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We tested men's climbing shoes from La Sportiva, Scarpa, Black Diamond, evolv, Five Ten, and more to find the best shoes for you, no matter how you like to climb
Looking for the best rock climbing shoes? For more than a decade, our testers have tested over 75 shoes side-by-side to bring you the most comprehensive climbing shoe review in existence. In our most recent update, our expert team compared 28 of today's best shoes while climbing across all disciplines, from gym and sport climbs to bouldering and long trad routes. We evaluate each shoe based on important climbing techniques – like how well they smear on slabs, edge on small holds, pull into features, and jam into cracks – and draw on the experience of multiple climbers to help you better judge comfort and fit. We've identified the best shoes for a weekend at the boulders, your next gym session, alpine trad climbs, and the best shoes for beginners and climbers on a budget.
Editor's Note: We updated this review on January 2, 2024, to add new shoes from Scarpa, La Sportiva, evolv, and Scarpa, and to update our test plan and rating metrics.
Low-volume toe can slot into thin cracks or pockets
Lace-up design is more comfortable in cracks than Velcro
REASONS TO AVOID
Downturn makes them less comfortable for all-day climbs
Stiffness sacrifices sensitivity
Pricey
Despite its considerable price tag, the La Sportiva Katana Lace is an exceedingly popular shoe, and it only took a couple of pitches for our testers to understand why. The Katana supplies astounding edging power and precision in a subtly downturned design that doesn't require you to wholly abandon your comfort. The narrow toe profile solidifies this shoe's credentials for both steep pocket pulling and thin crack climbing. Add to this the stiff yet sensitive feel of its Vibram XS Edge sole, and you have a shoe that's perfectly suited for nearly any type of roped climbing. We are also happy to report that we reaffirm this praise for the recently updated version of the Katana Lace.
Although these shoes are pretty comfy, they're not “El Cap in a day” comfy, so most people will prefer a more comfortable shoe with a flatter sole for mega missions. The Katana Lace is also a narrower shoe, so folks with wider feet should consider similar designs with roomier dimensions. One possibility is the Scarpa Instinct Lace, which has a similar downturn and toe profile but with a wider midsole and heel. Although there are arguably better shoes for high-end bouldering, for everything else, the Katana is ready to go.
One of America's top trad climbers, Tommy Caldwell, helped design these high-top powerhouses that now bear his initials. But don't attribute the popularity of the La Sportiva TC Pro shoes to Tommy's celebrity; rather, they owe their ubiquitous status at American trad meccas to their outstanding ability to slay cracks. They're particularly good at doing that all day long, for what would otherwise be pitch after painful pitch in an ordinary shoe. To achieve this, they're built on a stiff P3 midsole that provides a sturdy platform for enduring relentless foot jams while also offering excellent support for utilizing tiny edges. The updated version of these shoes also addresses several common complaints about the originals, making these already desirable shoes even more appealing.
Despite their ubiquity, the TC Pro should be viewed as a specialized piece of equipment. Although they offer unmatched performance in cracks that are hand-sized and wider, their large toe box is less effective for thin splitters. The flat sole that keeps your foot in a comfortable, relaxed position also limits the usefulness of these shoes on overhanging terrain. La Sportiva's lasts tend to run on the more narrow side, so if you are a trad climber with wider feet, it's worth looking into the Scarpa Generator Mid. Nevertheless, these drawbacks do little to detract from the TC Pro's overall awesomeness, and it's our top recommendation for long multi-pitch adventures or moderate crack cragging.
The La Sportiva TC Pro is our favorite shoe for pure cracks that are hand-size or wider. It's also one of the best for traditional multi-pitch adventures.
Black Diamond made a splash with their entry into the climbing shoe scene a few years ago. Since then, their shoes have yet to gain the same level of popularity as their beloved camming devices, but one model that might eventually get there is the Black Diamond Aspect. With a stiff, neutral sole, it supplies a powerful edging platform that feels somewhat similar to our favorite trad shoe, the La Sportiva TC Pro. The Aspect also employs similar laces and a padded leather upper to keep your feet from screaming during sustained crack jamming. And with its low-top design, we were spared the complaints about Achilles pain that we occasionally hear due to the high-top upper of other trad shoes.
What really sets the Aspect apart is the price. At full retail, it offers modest savings compared to the premium models, and it's also sometimes possible to find it on sale. Keep in mind, though, that you might have to accept some drawbacks to receive these savings. Our testers found that it was surprisingly uncomfortable during the break-in period. It's also more of a specialty shoe, ideal for long romps or techy moves on less-than-vertical stone, but poorly equipped if things get steep.
Rock climbing shoes are one category of gear where performance closely corresponds to price. Bargain hunters can rejoice, however, because the La Sportiva Finale is a fortunate exception to this rule. These affordable lace-ups come fitted with the same Vibram XS Edge rubber as the premium, top-rated La Sportiva Katana Lace. There's also a whopping 5 millimeters of that rubber on these shoes to improve durability. La Sportiva recently refitted the Finale with 40% recycled materials, easing your conscience a bit when you eventually wear through them. We particularly like these shoes for beginners and casual climbers searching for some decent footwear that won't break the bank.
Although we like the performance of the Finale on less-than-vertical cliffs or moderate multi-pitch routes, they disappoint when the angle steepens. The neutral sole is certainly comfortable, but it's ill-suited for pulling your body in on overhanging terrain. At the same time, the thick rubber that enhances durability, unfortunately, reduces sensitivity. We consider these faults relatively minor, and we hope they won't serve as a deal-breaker for any shopper seeking decent performance at a great price.
Insensitive and overly soft for good edging performance
Imprecise fit
Loose in the heel
If you're new to rock climbing, it's hard to beat the La Sportiva Tarantulace. There are very few shoes in this price range that provide this caliber of quality and versatility. More advanced shoes tend to put your foot in a curled position that can be painful and unnecessary when you're first learning to climb. Advanced shoes also cost significantly more. We don't advise spending that extra dough until you've developed decent footwork and can avoid wearing through your rubber too rapidly.
Although the Tarantulace doesn't have the impeccable design of the other award winners, it's comfortable and precise enough to serve as a good tool while you're improving your technique. Serious climbers will probably be happier spending more on a higher-performing shoe, and those serious about improving their skills in the trad realm might consider investing in a shoe like the Black Diamond Aspect off the bat. Still, for casual climbers or folks just dipping their toes into the sport, the Tarantulace is a solid choice. And it's versatile enough for just about anywhere – from the gym to the crag, or even boulders and multi-pitch routes.
If you like to feel every bump and divot on the rock, then you'll likely love the Scarpa Drago. These ultra-soft, premium kicks proved to be the most sensitive of any shoe we've tried. The 3.5mm of Vibram XS Grip2 seems hardly noticeable, while the extremely soft midsole allows your foot to bend or flex in any direction to utilize all types of footholds. We also like the extended rand and supple heel cup for improving grip while attempting fancy, arm-saving footwork on overhanging terrain. The unlined, microsuede design should stretch a bit, so size down a little to strike a healthy balance between comfort and performance.
The Drago is a favorite shoe among our wide-footed testers, but some slim-footed climbers complained of a sloppy fit, who may find a better fit with the La Sportiva Solution Comp. This was most noticeable during pure edging when the perceived sloppiness caused the Drago to occasionally ooze off micro edges. The Drago is also a poor choice for crack climbing because its exceptional sensitivity will make this already painful type of climbing even more painful. Despite these flaws, we believe this shoe offers more sensitivity than any other. So pick up a pair if you desire the confidence boost from being able to truly feel the rock you're standing on.
When a bouldering or sport climbing project involves tiny rock edges, our testers reach for the La Sportiva Solution Comp. These velcro beasts supplied some of the best edging performance of any shoe in our tests. What's more impressive is that they offered outstanding edging while still providing solid levels of support and sensitivity. Although the original Solution shoe remains a stalwart at countless gyms and crags, we prefer the newer Solution Comp due to its redesigned heel. The pared-down heel cup is now coated in a thinner, more pliable rubber, and this seems to enhance grip and sensitivity while creating few performance drawbacks.
One problem with the Solution Comp is the expensive price tag. This price may not be justifiable to beginners or occasional climbers, but dedicated folks will probably be happy to accept the high cost for the higher performance. Another issue is that the pointy toe may not be compatible with wider feet. If this is a problem for you, we suggest checking out the wider Scarpa Drago, which features a broader toe box and excels at the same types of steep climbing. The Solution Comp remains our favorite model for narrow-footed boulderers.
Our favorite change from the original Solution to the Solution Comp is the supple heel which provides greater sensitivity while heel hooking.
Credit: Jack Cramer
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We put these shoes to the test through all types of climbing routes.
Credit: Matt Bento
Why Trust GearLab
Over more than a decade, GearLab has tested more than 75 different rock climbing shoes. The testing process began by paring down the vast climbing shoe market to a selection of what we believe are the best based on popularity, customer ratings, and our authors' considerable experience. We then purchased a pair of each model and sent them out for real hands-on testing. Our lead authors, along with an assortment of other testers with different foot types, laced up or velcroed into these kicks at crags across the American West to evaluate each model on five performance metrics:
Comfort (20% of overall score weighting)
Smearing (20% weighting)
Edging (20% weighting)
Pulling (20% weighting)
Crack Climbing (20% weighting)
Leading up our test team is Review Editor Dom Rickicki. Dom is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide that brings over a decade of climbing experience to the table. Residing in the climbing epicenter of Estes Park, CO, he is surrounded by some of the hardest boulder problems in the country, famous big walls like The Diamond, hard single-pitch test pieces, classic granite trad routes, and a storied history of climbing. This setting inspires Dom to continually progress in all disciplines of climbing, and as a climber who pays serious attention to his gear, he enjoys dissecting the nuanced differences between climbing shoes.
Review Editors Jack Cramer and Matt Bento laid the foundation for this extensive review. Both are veterans of the Yosemite Search and Rescue team and each possess more than a decade of experience on the stone. Like Dom, Jack and Matt share an affection for a wide variety of climbing disciplines, ranging from low-boulders to massive big walls and everything in between. All three reviewers agree that it's tough to find just one rock climbing shoe that can do it all. But hopefully, with the aid of their insights, you can find the shoe that's best suited for your goals and budget.
Analysis and Test Results
When it comes to rock climbing, there's a strong case that the single most important piece of gear goes on your feet. You can't place too much emphasis on getting the right shoes because they're often the difference between sending and falling. And the harder the climbing gets, the narrower this margin becomes. Improving at climbing also takes a lot of training, devotion, and time spent on the rock. Doing all that in shoes that make you miserable or that underperform is a recipe for disappointment and frustration.
The right climbing shoes are critical to fun and success.
Credit: Matt Bento
Our favorite shoes are the ones that have a good balance of strengths for their intended use. Manufacturers claim a design can do it all, but the reality is that all design involves tradeoffs. Different styles of climbing require different performance characteristics and it's impossible to incorporate all of these characteristics into a single shoe. When looking at the scores in this review, notice that shoes scoring high as all-rounders are rarely ever a 10 in one metric, while shoes that score 9's or 10's in a metric often come at the price of a low score in another metric. Choosing the right shoe for you will come down to the type of climbing you are intending to do with it and how the shoe fits your foot.
Value
Rock climbing shoes offer a wide range of performance across a broad spectrum of prices. We selected several premium models to receive awards for outstanding performance for different applications. Most of these top-rated models, however, come with top-shelf prices. These prices might be worth the cost if your shoes are the difference between whipping on your project again or clipping the chains.
Although the La Sportiva Tarantulace might not offer the best performance, it's more than capable of some excellent climbing.
Credit: Jack Cramer
However, if you're not battling through the anguish of a long-term project or trying to on-sight at your limit, a top-shelf price becomes much harder to justify. Folks looking to climb more moderate rock should look towards mid-price shoes such as the La Sportiva Finale or Black Diamond Aspect. We also don't recommend that beginners spend their last cent on climbing shoes. When you're learning to climb, it's common to exhibit sloppy footwork that can quickly wear through any shoe, regardless of price. We suggest that new climbers select less expensive models with thicker rubber, such as the La Sportiva Tarantulace or the Evolv Defy. After wearing through a pair of bargain shoes, most climbers will possess better footwork, and it will begin to make sense to upgrade to a pricier, better-performing model.
For maximum edging performance, our testers usually prefer a lace-up closure. This design allows for the most secure fit to eliminate any foot slippage inside a shoe.
Credit: Jack Cramer
Comfort
Comfort is pretty subjective, and everybody's feet are unique. The Tenaya Tarifa, for example, feels like a torture device to our broad-footed testers, but it climbs like a dream for our testers with narrow feet. Across brands, we find that the most popular shoes are popular because they have found a fit or adjustment system that suits the largest population. In maintaining objectivity for comfort, we note the fit only if it seems to be aggressively narrow or wide compared to most shoes, or if the subtlety of fit is important to performance.
Sizing
Sizing climbing shoes can be a nightmare. Some companies intentionally calibrate a performance climbing fit to correspond with normal street shoe sizes while others run true measurements, and climbers have to size smaller than their street shoe size to get a performance fit. Still, other manufacturers seem to vary their sizing from model to model, making buying shoes online a maddening task. If you are shopping online, find a retailer with a generous return policy so you can order several sizes and return what doesn't fit.
When trying on shoes, consider that most manufacturers design shoes to fit comfortably with a glove-like fit and to be comfortable when climbing in their intended area of use. What this means is that the mantra many of us heard when we started climbing that shoes should be “tight, curl your toes, will probably hurt” is simply not always true. Shoes should be fit as close to the skin as possible without creating pain. This means that a flat climbing shoe will most often be sized tight to your feet with your toes still flat because it's not a shoe that curls. This also means an aggressively downturned shoe should hold your foot in a downturned shape, without air gaps, but not cause pain. It's not uncommon, when trying on aggressive shoes, to try a size smaller and find it more comfortable than the bigger size, because it properly holds your foot.
Choosing to downsize or upsize a shoe beyond this recommendation comes down to personal preference, and personal preference is formed over many years of experimenting and figuring out what you like. If you're new to this or new to performance climbing shoes, the above guidelines will help you get started.
If you're still struggling to choose a size, check out the climbing shoe calculator on Size Squirrel. It allows you to compare the sizing of shoes you already own with models you're looking to buy.
What we largely focus our scoring on is how comfortable the shoe is when being used for its intended style of climbing. A shoe that is marketed as an all-day trad shoe like the Scarpa Generator Mid should be comfortable for long periods of time on lower-angle rock. On the other hand, a shoe designed for steep terrain like the Solution Comp will likely not be comfortable for long days, but should be comfortable when pulling with the feet on severe overhangs or when heel or toe hooking. Slightly aggressive but solid all-around shoes like the La Sportiva Katana Lace or Instinct Lace strike a nice balance between the two ends of this spectrum.
Another consideration for comfort is the material the shoe is made of. Slipper-style shoes score great for comfort. But really, any flat sole model made from stretchable leather that can form to your feet – like the La Sportiva TC Pro – will be more comfortable than an aggressively downturned model. While the minimalist design of a slipper-style shoe tends to undermine edging performance, stiffer shoes like the TC Pro offer a nice balance of comfort and precision.
The La Sportiva Katana Lace is stiff in the forefoot but soft through the midfoot. The combination provides excellent edging ability while preserving some comfort.
Credit: Jack Cramer
The lining, rubber layout, and upper material all greatly contribute to the comfort of a shoe. In most high-end downturned shoes, the trend is to have microsuede (or similar materials) inside the shoe so that there are fewer hot spots on a shoe that fits very snugly. Top models like the Scarpa Chimera, Drago, or Vapor V all have very soft linings that make these shoes quite comfortable for such aggressive shapes. These shoes also have rubber strategically laid out around the shoe so that you can toe hook securely and not have any rubber edges dig into your feet.
The BD Aspect Pro (top) is thin enough in the toes to comfortably jam in tight cracks, while the wider Scarpa Generator Mid (bottom) is comfortable thanks to a stiffer outsole.
Credit: Dom Rickicki
Smearing
As one of the most frequently used techniques in a climber's arsenal, a shoe's ability to smear should be considered for every style of climber. In order to smear well, a shoe needs to be able to flatten out over vague features on the rock, allow you to feel small holds, and provide enough support to push off those small holds or stand on them while placing trad gear.
To smear well, a shoe needs to be flat, like the TC Pro. Or, if it is downturned, it must be soft enough to flatten out under pressure, like the La Sportiva Otaki or Instinct Lace. In order to be able to feel small holds, a shoe must be sensitive. Thinner rubber soles allow you to feel more of the rock, thus improving a shoe's sensitivity. This is an amazing attribute for any shoe, unless you plan to be standing on your feet for extended periods of time, say while placing trad gear. In this scenario, wearing shoes with slightly thicker soles will stiffen them and help save your feet from fatigue or pain.
The Buttermilks have an unforgiving style that requires precise footwork. The La Sportiva Otaki won't make you a better climber, but on the right feet, they're competent precision tools.
Credit: Matt Bento
This becomes the balancing act for shoe manufacturers. To create a shoe that smears well, they need to add just enough rubber to provide some stiffness but not so much that the sensitivity is neglected. Then, they must figure out just how much downturn a shoe should have in relation to this rigidity and sensitivity. And, of course, this design balance heavily considers the intended use of the climbing shoe. For our purposes of comparatively scoring shoes, we focus on a shoe's ability to find a balance between all these characteristics.
Some testers called Scarpa Drago too soft, and some called them “smearicles”. Everyone agreed the soft midsole makes them ultra-sensitive and easy to get loads of rock-to-rubber contact.
Credit: Matt Bento
Climbers looking to smear on large volume holds in the gym often prefer a shoe like the Scarpa Veloce or La Sportiva Futura, which are excellent at smearing due to a soft and sensitive flex profile. An added downturn in these shoes helps to climb steep terrain, where you need to curl your toes around holds. On the flip side, a climber looking to smear up domes in Tuolumne would find the Veloce or Futura too soft and downturned for spending extended amounts of time on their feet fiddling with small gear. Instead, they would look more towards something like the Black Diamond Aspect Pro, which is sensitive but flat and stiff enough to help avoid fatigue.
For a high-top model, this shoe's ultra-sticky outsole and surprisingly sensitive feel make it great for smearing.
Credit: Dom Rickicki
The shoes that impress us the most in this metric are the ones that achieve sensitivity without feeling clunky, but also offer enough rigidity that they can support a climber through sustained efforts. A shoe like the La Sportiva Katana Lace does this brilliantly. Designers strategically thinned the rubber in the back of the shoe to help provide more sensitivity in the front while adding thin, flexible plastics to the forefoot to add rigidity. Combine this with a very subtle downturn that is easy to flatten out, and you have a shoe that really makes small smears feel secure. This shoe is a master of the art of “smedging,” where you subtly smear on small, edgy holds in less than vertical terrain.
When things get frightening you need to be able to trust your trust your shoes. That's easy to do on marginal edges with the La Sportiva Katana.
Credit: Jack Cramer
Edging
The ability to stand on tiny edges is paramount to success on many routes, especially vertical to gently overhanging climbs. The more weight you can support with your feet, the less you will burden your throbbing forearms. Top edgers include the La Sportiva Miura VS, the Otaki, and the slender Tenaya Tarifa. All of these models offer an excellent balance of support and sensitivity.
Similar to making a good smearing shoe, manufacturers must balance similar characteristics to make a good edging shoe. For a shoe to edge well, it must be stiff enough to provide power to the big toe without the rubber deforming – which will make it feel like you are slipping – but also be sensitive enough to feel tiny holds. Often, a shoe that is great for edging will be quite stiff and sacrifice some of the softness that makes a shoe smear well.
The Tenaya Tarifa is perfect for cruising up the technical, knobby faces found in Tuolumne Meadows.
Credit: Matt Bento
We evaluated each shoe's edging capability on vertical routes from the New River Gorge to Yosemite Valley, where the ability to stand on tiny edges and points is crucial. We paid particular attention to how difficult it was to stand on small holds and how well we could feel the holds under our feet. Stiffer shoes like the Scarpa Vapor V tended to be less sensitive but more supportive on longer pitches, while our testers unlocked techy edging sequences during 30-minute efforts. While some climbers find that tight-fitting slippers edge well, virtually all of our testers prefer a lace-up shoe, like the TC Pro, or Velcro closure, like the Solution Comp or Butora Acro.
The pointy toe and sturdy P3 platform help the Solution feel like one of the most precise and capable edging shoes.
Credit: Jack Cramer
While the lace-up La Sportiva Miura edges well, no other shoe performs this technique quite like the Miura VS. It features a stiff LaspoFlex midsole and a slight downturn from heel to toe that supplies support and sensitivity to find and stand on micro holds. The shoe also has a very pointed which helps with precise moves on the tiniest of holds. The similarly performing Tarifa achieves its own edging performance by offering a tight fit in combination with excellent sensitivity. This combination gave our testers the confidence to utilize minuscule features. Remember that excellent edging performance requires a properly fitting shoe; you will immediately notice a sloppy fit that can cause a shoe to roll under your weight.
A big part of sensitivity is the stiffness of a shoe's sole. As you can see here, this stiffness varies wildly between different models.
Credit: Jack Cramer
Pulling
While climbing in steep terrain, we most often use our feet to help pull us into the wall so we don't swing out and overload our forearms. A shoe's performance in this terrain is influenced by many factors, including the angle of the shoe's downturn, the amount of rubber coverage, and the ability to flex your foot around holds. In many ways, shoes designed for steep terrain represent the top end of technology for climbing shoe performance. A top performer in this metric will be just stiff enough to allow for power on small holds, but will also be soft enough to allow you to curl your toes into small features. This quality shoe will also have ample rubber coverage and a snug fit for heel and toe hooking. Our testers assessed the pulling metric by evaluating each model's ability to toe and heel hook, their ability to allow you to grab and pull, utilize small pockets, and hold tension on stretched-out moves.
The pointy-toed, narrow-fitting Tenaya Tarifa, La Sportiva Solution and Genius stood out as the top performers when small pockets or edges were the primary holds on steep walls. With these pointy designs, our testers could gain noticeable purchase, even in mono pockets. The Solution and its cousin, the Solution Comp, feature a distinctly downturned toe. This improves the angle of your toe to help you pull your lower body in on steep terrain while still remaining sensitive and soft enough to really grab with your toes when you need to. Meanwhile, the extended downturn and increased rigidity on the forefoot of the Evolv Shaman come in handy for heavier climbers to pull off the same moves on edgier holds.
The stiffer forefoot of the Evolv Shaman was a favorite among heavier climbers who appreciated the additional support on this precise shoe.
Credit: Dom Rickicki
The Scarpa Drago and the La Sportiva Skwama have blunter toe designs, which don't fit into small holds as well as the models with narrower toes. We do appreciate, however, the rubber these shoes include across the top of the forefoot for better grip during toe hooks. Their softer soles also make it easier to pull with your feet. For utilizing more subtle features, hooking or grabbing large slopey holds, a softer shoe will allow for excellent sensitivity and technical ability. And no shoe does this better than the Scarpa Chimera. Climbers spending a lot of time in the gym or on sandstone will likely gravitate to this shoe for its dexterity and sensitivity.
The La Sportiva Skwamas performed best on granite, where our testers encountered slabs and cracks.
Credit: Matt Bento
Some of the shoes that score well in the Edging metric also hold their own while steep climbing, as their tight fits and slight downturns can help you pull into the wall. Shoes like the Katana Lace or Miura VS have been seen on more than one hard, steep ascent. But where these shoes fall short is that their stiffness doesn't allow you to grab holds as well, and their lack of rubber coverage reduces their effectiveness on toe hooks. Alternatively, shoes like the La Sportiva Futura or Genius, or even the semi-slipper Five Ten Aleon offer a better balance between these two often opposing design features.
Heel hooks, toe hooks, and other creative footwork are much more important on steep terrain. These techniques require special design features, and the La Sportiva Genius is particularly good at heel hooking thanks to the rubber around its heel cup.
Credit: Jack Cramer
Crack Climbing
An ideal shoe for crack climbing is wide in the midsole – so your feet aren't crushed in hand cracks – but low volume in the toe so they can still squeeze in thin, finger cracks. Tight or aggressively shaped shoes can cause your toes to curl and make it harder to wiggle them into small cracks. Therefore, the ideal crack shoe should also be sized comfortably with a neutral sole to keep your toes flat. Fortunately, several shoes meet these basic criteria, so the choice comes down to finding the model that is the best fit for your foot and best suits your climbing goals.
We tested crack climbing performance on various crags across the country, including Idaho's City of Rocks, Utah's Indian Creek, and the hallowed walls of Yosemite Valley. In general, more narrow and softer shoes usually hurt more than their stiffer, wider counterparts. For example, the Scarpa Generator Mid and the Evolv Yosemite Bum feature similar high-top designs, but our testers noticed less pain and foot fatigue while climbing in the stiffer Generator. For shoe closures, lace-up shoes like the Black Diamond Aspect generally feel more comfortable and fare better on long crack climbs. Velcro straps can create irritating pressure points in certain areas, and the buckles can come undone when moving your feet in or out of a crack.
A new crop of competitive high-tops should excite any trad climber.
Credit: Dom Rickicki
While we long to find the perfect crack shoe, we have yet to find one that's ideal for all types of cracks. There is simply too much variation in cracks for one model to hope to excel at all sizes or rock types. For most people climbing moderate cracks (i.e., those graded 5.10 and under), we recommend a high-top design. High-top shoes guard your ankles better in cracks wider than hand-size, while their stiffness and flat soles improve comfort and reduce foot fatigue. Our testers' favorite design is the ultra-classic La Sportiva TC Pro, but there is plenty to like about similar models. This slightly wider last of the Generator Mid will likely fit climbers with wider feet much better than the TC Pro, while the BD Aspect Pro, in particular, has really piqued our interest. While it's not a “soft” shoe, this high-top has a thin, supple toe box and a stickier outsole that allowed our testers to really cram into small crack sizes where other shoes simply wouldn't fit.
The stiff soles of the TC Pro excel for painful jams, and their ankle coverage is protective for climbing wider cracks.
Credit: Jack Cramer
As the grades rise and the crack size narrows, some climbers swear by low-volume, slipper-style shoes. If you size them up from their normal sizing to allow your toes to lay flat, you can create an extremely narrow toe profile that will let you cram extra rubber into the slimmest openings. Our testers agree that the hard, sandstone cracks of the future will likely be climbed in shoes that can squeeze into thinner cracks (sub-0.75-inch) but argue over whether slipper designs can supply enough edging performance for all rock types. Difficult granite cracks, for example, often involve bouldery cruxes, where shoes also need to be able to utilize micro edges and face holds. Even though it's not the best crack climbing shoe, the Katana Lace is perfectly equipped for this kind of work. The Katana is more supportive than a soft slipper in cracks, while the lace closure locks your foot in place.
We generally prefer jamming cracks in lace-up shoes rather than Velcro shoes, like the Five Ten NIAD VCS, because the Velcro buckles can create painful pressure points.
Credit: Jack Cramer
In some circumstances, a shoe that seems more fit for pulling in steep terrain on paper, ends up also being an excellent shoe for cutting-edge crack projects. The thin and supple toes on many soft, aggressive shoes can jam quite well but then can better utilize face holds when you have to leave the crack. We have often seen the La Sportiva Skwama or the Solution on the feet of more than one pro climber while sending cutting-edge crack climbs. This really highlights that personal preference is paramount at the highest levels of climbing, and experimentation will help you learn what will work best.
The type of rock may influence your shoe choice for crack climbing. On granite, the La Sportiva TC Pro is one of our favorites and it also seems to be the most popular model with the general public.
Credit: Jack Cramer
Conclusion
The selection of our award winners comes with a disclaimer: product reviews are inherently subjective, and this is particularly true with rock climbing shoe reviews. Our assessment of each shoe is largely contingent on the shape of our testers' feet, what type of rock we climbed, and how tightly we sized them. Our advice is built on the first-hand experience of multiple climbers over many months of climbing, but everyone's feet are different. While comfort is obviously important, we wanted to focus on how these shoes perform the moves and techniques that climbers use most frequently. A shoe's performance in these metrics helps determine whether or not it is a great climbing shoe. Ultimately, your perfect pair of shoes needs to match your climbing goals.
