I want to get a new pair of approach shoes that are mid's but still feel light. I'm trying to decide between Boreal's Flyers or 5.10's Camp 4's. Any suggestions?
The new Five Ten Guide Tennie Mids are very light and climb much better than the Camp 4's. I really like mine. I used them on Moonlight Buttress last month and Whitney's East Buttress this summer and they performed great hiking and climbing.
I just tried on a bunch of approach shoes and decided on the La Sportiva Xplorers (regular not mids because I have a nerve issue in my ankle with hightops) and I was pretty damn happy with them. I did a long day with lots of scree and talus in them right out of the box and they felt great. Light, but protected my toes when I got sloppy and started kicking rocks. They were also stiff enough without feeling uncomfortable or hindering the climbing.
As for climbing they weren't as technical as a 5.10 Daescent or equivalent, but I did climb some easy 5th class and V0s-easy V3s in them and found the rubber sticky and the toe and edging the best of the true hikers. So long as there is a decent foothold or smear they climb. Jibs are not happening.
Overall the Xplorers just seemed the right fit between great hiker/poor climber and the poor hiker/great climber spectrum of approach shoes. If that makes sense.
For full disclosure, I did get a blister on the first hike, but I blister easily, and I was wearing a short sock with its top under the shoe's top which caused rubbing that I didn't notice till too late.
20 kN
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Nov 11, 2014
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Unknown Hometown
· Joined Feb 2009
· Points: 1,346
I like Evolv's shoes. All I can say for sure though is dont buy the 5.10 Impacts. They completely suck in every way.
+1 On Xplorers though they haven't held up amazingly well. They climb well and hike "okay" for me. My Salewas are better hikers than climbers and feel more like a little like a light boot. The Salewas are usually my goto at this point if I'm just going to scramble a little bit and have a longer approach.
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