Hey everyone,

I’ve been indoor bouldering for about 1.5 years and am struggling to find a shoe that fits well. The Love Bump and Knuckle Box in Evolv shoes sound promising since they’re supposed to reduce toe knuckle pressure, and I’m wondering if anyone here has experience with them.

I started in Tarantula rentals, then got Ocun Havocs—flat, low asymmetry, soft. Loved the softness for smearing and running across volumes, but the heel fit was a bit loose (never felt like it would pop off, though). I wanted to resole them, but finding new shoes has been a nightmare—frustrating and honestly making me anxious.

I’ve tried a bunch:

Scarpa Drago LV / Instinct VSR LV – Heel felt super loose, tons of space at the bottom.

Tenaya Indalo – Supposed to be for narrow feet, but still felt wide on me, heel was a no-go.

Ocun Fury (my street size) – Thought I found the one, but after wearing them only for tens of minutes in the store and at home, my left toe knuckle flared up with what’s probably bursitis or a ganglion. I’m not sure if the issue was already there, but I definitely noticed it getting worse. It’s not painful when I’m not wearing shoes, but it’s getting to the point of major discomfort/pain when putting them on.

At this point, I’m over trying to crush my feet into shoes that clearly don’t fit. I climb around V5, and I’ve never felt like my shoes were holding me back—it’s always been my ability.

So, does anyone else have issues with toe knuckle pressure? Have the Love Bump and Knuckle Box actually helped? I know climbing shoes aren’t supposed to be comfortable, but I also don’t want to destroy my feet for a hobby I love. I want to enjoy climbing without constantly stressing about foot pain or long-term damage.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Hello everyone,

I ran through my second pair of climbing shoes and am now looking for a new one. As I always bought my climbing shoes second hand because I didn't want to spent a lot of money for shoes that don't work for me I now would really like to get an upgrade. I've been bouldering twice a week for around four years by now with some occasional sessions of top rope climbing and few times outdoor. As I'm not super ambitious I'd say my skill level is intermediate at best. So I'm looking for bouldering shoes that help me advance a bit but don't get ripped in few weeks if my technique isn't perfect. Also, I'd very much prefer if the shoes are vegan!

I'm happy to hear some recommendations!

I bought a pair of UP Sirius about 3 months ago, and have been climbing 2x weekly in them since then with no issues.

This past week the left shoe began pinching around my heel/achilles quite badly, to the point that walking in them is painful. I have noticed minor irritation running on inclines in the same place in normal shoes, but otherwise there is no pain and as soon as I remove the shoes at the gym my heel is fine.

Is this a common issue? What can I do about it? Up to this point I've been happy with the shoes and they still have life in them.

Looking for recommendations. I have a 40 degree ish overhanging boulder project with a locky shoulder move using a high, slopey foot way out to the side. The foot hold is quite big, around 20mm, but very glassy and slopes downwards. I'm usually relatively good at pulling out from the wall with my feet, but this move has given me trouble. Being better at climbing would obviously be the best solution, but what shoes could I try for marginal gains?

As the title suggests, I have a pair of brand new Drago LV that I’m looking to sell or trade. The shoes are brand new unworn, still have the tags on them. Size is 40.5

Looking to sell for $180 OBO or trade for instinct LV size 40.5

I’m located in NJ/NY so any locals I’m willing to meet up.

Had anyone gets a pair? Any opinion?

I’m into indoor bouldering and looking for new shoes. My street size is 44 EU / 9.5 UK and i have wide feet.

I currently use Tarantula 43, but they’re too big and soft - good for starters but not what I need now. I’m looking for something stiffer and more reliable.

I tried Katana 42 (almost perfect), Miura VS 42.5 (liked them but 42 felt too small), and Cobra 42 (felt too small). I know they’re different types, but I’m trying to find something right.

Thanks in advance, have a nice day!

My first time resoling and sending in a pair of LS Solutions, and I know that they come with xs Grip 2 rubber, but what is likely the better rubber for indoor bouldering? I hear Trax SAS is more durable which would be nice as well. Thoughts on the 2 rubbers?

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSczG4ySP_gfg2Wb0J0O-TsvjrGHg-PnFggQK6-asU-gcQ86dQ/viewform?usp=sharing

Hello! I am currently thinking of doing a small project on climbing shoes. If you don't mind, can you help fill out this survey? It should take no more than 1 minute. Thanks!

Note: This is a very early-stage project. I am still gathering input to see if there’s potential for it to turn into something viable. At this stage, there’s no revenue or funding, so I’m just reaching out to people who are open to sharing their insights

Hey guys, has anyone ever had the fit of a climbing shoe altered at a cobbler? I tried googling a bit but all I could find was people talking about resoling.

I have a pair of Arpia Vs and apparently should have gone for the LV model. Besides some bagginess around the ankle I really like them. Is it possible/would it be worth it to have them altered?

I just went trough my 5th pair of Cobras. Love them, their cheap, good all rounders. However I’m missing toe rubber on them.

So im looking for a

• slipper with similar fit as the cobra
• with toe rubber
• same price range

That's what I posted some time back now asking for quickfix before resoling, because I wanted to use them for like two more weeks. Thanks to the amazing support of this community I found out it's way past the point of no return, they're already demolished and I should throw them in rubbish.

before

Thankfully, my mum didn't have stupid children so I ignored all that expert advice and brought them to the cobbler anyway. And suprise surprise, not only they weren't even close to the point of no return, the whole repair's cost was like 40 bucks in my 3rd world ass country, so probably 60 in yours. So, if your shoes look like the first pic, do yourself a favour and don't listen to online professionals of r/climbingshoes, ask someone actually qualified and save yourself a few hundreds dollars. Piss out

after

I recently got back into bouldering and busted out a newer pair of 5.10 Anasazi Mocs that were undersized. I’ve had them for years and they were like new.

Long story short, I ended up injuring my Achilles and heel as I’m a runner as well. After recovering, I decided to ditch the Anasazis as they were extremely painful to wear even before my injury.

I recently went to REI and tried on all their shoes they had. I found the TC Pros to be most comfortable and forgiving to both my heel and Achilles. I went about a half size under my street shoe size. I’m mostly into gym bouldering but am very interested in getting into sport/trad as well.

In short, I’m wondering if I made a mistake buying the TC Pros based on comfort rather than the practical application to the climbing I’m doing. (As well as the price point 😥)

I hear some people use it for gym bouldering and are content with the results.

Does anyone with experience with heel/achilles pain have a recommendation for a shoe? Or was I right choosing something based on fit and comfort.

Thanks 🙏!

Edit: I find shoes with pretty aggressive downturn to put even more strain on my arch as well as my Achilles if that info helps!

Thinking about getting a pair and I won’t be able to do a refund if the size doesn’t work. I wore the 2.0s back in the day and I loved them, thinking about getting a pair of 3.0s.

Does anyone know if the fit is similar to the shark 2.0s? I can try those on locally. I’ve also never worn any of their LV or HV shoes. The only fit issue I have with the sharks 2.0 is that the heel is a little baggy, but the upper is fine. So not sure if the LV would have a better heel but be too tight.

I’ve heard mixed reviews one saying it fits smaller and narrower and one saying it was much larger at the same size 😭 can anyone clarify? Looking to get a pair.

I was watching a nature documentary and realized that monkeys use their toes a lot when they climb and now that I think about it why are there not climbing shoes with toes? I feel like it would really help if I could grip things with my toes or spread them out over a hold, gripping edges would also be easy I feel like. Isn’t that what toes are for.🤔🤔🤔

I've been in love with bouldering for years without even having tried it. There were no gyms near me, but recently two have opened. I have since had my first climbing sessions, and I love it. Due to them still being 40 minutes away, I can only manage to go climb on the weekends, at most. (I know, not ideal, but at least I can have some fun). I'm a true begginer and still not very strong.

I've been climbing in rental shoes for my first 8 sessions. I don't know how a climbing shoe is supposed to feel, but these ones sure don't give me any confidence (they are MadRock ones). They feel too stiff and without much grip.

To put it into perspective for my next questions, somewhere around 20 sessions worth of rentals money is enough to get me a pair of begginer climbing shoes.

I don't have any stores selling climbing shoes near me (in a 2h drive radius at least) but Decathlon (EU) which just sells their own brand ones. So besides those I cant really try any brands and do some size fitting.

The cheapest brand ones I can find are Five Ten Kirigamis, with Tarantulas coming next like 15% more expensive. Are both of those okay? I can see Tarantulas are heavily recommended, but would still prefer to spend a little bit less if the 510s are in the same realm of good.

Do you think it's worth it to invest into some shoes, or due to the few times I can go climb I should just resort to rentals? I'm serious about continuing climbing, but the whole 20 sessions is about one year for me (no perspective no change in the next year).

Do you think it's worth it to invest into some shoes, or since I can only climb a few times a month I should just stick to rentals? I'm serious about continuing climbing, but with only about 20 sessions per year I’m not sure if it's worth it.

Thanks

Have been wearing solutions for past 4 years, I have no gripes with them at all apart from there being too much space above my big toe resulting in my toe bending upwards when bat hanging (will most likely downsize). The Ondra comps are catching my eye, anyone have experience with both?

I love my Mandalas, but I prefer lace shoes where possible, considering getting some Genius instead.

Anyone used both and can comment? Would like to know how the genius feel in comparison to the mandala and size recommendation

Predominantly single pitch sport, mostly vert climbing.

I love the Tenaya Mastias but with both Trango and REI longer carrying the brand, I have been looking for other options. I’ve been looking into Mad Rock shoes specifically as an alternative, but have never tried them before. Do they have a good substitute for the Mastia? I was looking at either the Drone 2 or D2.ONE but am open to any suggestions.

Also open to suggestions from other brands!

Hi all, I'm looking for my next pair of shoes, and I'm not sure what to get. Im a v6-v7 climber, mainly bouldering at the moment but want to Top Rope more and eventually do Lead, climb 3x a week for 2-3hrs, and lighter climber at about 65kg --- Looking for a soft shoe but not opposed to something in the middle

All the shoes have actively worn:

Skwama (EU44) - decent fit, like the mix of soft and supportive but don't like the fit and feel of the heel

TN pro(US11.5) - favorite so far, I like the fit and feel all the way around especially the heel -- but my big toe pushes the rand over the edge of the front causing me to burn through the rand before a resole

Zenist(newer model EU45) - current shoe, decent fit, love the softness and feel and fit -- the only issue is the toe rubber is pretty stiff, not enough give for big toe knuckle

Shoes I've tried on:

Theory -- didn't really fit my heel

Flagship -- fit well, but the same toe-poking issue as TN Pro's

*Think about either the: Ocun fury, Mandala, Chimera, Mantra, Mad Rock Redline, Drago(?), Souped Up, Butora Acro Comp*

Thank you in advance for reading and your time !

Hey everyone.

TLDR; What is the step up from a pair of Kubo

I’ve been climbing for around two year and I’m eyeing my next pair of shoes. I climb 3-4 times a week, around v6-7 depending on style.

First pair: Sportiva Kubo. LOOOVED these shoes. In insight, the heel was unbelievably comfy (for what it is). First actual pair of shoes. Got them to last around 18 months. (Last 4-5 was a stretch)

Second pair: Tenaya Lati. Mixed experience with this one. The toe and the arch felt incredible. Probably due to me using my last pair beyond their time. Unfortunately (for some reason) the straps thingy ripped on me 2 months in. I have large feet but still I’m not impressed and kinda sad.

What would be a good shoe to get the best of both worlds? Any experience buying shoes for someone with large feet’s?

If I could get Kubos with the toe of the Lati I would but I don’t know where to start.

I’ve been climbing for a little over month and half (started December 7th, 2024) and I’m proud of progress I’ve made. I’m regularly flashing V4s and I can consistently climb V5-V6s. I did ALOT of research on shoes and I recently upgraded to the Instinct VSR LV and they have been rlly good so far. My cousin works at Rei and got me a pair of Drago LV’s for free. I really wanted to like the Dragos but for some reason while they are more sensitive and soft, I don’t feel as secure on the wall. For some reason they don’t seem to stick as well to my climbs as the Instincts. Even on overhangs sometimes it feels like my shoe may slip off, which is like the opposite of other people’s experience. Again I am not a fully experienced climber yet but I am very conscious of my footwork. I’ll probably stick to the instincts but I wanna know of other people’s experiences with these shoes. I really wanted to like the Dragos but I guess not.

Does anyone have experience with the Evolv Yosemite bums? I'm curious how they compare to the TC pro's. I currently use the evolv shamans and LS Skwama (but the rand hurts my achilles a butt ton), but wanted to get a pair of trad shoes. I have fairly wide clown feet (4E), hence the shamans and skwama, with more of a greek foot shape.

Also, how should the fit of trad shoes feel compared to others? Should it be more comfortable, or similar to how the shamans currently feel? My main concern is my feet usually shrink quite a bit through a session and will often go from very tight at the beginning to problematically loose (esp when factoring in my water faucet feet)

As a newbie, one month in and almost finished a base course, what shoes should I get? Is better to go for renowned brand, like Scarpa or La Sportiva, or just buy some Decathlon entry level shoe? And how tight should it be? I can handle pain, but how much pain is ok? Should I be able to walk around with climbing shoes?