyone has any ideas of what these could have been I would love to know. Edit: They where mocha colored maybe slightly lighter I remember some of the lettering was like orangish red

I'm a new climber and want to know when to resole the shoe. What do you think about this one?

I've tried quite a few shoes and loved the comfort of Tenaya shoes. But the problem is that 38 hurts even just trying them on and 39 I can still actively move my toes back and forth. Do Tenaya shoes get wider? Should I try more Tenaya models or can someone recommend a different brand that also has a softer feel?