Best Approach Shoe for 5th Class Climbing

What's the best approach shoe for climbing 5th class these days? I loved climbing up to 5.6-5.9 multipitch in the original 5.10 Guide Tennies back in the day, and folks raved about the Gandas, though I never had a pair. Recently it seems like many approach shoes are optimized for comfy hiking but are junk for actually climbing in, such as Sportiva TX3/4. TX2 are the best I've found, but they're so soft that there must be something out there that can edge a bit better.

What's the best these days when it comes to actually leading pitches in your approach shoes? Scarpa Gecko? Anything from BD? Salewa Wildfire Edge? 

Tx guide leather is the go to climbing approach shoe as far as I'm aware. 

I'll expand on this now I have a moment, I have climbed up to 5.9 crack in my guides but I have climbed up to the same grade in the LS hyper appoach shoe(unsure if they're available for the US market).

While I like the tx guides for standing in aiders better the durability is lacking, they have put a seam and failed to reinforce a really wear prone area on the lateral side. 

The hyper appoach shoe is burly, climbs just as well (a little better in thin cracks), just doesn't do so well in aiders. Similar narrow fit for both, sorry to all the hobbit footed climbers out there. 

UP Rock Guide, imo. According to Sang Lee, it’s “built on the same platform as the Guide Tennie, but (with) better friction rubber, RH”. I have a pair and think they climb better, especially on slab, than the TX Guide leather.

The TX Guide leather does have better cushioning though, for hiking, especially with a heavy pack.

Edit - The UP Rock Guide is also very comfortable for those with wide feet!

https://www.unparallelsports.com/product/rock-guide/

I’ve climbed a bit in my TX Guides and liked them for it

TX Guide for me.  They are narrow.  I use a Superfeet shorty footbed to gain room around toes in my smallest pair.

The UP approach shoe runs big.  So big that I wasn't sure whether to go down 1/2 or whole size and I just returned them.  UP's return/exchange policy is not very friendly (you pay both ways and they are slow), so best if you can try them on or buy from a retailer with good return policy.  I didn't wear them outside, but they didn't impress me as a shoe that would climb hard.  Of course, UP rubber is the best.

I've always been a big fan of the tx2 for fifth class terrain.  Here is a good review of the tx2 evo, looks like they might be a bit stiffer...

https://eveningsends.com/climbing-the-approaches-in-the-la-sportiva-tx2-evo/

Thanks everyone so far. Lots of love for the TX Guide Leather. I had a pair for a bit and wanted to like them,  but the square toe box was really painful on my Morton's toe. This isn't something that's ever been a factor for approach shoes, but the TX Guide has a strange shaped toe - square like a dress shoe. Just didn't unfortunately, but it seems like a great option on paper.

Interesting review of the TX2 Evo. They mention it being very stiff over and over. I only have experience with the original TX2 and definitely found it not stiff. Has anyone used both and found the Evo version to be significantly more stiff?

I tried on several different styles of Sportiva approach shoes this fall before summiting Middle Palisade. The TX2 Evo was unimpressive with regard to durability or stiffness. It was designed for multi pitch routes where you need it for the descent. The Guide and Guide Leather were my favorites for precision. There is a TX2 Evo Leather that adds weight and stiffness. However, on the pair I tried the lace attachment ripped out while adjusting for the first time. After comparing to the regular TX2 Evo, it did not look like a manufacturing defect and more so just a weakness in the design. The Evo models are relatively new and may not be fully field tested yet. The TX4 toe box is notoriously wide. 

I hate the new tx2 Evo design (cannot get my high arch wide forefoot in to them at all). The old tx2 was the perfect climbing approach shoe as long as you were carrying less than 30lbs

I climb just fine in TX3 and TX4.

The TX2 was too thin for hiking. Could feel every rock underfoot. Fell apart too quickly. The sole split and flapped open from the middle out.

TXGuide was too narrow for my foot. But they did climb the best and hiked okay..

TX4

I have wide feet so can’t wear the TX guide. I prefer the slightly less ridged sole of the TX4’s anyway. They smear much better. The TX guide edge better I’d assume with the stiffer sole. 

Zach Eiten wrote:

TX4

I have wide feet so can’t wear the TX guide. I prefer the slightly less ridged sole of the TX4’s anyway. They smear much better. The TX guide edge better I’d assume with the stiffer sole. 

I had the TX4, but the lacing system blew out with just a couple months of light use and were unrepairable. LS gave me a credit, and mistakenly sent me a pair of Guides, which were way too narrow. I had asked for the Guide Leathers and when I finally got some they surprisingly fit better for my wide feet than the TX4s. The Leathers seem to stretch out widthwise.

Anyway, the UP approach shoes are very wide and the only truly comfortable mountain shoes I own.

I’ve climbed 5.6 in the Scarpa Crux and it was okayish

You asked about the Salewa wildfire edge, and I like the design quite well and the lace system is pretty cool that as you pull it tight it actually pushes your foot forward so you can get rid of the empty space in the front of the shoe and it fits much more like a climbing shoe. The system still needs some work but it could really be a game changer in approach shoe design IMHO. 

But the rubber, fine for trail shoe, not so much for an approach shoe. If I could get them in a sticker rubber they would be amazing(so much so I have thought about DYI cutting off the edging plate and replacing it with some rubber from an old pair of climbing shoes) . So if you just have to edge on positive edges you are looking great. Smear something, well I hope I had pro in because I would be pretty worried about going for a ride.

Unpopular opinion, but I hate my tx guides. They are definitely the best performing on rock I've tried, but dang it they're uncomfortable. Far too narrow. I was always a fan of the older model of the boulder x. Can't vouch for the newer ones but the OG were quite a good hiking shoe, and good up to about 5.8.

I followed TPOD clean in tight TX2s, but the sportiva approach rubber sucks. If you could resole them with something sticky they would be awesome for up to 5.10+ or so

Scarpa just started selling the Mescalito again.

Stiff like the tx guide (almost, not quite as stiff) but not so dumb and narrow

+1 for the TX Guide. As others said, it is narrow and I don't find them super comfy for extra-long bouts of hiking (my feet are neither narrow, nor wide) but when sized well they edge great and feel super solid. I frequently climb in them and they feel more confidence inspiring than any other approach shoe I've owned.

jacob m s wrote:

You asked about the Salewa wildfire edge, and I like the design quite well and the lace system is pretty cool that as you pull it tight it actually pushes your foot forward so you can get rid of the empty space in the front of the shoe and it fits much more like a climbing shoe. The system still needs some work but it could really be a game changer in approach shoe design IMHO. 

But the rubber, fine for trail shoe, not so much for an approach shoe. If I could get them in a sticker rubber they would be amazing(so much so I have thought about DYI cutting off the edging plate and replacing it with some rubber from an old pair of climbing shoes) . So if you just have to edge on positive edges you are looking great. Smear something, well I hope I had pro in because I would be pretty worried about going for a ride.

Thanks for commenting on those. Sounds like using them for mostly hiking, then resoling with some Unparallel rubber when they're ready could be a good result, if they fit. 

Yukon Cornelius wrote:

Scarpa just started selling the Mescalito again.

Stiff like the tx guide (almost, not quite as stiff) but not so dumb and narrow

Ooh now that looks like what I'm talking about. Might have to try these. Thanks for the recommendation!

Kyle Elliott wrote:

Unpopular opinion, but I hate my tx guides. They are definitely the best performing on rock I've tried, but dang it they're uncomfortable.

I agree. I'm trying too get away from all the TX shoes. I've owned almost all of them and found the TX2 to be fine but didn't last long, the TX4 was so roomy my foot sloshed around a ton, and the TX Guide hurt my toes a lot. The TX4 Mid was my favorite - the mid held my foot in place even though they're still too wide. Garbage for climbing (not what they're for) but they're great for hiking.