Scarpa Instinct Lace vs Vapor Lace?
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Anyone here by chance have experience with both of these? I've had a couple pairs of Vapor Laces (last seasons model, the yellow ones) and I like them a lot, however the downturn barely lasted and they seemed to lose their stiffness rather quick. Not necessarily always a bad thing though as I primarily climb slab/vertical stuff, and not a ton of overhangs. I've been curious about the Instinct line for a while and I'd kind of like to try the Instinct Laces instead of the Vapors this time. How do the two compare? Im generally climbing on granite, lots of slab and vertical stuff, bouldering and sport, and occasional multipitch/trad (though i'll probably just get another pair for those in the future). Any insight is greatly appreciated here. |
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caughtinside wrote: Interesting to hear. I haven’t actually tried on the instinct laces, but a while back I tried on the Instinct VS and I remember them fitting my foot perfectly. I have the vapor laces now and they also seem to fit my foot well, though maybe I’m not remembering correctly about the VS fitting me perfectly. |
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the toe of the new vapor lace is very tall and not very precise. the instinct lace has a much more precise, lower volume toe point which I appreciate for microedges and toeing in on finger cracks, etc. I also thought the new vapor laces would be stiffer, but after using both vapor lace and instinct lace, I think they are pretty comparable stiffness-wise. perhaps the vapor lace are slightly stiffer, but they also lose their downturn pretty quickly. I am a fan of the instinct lace because they keep their downturn, provide enough support and stiffness for most vertical face climbing, and have a very precise low volume pointy toe for small chips and cracks. |
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Zach L wrote: This is good to hear. Yeah I was actually considering just getting the old yellow vapor laces since they’re still available and on sale everywhere instead of the new blue/yellow ones. Not sure how they compare. I think if the stiffness with the instincts are about the same, or slightly less stiff but last longer, I may just have to try those this time. How do you feel they perform on slab? I know they’re not exactly a slab shoe, but I do find myself on a lot of friction slab and I want to make sure I’ll be satisfied with them their. I actually liked the yellow vapor laces a lot for slab after they lost their downturn. Thanks for all the insight |
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Ben E wrote: I don't climb a whole lot of pure slab. but once broken in, I think the split sole of the instinct allows the shoe to smear pretty ok. I am happy to have the precision of the Insincts on anything where tiny feet and toeing in is important. The vapor may smear better, but I don't think they edge or smedge as well. |
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Here are some photos of both shoes side by side. the instincts have a fairly fresh resole. the vapors are fairly new and just haven't gotten a lot of use... |
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caughtinside wrote: Ha! I'd watch that film. I do think that even the more aggressive Scarpa shoes have a narrow heel/wide toe box type shape that makes them a bit more bearable for people who don't have narrow feet. Also, sizing the shoes appropriately is important. I have a pair of Instinct VS that are 42.5s, the Instinct Laces are 43s, and I am rocking some Boostics in a 44 (I think) and everyone who swears by these shoes is right - sized generously, they are comfy yet capable techy granite shoes... For face climbing, I don't really mind the height of the toebox on the vapor, but the roundedness of the toe box makes toeing in or edging on shitty micro feet feel more like guessing than precision, whereas the Instinct toebox allows you to really put your toe where it needs to go. And for crack climbing, the tall toe box makes getting rand contact and toeing into the crack very difficult. |