Shoes and cracks

What are your go to shoes for climbing cracks. I've been using an old pair of sportivas and am needing to replace them. I would like to try something else and wondering what works for other people.

mountain dog wrote:What are your go to shoes for climbing cracks. I've been using an old pair of sportivas and am needing to replace them. I would like to try something else and wondering what works for other people.

For pure splitter cracks I like the 5.10 Moccasyms,
For longer day easier stuff I like La Sportiva Mythos.

Also check out of the La Sportiva TC Pro. people really seem to like them.

Thanks for the feedback Jeff J. I like the looks of the Mythos.

Thanks Jake. Definitely no OW, not yet anyway. My backyard climbing spot is Maple Utah, which has no cracks. I recently got introduced to crack climbing and was instantly addicted. Got hands and fists pretty good, fingers still work me pretty good.

Jake Jones wrote:Depends on the size of the crack....There is no best shoe for all cracks IMO. YMMV.

This. Rock type is an important consideration as well. i.e. granite vs. desert sandstone

For thin cracks (red camalot or smaller) in Indian Creek (or similar), you want a soft, pliable, loose fitting slipper to be able to wiggle as much toe into the crack as possible. Mocs or similar are best, very loose fit.

For wider cracks (hands or bigger) in the desert or on granite, a stiffer shoe with a bit more padding and protection is nice. High top is good too. Sometimes even your Guide Tennies will feel nice for wide #3s. Performance is less of a concern here...getting good jams is relatively straightforward; comfort is the greater concern

For general-purpose granite crack climbing, I like a somewhat stiff shoe that edges well, yet still has a low profile toe that can fit into a crack. This is just the go-to general purpose trad shoe. On granite cracks, you often spend as much time edging, stemming, or smearing as you do jamming, so good face climbing performance is important. A comfortably sized Miura (lace), Katana (lace or velcro), or Anasazi (lace or velcro) is a classic choice. For my next shoe for this purpose, I have my eye on the Tenaya Masai. Although some will recommend it, avoid the Mythos like the plague. Worst edging shoe ever invented.

For hard, thin granite cracks, it can sometimes be best to just wear the super-tight stiff/edging sport shoes. The idea here is that you won't be able to get any worthwhile jams in a tips crack, so you just commit to primarily edging on crystals on the face. A tight Miura, or similar, can be a good option.

Overall, as a newish crack/trad climber, go for the general-purpose trad shoe: a moderately stiff, comfortably sized shoe. Miura, Katana, Anasazi, etc. This will be perfect for anything in LCC, and will serve just fine for any route below ~11a in IC. If you get psyched on harder, thinner IC cracks, then get a pair of Mocs. Also, I'm assuming you already have sport shoes for Maple. With those three options, you should do well on 99% of what you'll encounter.

Jake Jones wrote: Mythos... Mine edged moderately well until they broke in- which was about a week, two at the most. After that, they excel at being comfy, and smearing on slab routes and that's about it.

Yeah, the Mythos are kind of the badge of the crusty old man who climbs 5.7. They are great for that, and quite comfortable, but not good for much else. They could be a good jamming shoe if it weren't for the lace-durability issue; the shoelaces will wear out after about 4 days in Indian Creek.

JCM wrote: Yeah, the Mythos are kind of the badge of the crusty old man who climbs 5.7.

That's a bit of a stretch don't ya think? Tell it to this guy...

.12c sport w/Mythos

+1 for mocs. They are perfect for hand cracks. For technical, granite finger cracks I like a shoe that edges well. I use the scarpa vapor V, which can be a bit painful, but performs well.

I have a pair of TC Pros and pair of Mocs. The Mocs are awesome for pure slab and thin cracks. The Pros are probably the best all around shoe I've ever had. They work for wide cracks but the toe box is thin enough to work for smaller cracks as well. They smear very well on granite slabs and they can edge almost as good as my pure sport shoes. I've found myself reaching for the TC Pros more often than my Mocs lately.

If you are new to cracks and need just one shoe that will do well on everything, I'd go with the TC Pros.

Scarpa Instinct VS. I can't stand those loose sloppy shoes. If I need something that is not so aggressive, I go with 5.10 Verde. for OW, approach shoes work the best.

Thank you all for all the feedback. Gave me a lot of good options to look into.

I climb on grainite (Yosemite) and sandstone (Ojai and Red Rocks) and quartz monzinite (Joshua Tree) all in my Moccs. It's the perfect shoe for all day trad, hard trad, hard sport climbing and hard bouldering. I've never needed another shoe.

2 more cents for ya...The TC pro's are great for easy lull days where you're just putting in mileage but I've never liked them for anything too technical. I've also seen several parties get spanked at IC with TC pros because their feet just won't fit, think lower Scarface, Excuse Station, lower 3 AM crack etc. Don't get me wrong I love mine but as a mere mortal I'm not taking them with me on anything 5.10 or harder.

Be wary of the tow knuckle as well, I'd been loving my Evolv addicts for a while until I realized the toe knuckle gets painfully stuck on Purple C4 sized cracks. This same applies with a number of sport shoes.

I'm sure you'll find counterpoints to everything I've written.

Ian Cavanaugh wrote:Scarpa Instinct VS. I can't stand those loose sloppy shoes.

I was very curious when I got a pair. Mine are too tight for jamming, but I do wonder how much of the edging power (my primary use) I'd lose if I sized them up. Definitely has that low volume & stiff (sole & upper) toe box, slight downturn combo well suited for both.

Travis Haussener wrote:The TC pro's are great for easy lull days where you're just putting in mileage but I've never liked them for anything too technical.

TC pro is one of the best edging shoes when sized for crack climbing. It isn't the best shoe for the creek since there's virtually no edging involved. Its stiffness is an advantage when front pointing into a dihedral or standing in a small pod.

Tc pros for hands and up and mythos for thin hands and fingers

I agree with previous posters:
TCPros are perfect for hand-sized and up .
Comfortably fitted moccs for everything smaller.

Thanks again for all the great shoe advise. Definitely helped me out. I haven't ordered them yet, but will most likely be getting the TCpros or the moccs.

mountain dog wrote:Thanks again for all the great shoe advise. Definitely helped me out. I haven't ordered them yet, but will most likely be getting the TCpros or the moccs.

Both are useful shoes, but they are useful for different things. If you want good advice, you need to provide details, such as:

What climbing area(s) will you most often be using this shoe at? Getting a jamming shoe for Indian Creek and getting a jam/edge/smear shoe for LCC granite are two very different sets of criteria.

What grade range will you be using the shoe for?

Far be it from me to advise against either the Mocc or TC Pro, both shoes with some extremely hard sends on both granite and sandstone, but I'd personally put the Katana lace on that short list as well, especially for thinner stuff. It's on the stiffer side, more so than the velcro version and WAY more so than the Mocc, but it's not as rigid as the TC Pro and it has a slimmer toe profile. The katana lace also has some modest padding that makes it a bit more comfortable than the mocc in tight hands. In my opinion, if I'm climbing perfect or wide hands, I don't much care what's on my feet. It helps to think about the type of cracks in which your footwork is likely to suffer and find a shoe that both fits you well and plays to those situations.

reboot wrote: I was very curious when I got a pair. Mine are too tight for jamming, but I do wonder how much of the edging power (my primary use) I'd lose if I sized them up. Definitely has that low volume & stiff (sole & upper) toe box, slight downturn combo well suited for both.

When I first got them, I sized them a half size larger than I had previously with Solutions. 41.5. I previously owned the Vapor V and sized them to 41. I also wear their approach shoe in a 43.5. while they may feel slightly 'sloppier' than a solution, I feel they preform better at my current sizing. I have taken them on long multi day free climbs, worn them at the creek, and its my go to edge shoe/pocket shoe. The vapor v's at the half size down did have the advantage when on the super techy slabs and faces, but to be honest with so much more that I have gained with the instincts is worth it.

I have been using the Evolv Bandits for hand cracks which are synthetic, have a lot of padding, and are super comfortable. The laces dont get in the way either.