First Impressions

By Hunter Lea Ranked #16 - Climbing Shoes May 21, 2011

Just got these in the mail yesterday, so I'll update my review as these babies break in...

Right away I was struck by the sharpness and precision these shoes offer, even from a visual standpoint. This is my first pair of five ten shoes and I'm happy to see they've left out all the frills in exchange for more thrills. I bought this at my street shoe size (8.5) and could juuust squeeze my foot in. I have a wide toe box and these are a narrow shoe, but my toe barely makes solid contact with the point while my heel is in filling the heel cup, so I don't dare size up. As these have a full-leather upper, I'm hoping they will stretch to accomodate my flipper-shaped feet. The slipper design is easy to get out of but feels secure, and the single velcro strap instills a little confidence that I won't pop out of the shoe during a heel hook or similar maneuver.

Very excited to get climbing in these and try out the Stealth rubber. I've only worn La Sportiva until now.

EDIT: After a day of bouldering I've decided it isn't worth it for me to wait and see if these shoes will break in to fit my wide toe box. They're simply too narrow while fitting me perfectly length-wise.

I was, however, really psyched by the sensitivity of these shoes. On tiny, slippery holds my old Miuras lacked said sensitivity and I would often slip or miss the toehold entirely. These shoes made me feel much more precise and solid, even though I was in serious pain for most of the session. I'll be searching for a similar shoe with a wider toe box in the future.

Happy trails!

View Details: Five Ten Project Climbing Shoe

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