Best trad climbing shoes. Read on to learn about the best climbing shoes out there.
Best trad climbing shoes Apr 15, 2020 · The Five Ten Grandstone is an all-day trad climbing shoe with a touch of sportiness. If you like to switch your climbing up from overhang to vert to slab, your shoe should be able to handle all three (and more). 3-3, nut tool, set of nuts (DMM offsets are best, BD is fine), triple length dyneema sling, couple lightweight lockers, and 3-6 alpine draws (build your own or buy complete). Black Diamond Aspect: Best Low-Angle Climbing Shoes Jan 8, 2025 · Best Use: Trad, gym. The best overall climbing shoe should be versatile and comfortable, yet capable of edging, smearing, heel hooking, and toeing into cracks. ” High volume fit. 12 or harder on gear, there is no reason to spend $200 on climbing shoes with the exception of TC pros which are worth it if you climb enough to resole em once per year. May 16, 2024 · Finger cracks, offwidths, steep jug hauls, technical faces, rock, plastic, pebbles, walls—whatever your appetite, there’s a rock climbing shoe designed to help you best satiate your hunger. Wearing your comfy trad climbing shoes isn’t going to work well if you’re on a steep sport or bouldering route. Rubber: 4mm Stealth® C4 Mar 23, 2023 · Best Overall Climbing Shoe: La Sportiva Katana Lace. You will get the right level of comfort, grip, and other features to assist you in the activity. But some shoes are versatile enough to let you climb a variety of terrain, though they won’t have the features of a dedicated trad shoe, like high tops or toe padding. Here are our in-depth reviews! Mar 7, 2025 · Check out the best climbing shoes, according to the pros. 9. For over a decade, our climbing experts have tested over 75 shoes side-by-side to bring you the most comprehensive climbing shoe review in existence. As an Amazon Associate, I Earn from Qualifying Purchases. Sep 3, 2023 · Based on these features, we’ve chosen the La Sportiva Katana Lace Climbing Shoe as our Editor’s Choice. How we rate products ⓘ Specifications . These shoes are almost as legendary as their namesake, Tommy Caldwell, one of the most consequential climbers in Jan 4, 2019 · The Altura is Butora's entry into the growing field of high-top shoes designed for trad climbing. These are best-in-class if you want this specific performance and safety. Oct 20, 2022 · Many avid climbers have an arsenal of climbing shoes. Scarpa Force V Women's: Best Beginner Shoes for Women. Most high-top shoes are characterized by seriously stiff flexes and thick rubber that impedes sensitivity, but the Aspect Pro is a far more sensitive and nimble shoe thanks to a relatively softer rubber. I am getting new into trad climbing, I have been bouldering for a few years. The rest of the shoe fits well but so much space in the heel I really can't trust heel hooks well (Either I can't feel it or the shoe honestly starts to pull off my foot). A high-end big-wall shoe designed to balance all-day “comfort” with performance. “Trad shoes” usually just means stiffish and flattish, sometimes designed to be worn true to size, and sometimes high top (I’ve never understood the need for a high-top shoe except in offwidth or if you need ankle support though). I have a pair of Muiras that I use for bouldering and I got a pair of TC pros last year and climbed in them enough to need a resole but I just bought another pair of Mythos and those are my favorite by far. Science Friction 3. Based on all of our experience with climbing shoes for trad climbing, we found that Evolv The General Climbing Shoe Men is the best trad climbing shoe available today. Supplying maximum efficiency on micro edges, this is a go-to lace-up climbing shoe Discover the best climbing shoes for your adventures with reviews and recommendations from Outdoor Rack Builder. From sport climbing to trad climbing to bouldering, the variety of moves and the way we ascend varies drastically. May 30, 2024 · As the number one trad climbing shoe on the market, the TC Pro sets the standard for long-lasting precision. Although I still wear my resoled old style TC Pros quite a bit, I move to the Vapor when I need a little more single pitch performance. La Sportiva Katana Lace ($219) Best uses: Sport, trad, gym Downturn: Moderate Upper: Leather What we like: Versatile yet high-performance; available in two versions. Mar 19, 2024 · Here’s how to choose the best climbing shoe for you. Trad climbers typically use ropes for safety and protection Related Searches. It features a stiff, flat sole that provides an excellent platform for exploiting marginal edges while supplying adequate support for sustained foot jams. Climbing shoes for Mar 10, 2025 · Designed by legendary big-wall free climber Tommy Caldwell, the TC Pros are the best overall trad climbing shoe on the market. They offer the grip, precision, and control you need to send it on any problem or route. Zach’s take: “Couldn’t get into the Drone—but this fits great. This stiff-soled slipper is especially well-suited to any trad line, slabs, or routes with plenty of edging and cracks. Tenaya Iati. Mar 14, 2025 · Best Shoes for Trad Climbing. La Sportiva bills it as “the ultimate technical, big wall, free climbing shoe,” which is a bold (though oddly specific) claim. However, our review comes with an obvious caveat: climbing shoe fit and performance is subjective; what fits one woman like it was custom-made might Best for: Wide feet, aggressive bouldering If you’ve struggled with narrow climbing shoes, the Shark 3 HV is a game changer. Jump to review. 0 Nov 14, 2024 · Best Trad Climbing Shoe La Sportiva TC Pro. May 27, 2022 · The Best Climbing Shoes of 2022 Quality rubber is the most important part of your crag bag. La Sportiva Theory Women's: Best Sport Climbing Shoe for Women. Fueled by the “Dawn Wall” and “Free Solo Apr 2, 2023 · Best Trad and Crack Climbing Shoe: Scarpa Helix. What is the best gear I should buy. Link Copied! Climbing shoes for beginners: La Sportiva Tarantula. Comparison Table; 1. Finally, a Mad Rock shoe that works for wide feet. Apr 16, 2025 · Whether you're trad climbing, bouldering, or crack climbing, climbing shoes are a must, no matter your style. 5, I downsized to 8 for them. Sep 5, 2023 · T hese days rock shoes seem to be getting softer and softer, making the quest to find a supportive trad shoe increasingly tough. La Sportiva TC Pro . Check Price on Amazon. With its moderate fit, this shoe excels across a range of climbing disciplines, from sport and trad climbing to bouldering. La Sportiva Miura VS Women's: Best Trad Climbing Shoe for Women. Apr 26, 2021 · It could easily fit into the role of most comfortable trad climbing shoe, best intermediate trad climbing shoe, or as we have chosen here, best cheap trad climbing shoe. 7. BUY OPTIONS . Ok, well without more specific information about your feet we can't really give you more specific advice than you'll get by, for example, googling 'best trad shoes' or doing a search of this subreddit for 'shoes'. Our Gearheads jammed, edged, and mantled to put 2024's new climbing shoes to the test. Mar 7, 2025 · Best climbing shoes for trad climbing La Sportiva TC Pro Climbing Shoes. If you're looking for a shoe that you can do lots of types of climbing : Then, I'd recommend La Sportiva Katana Lac e which is the best all-around climbing shoe in La Sportiva's line. Nov 11, 2023 · Here’s everything you need to know about the best shoes for trad climbing. $219 at REI Check Price at Backcountry. Shop the best selection of Scarpa Trad Shoes at Backcountry. Oct 13, 2017 · By most accounts, the La Sportiva TC Pro is the shoe to beat in the world of trad climbing. ACOPA OFFICIAL WEBSITE & ONLINE STORE - New 2024 Models - Shop - High Performance Rock Climbing Shoes - Push Your Limits - You'll Climb Better If Your Shoes Are Comfortable! Aztec, Spectre, Merlin, Legend, JB. As mentioned earlier, trad climbing shoes are specifically designed to support the wearer in traditional climbing. Let us look at the 5 best trad climbing shoes of 2022 Trad climbing is a type of climbing that relies on natural features such as rocks, trees, and man-made structures such as walls. Depending on your foot shape, it's best to compare these shoes against other comparable options in our review of the best climbing shoes. A stiff sole and rounded toe box will keep you edging away comfortably for hours. Jul 6, 2020 · High-top climbing shoes are designed for trad and crack climbing so the top options of each shoe will have laces, semi-stiff rubber, and low-profile toe boxes. Climbing shoes for bouldering: Scarpa Drago. The best rock climbing shoe Best all-around climbing shoe: La Sportiva Miura Climbing Shoes. To gather our research, we took a close look at some of the best trad shoes on the market along with hundreds of reviews from actual users and experts. The Aspect offers a comfortable fit, impressive versatility, durability, and excellent build quality at a highly competitive price point. Nov 15, 2023 · In terms of fit, as with many Tenaya climbing shoes, I find this to be a fairly narrow shoe with a low-volume toe box and an average-width heel. Upper Material: Eco-tanned leather Outsole Thickness / Material: 4 mm La Sportiva ECO Aug 16, 2023 · The Generator is Scarpa’s new flagship trad-climbing shoe. The Scarpa Vapor S is a top choice with its synthetic upper, Vibram XS Grip2 rubber, and moderate downturned shape. Nov 7, 2024 · Another climbing shoe that got the 5-star seal of approval from expert tester Jessie Leong, the Tenaya Masai is a shoe with a neutral footbed that can nevertheless hold its own on everything from easier multi-pitch trad to boulder problems. The Alturas feature Hard single pitch - whatever shoe is right for what I’m climbing. May 26, 2021 · Check Best Price and Reviews. Jan 8, 2021 · Best Trad Climbing Shoes – Five Ten Quantum. It is very stiff, built for torquing in cracks and edging, and as a result has a flat, neutral last and full-length mid and outsoles. 5 or 43. Dec 27, 2023 · Utilizing the latest climbing shoe technology, Black Diamond has added a fresh face to the class of high-top trad shoes. $185 $99. Important Specs; 4. Outdoor Gear Lab has pretty up to date reviews and ratings of state of the game trad gear, shoes, packs etc. I have an average-to-wide foot, but the 9-eyelet lace closure allows for plenty of adjustment, so I had no issues with the fit of the shoe. May 1, 2022 · Black Diamond’s Aspect shoe is a great addition to the trad climbing shoe scene. Oct 1, 2020 · The very best trad climbing shoes are fantastic for trad, but really not so great for other kinds of climbing, especially steeper sport or boulders. A high-top performance shoe, without the high-end price tag. Wide-foot friendly and aggressive for steep bouldering. This stiff and supportive lace-up shoe was designed with some asymmetry and La Sportiva’s P3 tensioning system that directs power over the toes for edging. Important Specs; 3. Best shoes for trad climbing Lightweight shoes for comfort Durable climbing shoes for trad routes Affordable trad climbing shoes High-quality shoes for all levels Guide to choosing trad climbing shoes Recommended brands for climbing shoes Comfortable shoes for long climbs Shoes with superior grip Essential shoes for trad climbers The best trad climbing shoes should offer a balance of comfort, support, and grip, allowing you to tackle various rock types and challenging routes with confidence. Top trad shoes let your toes lie flat so you can jam your feet into thin cracks; have semi-sturdy rubber that can be torqued inside cracks but still protect your feet; and preferably have laces since velcro straps can come undone 5. Lace-up; Hemp Lining; Our pick for best budget slab climbing shoes, the Black Diamond Momentum, brings something new and fresh to the table compared with traditional rock climbing shoes like the ones mentioned above. The Evolv Rave climbing shoes are a great choice for climbers looking for comfort and performance. May 27, 2025 · Best Climbing Shoes at a Glance. 3/10 Rating Jump to review. ) The upper is made with 2mm of suede and lined with a comfortable neoprene sock. (43 for my trad shoes) Apr 26, 2023 · Our Selection of the Best Climbing Shoes for Women in 2023. In this guide, we’ll explore some of the top options available on the market today, ensuring you find the perfect pair to elevate your climbing experience. The main difference then, it would seem, is the higher ankle flaps on high-tops. I suppose it's plausible to think that being a woman gives us lots of specific information about your feet, but it doesn't really. Unlike a lot of other trad shoes, though, the Aspect is a low-top design. 3 . Published: May 27, 2022 Owen Clarke (Photo: Inga Hendrickson) Best for Trad and Big Walls. Features. Specifications. Scarpa Helix is a flat profile with a neutral asymmetric Jul 29, 2022 · La Sportiva Mythos Eco: Best Beginner Shoe for Trad Climbing. Innovative Proprietary Molded Rubber; Engineered Knit Technology; Specs. Important Specs; 2. 93 at REI. Oct 5, 2020 · The best trad climbing shoe that is La Sportiva Tc Pro. Apr 22, 2025 · After many days of research, field tests, and analysis of female-specific climbing shoes, we've granted awards to the shoes that are the best in their class and often surpassed our expectations. The low-profile, slip-on design is perfect for crack climbing and allows quick on-and-off. Unless you are climbing 5. Feb 12, 2024 · For trad climbing, a flatter, loosely fitting shoe is often best as it’s more versatile for varied terrain than other designs. If you’re not set on a high-top, here is the list of the best trad climbing shoes. Lovely though it is to feel each and every rugosity beneath your feet, there's no benefit to that for trad climbing if you're not able to stand on it for 30 minutes whilst fiddling in a wire, building a belay, or trying not to have a panic attack. The Tenaya Iati is a versatile climbing shoe that provides an ideal balance of comfort, precision, and performance. By Akmol hosen March 14, 2025 March 14, 2025. Tenaya Masai. Check Price at Backcountry. com, where you'll find premium outdoor gear and clothing and experts to guide you through selection Jan 2, 2024 · The Aspect is Black Diamond's entry into the crowded field of climbing shoes marketed for trad climbing. Leather upper. Their soft leather uppers mold to your feet over time, giving a secure and glove-like fit. I'm a street size mens UK9. Best Shoe for Trad Climbing You'll want a shoe that offers versatile design features and exceptional support for cracks when tackling trad climbing routes . Best Slipper La Sportiva Women’s Skwama. Feb 23, 2024 · Best women’s trad climbing shoes (Image credit: Jessie Leong) 4. Trad, sport, crack, bouldering, big-wall, gym climb anywhere in style and comfort! Limited Edition Commemorate May 27, 2025 · Best Climbing Shoes: La Sportiva Miura VS; Runner-Up Climbing Shoes: La Sportiva Katana Lace; Best for Beginners: Evolv Shaman; Budget Choice: La Sportiva Tarantulace; Best Bouldering Shoe: Scarpa Instinct VS; Best Trad/Crack Climbing Shoe: La Sportiva TC Pro; Best Ultrasoft Shoe: Scarpa Drago; Best Gym & Competition Climbing Shoe: La Sportiva May 8, 2021 · Best Women’s Trad Climbing Shoes Shoes for trad climbing should be flat and stable, so you can squeeze them into the smallest crack without bunching up your toes! When it comes to trad climbing, you’ll most likely spend more time on the rock than with sport climbs or even go on a multi-pitch day out, so comfort is key! Nov 25, 2019 · Best Comfortable Trad-Climbing Shoe climbing shoes; shoes; climbing (Scott Griesser) Tenaya Masai ($140) Specs: 12 ounces; soft Pros: Comfortable; soft, just enough power Cons: Less power. Read on to learn about the best climbing shoes out there. Any suggestions help . I am looking for quick draws, trad rack, and rope. Dec 27, 2023 · For climbers with wider feet, the Generator Mid shines as bright as the most popular trad shoes, while narrow-footed climbers may feel like they've lost a bit of performance fit. Best Outdoor All-Rounder: Scarpa Arpia V ($169) Best Sport/Mixed Shoe: Unparallel Qubit ($186) Best Bouldering Shoe: Scarpa Drago XT ($229) Best for Beginners: Butora Rubicon ($150) Best Shoe for Steep Routes: La Sportiva Mandala ($209) Best Training Shoe: Scarpa Veloce L ($175) Best Pure Slipper: La Sportiva Jan 11, 2022 · Another soft, sensitive, downturned shoe designed especially for steep terrain, the most unusual features of the Genius are its unique no-edge sole design and offset lacing. Standard starting place is a single rack BD C4s 0. $219 at REI. May 27, 2022 · La Sportiva TC Pro ($199) (Photo: Courtesy La Sportiva) Best for Trad and Big Walls. Most Comfortable: Ocun Jett QC ; Best for Jumping Grades: Butora Acro ; Best Value: Black Diamond Method; Best for Bouldering: Scarpa Drago LV ; Best for Sport Climbing: La Sportiva Solution Comp; Best for Trad Climbing: Scarpa Vapor S; Best for Narrow Feet: Red Chili Voltage LV Sep 17, 2021 · Best Trad Climbing Shoe: La Sportiva TC Pro Trad climbing arguably places the toughest demands on a climbing shoe. Best Climbing Shoe for Trad Climbing and Big Walls . (4mm of Vibram’s stiff XS Edge rubber complete the ensemble. The type of shoes we wear also varies according to the style of climbing we’re doing. I wear a 44 street shoe and size my climbing shoes down to 42. Sport Climbing and Bouldering Since sport climbing and bouldering are often defined by steep overhands and tiny edges, shoes that are good for these disciplines will often have impeccable edging capabilities and Dec 17, 2024 · Best All-Around Climbing Shoe 1. REI. May 29, 2021 · 5 of the best trad climbing shoes in 2025 from top brands like La Sportiva, Five Ten, and Scarpa. If you don’t know who Heinz Mariacher is, he is basically responsible for designing most of the best climbing shoes of the last 20+ years and all of the recommended shoes on this thread. It's my go to shoe. Jan 22, 2025 · Best Climbing Shoe for Beginners: Black Diamond Momentum Climbing Shoes; Best Climbing Shoe Under $100: La Sportiva Tarantulace Climbing Shoes; Best Climbing Shoe for All-Day Comfort: evolv Kronos / evolv Kira; Best for Trad Climbing: La Sportiva TC Pro Climbing Shoes; Best Climbing Shoe for Overhung Bouldering: Scarpa Instinct VS Climbing As mentioned earlier, trad climbing shoes are specifically designed to support the wearer in traditional climbing. La Sportiva has enamored trad climbers with its TC Pro. While rabid fans of the more popular La Sportiva TC Pro probably won't be switching to these hemp-lined trad climbing machines, folks who just don't vibe with the TC Pro have a comfortable option for long days on the big stone. Likely due to these differences from traditional climbing shoe construction, opinions of this shoe vary greatly. Scarpa Helix: Classic design for crack and trad climbing. Trad climbing is steep, face- climbing up cracks, nubbins, and edges, and the most secure way to ascend is to place protection as we go. Best for: Precision and Versatility. With input from Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold, the latest TC Pro is built for the long haul, thanks to a single-piece rand (less chance of delamination over time) that extends higher up the foot for increased protection, and reinforcements on all the lace eyelets (extra on the lower ones). It’s a wonder it didn’t take the position for the best all round trad climbing shoe, but the La Sportiva TC Pro just can’t be beaten on this! That said, if you really want a stiff pair of shoes for long multipitches, boreal makes some good quality stiff shoes at a competitive pricepoint. Our Premium Option is La Sportiva Men’s TC Pro Climbing Shoe with all the best features and high-quality materials, but that’s only if you have more money to spend. wpvvsokkzsxzfirozosidhiymmwvkrynmnkkkakufyxppxsxhtnqebt