This is a great shoe, through and through. High performance, yet comfortable. I managed to get a year and a half out of these on original rubber. Sport, bouldering, indoor, outdoor---even DWS. The smell got a little gnarly, but otherwise I was pretty happy. I decided to move on to a different shoe, but it was only because of the fit. The toe box was great for me, but the arch hit a little too far back and the heel was a bit wide.

I've been using the Tenaya Ra as a gym kicker for about 8 months, and I've been pleased. Gotta resole them, and in the interim, I figured I'd purchase a complimentary shoe -- something a touch more sensitive and aggressive.

A couple of things:
1) Don't be scared by the synthetic; size as you would normally. I rock a 42.5 RA, which is leather, and was borderline excruciating to break in. I'm talkin toes fully curled, barely able to edge fold over. Eventually, they opened up and I was happy. All good.

So when I ordered the Tarifa, I knew full-well that I wanted this to be an aggressive fit; real tight. I figured, I had an aggressive fit in the Ra, and it took a while for it to sag out to comfortable all-day performance; synthetic shoes don't stretch, I'll stick with the 42.5.

Wrong choice, ultimately. The upshot is, the thing is damn comfortable out of the box (like not-taking-shoes-off-to-belay comfortable). Pretty mindblowing. Perfomance is decent, just ultimately not the shoe experience I was anticipating.

2) I've got absurdly wide feet, collapsing arches, and more bone spurs than a washed-up D1 ski racer still cramming into his plug 140 Dobermans because he "folds through everything". Essentially, when it comes to rock shoes, I always have issues finding shoes that are wide enough, particularly around my insanely over-calcified scaphoid.

Tenaya's are THE wide shoe. This business about narrow toe-boxes I'm seeing in the reviews seems catagorically false. BUT the heel is tighter than say a 5.10.

Overall, I'm into it so far, and maybe as I get into summer outdoor cragging my feet will appreciate the extra space, but as of yet, I'd reccomend sizing down as you would with say a solution or instinct.

Wore these shoes for 1 year inside and outside on well textured granite. These are my second pair and they've done cracks like nothing else. The 'sock' wrap around is the best. Soooo Comfy. The Vibram XS grip is a super soft super grippy rubber, but an absolute ego killer for my terrible footwork. For my first three months I was dragging my toes up the face and turning and twisiting like elvis on holds. My shoes started to show wear, and so I fixed my technique and my climbing went up a grade. Seriously I'll never give these up.

Used these shoes for about 6 months of mostly gym climbing 2-3 days a week. I wear a street shoe size 12 and got these in 11. Fit worked well for me. Had a short break in period that caused some pain but then they stretched out to fit my foot great. An 11.5 would have probably worked out just as good with a bit more comfort without much sacrifice on preformance.

My only issue with these shoes is the durability. I blew a hole on the bottom sole right under my big toe. Six months of use seemed a bit too early for that to happen for me. That's why I didn't rate 5 stars.

Other note... These shoes do get very smelly so beware.

These shoes are fantastic - I've used them bouldering in the gym and outdoors on sport routes for about a month now and couldn't be happier about their overall performance. They're super technical, stick and edge really well and are the most comfy climbing shoe I've owned by miles and miles (mainly climbed in muiras, vipers and cobras in the past). That said, after only a month or so of regular wear, these things STINK. They are great shoes but I've never experienced this level of foot stank in all my years of climbing. Consider wearing socks.

After taking these a few times to the gym i have to say they are a great beginner shoe. I LOVE the lace up system. Its the best of both worlds. I remember using the gyms shoes and constantly messing with all the laces to get a good fit that isnt hurting my feet. With their lace up system its a few good pulls on each crossover, tie them up and youre good to go! I bought a size ten although i wear a size nine street shoe. They run a bit narrow so keep that in mind. I can wear them all day and experience no discomfort. The moderate curve and good edges help me with overhangs that i try to attempt and still work well on flat walls.

Coming from TC Pro's, I was hesitant on "leaving" La Sportiva. After a gym session in the Tarifa's I'm glad I chose these Tenaya's. They're actually very similar in comfort compared to the TC Pro's even though they're more "aggressive." They stick well, edge well, and I like the amount of flexibility they have. No too much, not too little. I normally wear 42 in La Sportiva and went to 41's with the Tenaya.

Buy em!

For the past year, my go-to shoe has been La Sportiva's TC Pro. Those are comfortable enough to leave on for an entire climbing session, offer fantastic support, and have nearly unparalleled edging capabilities. However, the TC Pro is not necessarily the best bouldering shoe, and is on the lower end of the sensitivity spectrum.

I've used the Tenaya Tarifa for the past two weeks, and only in the gym at this point. However, my impressions are extremely positive. As other reviewers have noted, the Tarifa is instantly comfortable, and there is very little break-in period. The liner is similar to that of La Sportiva's Solution, but with a longer tongue. This is a narrower shoe all around, though I only sized down one full size from my street size (8.5 versus 9.5).

There is no one best thing about the Tarifa: it is a great shoe due to aggregate of its qualities. For instance, it has ultra-sticky rubber which is made even better by the Tarifa's sensitivity. It is excellent for edging, as well, as that sensitivity is balanced by good support. I find myself being extremely precise in these shoes, and often toe into holds rather than back step. Although the last is not necessarily aggressive, it is downturned just enough so I can "hook" onto jibs and edges. And, that same rubber, sensitivity, and precision allow me to smear and post much more assertively.

One possible con is that the Tarifa's heel does not feel secure. I still have a bit of a pocket in my heel cup, which contradicts what some other reviewers have found.

Overall, an excellent all-day shoe, great for roped climbing and moderate bouldering. I would not use this for severely overhung terrain, but then again, I'm not climbing V10s yet, either. Highly recommend this, and would recommend it over the TC Pro or the Solution if you had to select just one pair of shoes.

Hudson Mountain Area Cowell Arkansas 5.10A

This is my first Tenaya shoe, and MAN! These shoes are amazing!!!!

Tenaya is somehow the only brand out there that is able to make downturned shoes that perform well, and are still comfortable. All other aggressive shoes I have tried just kill my feet, as I used to think was the norm. Tenaya's site talks about how they really look into how the foot works to find ways to make performance shoes comfortable, and man they really figured it out. These shoes have the perfect balance of support and sensitivity, erring a little more on the sensitive side, which I love. The rubber sticks to the wall like glue right out of the box. I never have to take them off at the gym, or get any soreness at all. It blows my mind how other shoes even sell when these exist!

I am a full Tenaya convert for life now. I will never cramp my toes into another death trap again! I can climb tough overhanging problems all day with my feet smiling back at me!

The will post back about the longevity after a few months hitting the gym.

UPDATE: I still love these shoes. The have lasted very well. There are no compromises with these. Great product!

Coming from a La Sportiva size 8 US I also wear this in size 8. Fits quite snug but breaks in well. Not a boot you'll wear all day, but it makes up for it with supreme stickiness on walls, fine alility and good ability to hook.
This boot took my mt climbing from rehearsals to sending things at a much quicker pace. This boot is of high quality thus far and highly recommended.

In climbing, your shoes are pretty much the single most important thing when it comes to performance. And these shoes are the top of the line, especially for face and pocket climbing. The fit and comfort on these is unbelievable when it comes to the superb performance. Be careful, once you start climbing in these shoes, you'll never want to climb in anything else ever again! I love the lace system on these. I can adjust them to my foot perfect, then put them on faster than I could a pair of velcros.

I?ve worn these shoes on friction slab, overhanging rock, roofs, and dime-edge, vertical faces. These shoes performed fantastic every single time. The speed laces combine the best of both worlds ? on and off like a velcro, but the precise fit like that of a lace-up. I'm kind of a gear junkie and often bring multiple pairs of shoes to the crag...but lately I've only been packing the Tarifa, b/c they are so good at everything!