Decent performance, comfortable shoes for an intermediate climber?

Title. Trying to prioritize comfort yet not completely sacrifice performance on shoes that you can send all day in and not want to amputate the dogs when the sun goes down. This is the half assed list I have thus far, in no particular order. Looking for additional shoes of the same variety and/or input from folks who have the shoes on the list. My feet are messed up for various reasons and I don’t want to add to that when climbing, if possible.
The list I have: Scarpa helix, tc pros, scarps veloce, La sportiva finale, la sportiva katana lace, (this one looks more technical and uncomfortable but has really good comfort reviews) and ye olde tarantulace. 

I was on the same search for shoes that you are in. I choose the TC pros and have been very happy with them.

I've been happy with the Finale for a lower price shoe.

If your feet aren’t too wide then the Tenaya Masai is worth adding to your list. 

Upmoccs. The leather will stretch a ridiculous amount to conform to your foot. There is a lot of info on how to speed up the break in process too. If your feet don’t sweat much, then they will stay high performance and comfy for a long time. If they sweat a ton, then socks can fill the gaps and the shoe will be uber comfy. Been able to climb granite 5.12 and V7 in a blown out pair that I could literally walk around in all day if I felt dorky

I totally prefer comfortable shoes, and specifically seek out flat, STIFFFFF (ideally leather) shoes. They tend to retain edging ability a bit better when sized for comfort in my opinion. I've worn most of your list, and TC Pros have probably been my favorite, along with UP Laces. Also have heard good things about Acopa and Tenaya. Fit is the only thing that matters though, so go to a store and try on a bunch of shoes while disregarding everything ever said on mountain project.

Patrick - wrote:

I totally prefer comfortable shoes, and specifically seek out flat, STIFFFFF (ideally leather) shoes. They tend to retain edging ability a bit better when sized for comfort in my opinion. I've worn most of your list, and TC Pros have probably been my favorite, along with UP Laces. Also have heard good things about Acopa and Tenaya. Fit is the only thing that matters though, so go to a store and try on a bunch of shoes while disregarding everything ever said on mountain project.

That’s the plan! Headed to an rei next week to try on a bunch. Bought some shoes before trying them on; big mistake and I’ll be selling those here shortly. 

Victor Creazzi wrote:

I've been happy with the Finale for a lower price shoe.

+1, went from the trantulace to Finale. I call them my "cheater shoes" because of how much of an improvement they are in sticky rubber alone (I still climb easy stuff in my tarantuace).

One thing that was a little surprising is since the finale is a real leather upper, I was actually able to size a half size smaller than my tarantulace because they stretch. 

(I climb in the 10s on a good day...)

One thing about "Go to REI and try everything on" - Definitely call ahead (or try their website) to make sure they have stock in your size. I'm canoe footed (46-46.5) and a lot of the time I show up at stores and want to try on "all the shoes" and they bring me the two pairs they have in stock in my size :shrug:

Has anyone else tried the LS Kubo?  After all my fav gym shoes got discontinued or "improved" I searched and searched for something not super expensive that was comfy, Velcro (easy on/off), and versatile (boulder/lead) and finally landed on the Kubo and have been really happy with them!

The Kubo slaps. Suuuper comfy since the leather can stretch easily, good mix of sensitivity and edging, thin toe profile for thinner jams. 

Josh Rappoport wrote:

Has anyone else tried the LS Kubo?  After all my fav gym shoes got discontinued or "improved" I searched and searched for something not super expensive that was comfy, Velcro (easy on/off), and versatile (boulder/lead) and finally landed on the Kubo and have been really happy with them!

I got a pair of Kubo's recently and am very happy with them--comfortable and climb well.  They are on the sofer side, so if you want a stiff shoe, chose something else.  I've used them for gym and outdoor sport, but think they'd be fine for trad as well.  I agree with the comments that individual fit is probably more important than anything else, but if these shoes fit, I think they're pretty much exactly what the OP is looking for.  

I've heard good things about the Finale but haven't used them.  Probably between Kubo and Finale, Sportiva has the comfortable / intermediate shoe space well covered.

Climbing Weasel wrote:

That’s the plan! Headed to an rei next week to try on a bunch. Bought some shoes before trying them on; big mistake and I’ll be selling those here shortly. 

I’d be surprised if an REI had that good of a selection of climbing shoes. Out west here when I need a new shoe I head to the shops in Bishop or Mammoth. Near where you are EMS may have different stock to REI.

I recently went through this process with my husband trying to find something that he thought was comfortable enough but was higher performance than his old Mythos. He tried on about 10 different brands/models at the Gear Coop in Santa Ana before he found something he was happy about. (Ended up with some Evolv model). You sometimes just need a good selection to find just the right fit. 

If the LS Nago was a good shape then the Tarantulace will be too. Decent preference, 100. Comfortable, 100. Buy them big enough to wear with socks when it's cold. Lace-to-toe can be tightened/loosened for the redpoint attempt and the walk-off.

If you have a gym in your area, see if there are any shoe demos coming up.  Nice to get to try them out first.

phylp phylp wrote:

I’d be surprised if an REI had that good of a selection of climbing shoes. Out west here when I need a new shoe I head to the shops in Bishop or Mammoth. Near where you are EMS may have different stock to REI.

I recently went through this process with my husband trying to find something that he thought was comfortable enough but was higher performance than his old Mythos. He tried on about 10 different brands/models at the Gear Coop in Santa Ana before he found something he was happy about. (Ended up with some Evolv model). You sometimes just need a good selection to find just the right fit. 

Surprisingly the rei near me in the South Bay has a pretty good collection of shoes but end up rarely having stuff in my sizes which aren’t even that big. What stores do you recommend in mammoth/bishop? Does the big snowboard/ski store in bishop carry climbing stuff, havent been there in years. I remember going to a mountaineering store in mammoth when we needed to rent shoes for a group I was with but didn’t spend too much time looking at their collection but guessing if I can remember where it is would be worth checking out next time i’m up there. 

Justin Reed wrote:

Surprisingly the rei near me in the South Bay has a pretty good collection of shoes but end up rarely having stuff in my sizes which aren’t even that big. What stores do you recommend in mammoth/bishop? Does the big snowboard/ski store in bishop carry climbing stuff, havent been there in years. I remember going to a mountaineering store in mammoth when we needed to rent shoes for a group I was with but didn’t spend too much time looking at their collection but guessing if I can remember where it is would be worth checking out next time i’m up there. 

Eastside Sports (formerly Wilson's) usually has a very good selection.  But I typically fit La Sportiva well, so that may be what I am noticing.  Mammoth Mountaineering in Mammoth usually has a good selection too. Not sure about other shops in Bishop and Mammoth. I usually just spread my money between those two. But if you are in the Bay area (South Bay = Sunnyvale area?), it's probably also worth going to one of the Momentum (Planet Granite) and one of the Touchstone gyms too.  Since they have multiple locations, if you find something you like, but it's a 1/2 size off, they could call their other gyms.

phylp phylp wrote:

Eastside Sports (formerly Wilson's) usually has a very good selection.  But I typically fit La Sportiva well, so that may be what I am noticing.  Mammoth Mountaineering in Mammoth usually has a good selection too. Not sure about other shops in Bishop and Mammoth. I usually just spread my money between those two. But if you are in the Bay area (South Bay = Sunnyvale area?), it's probably also worth going to one of the Momentum (Planet Granite) and one of the Touchstone gyms too.  Since they have multiple locations, if you find something you like, but it's a 1/2 size off, they could call their other gyms.

Whoops should have been more specific Im in socal, the South Bay is the various beach cities south of the airport and unfortunately the climbing gyms I go to usually have pretty small selections of shoes available. But I go up to mammoth a fair amount over the winter and summer so should be able to swing by these stores. One of my friends recommends one of the bishop stores/someone in bishop for resoling shoes so been meaning to swing by either that area either way. 

Strong agreement with the suggestion of going to Eastside Sports (aka Wilson's) in Bishop for all your climbing gear shopping needs. Best climbing store I've been to.

I live in Sacramento where the local gear shopping is kind of meh, and instead just save up most of my gear shopping for the couple times a year I go to Bishop. 

Sage to Summit is also just a couple shops down from Eastside Sports, and is a good supplement. They carry a different set of brands. It's worth visiting both on a Bishop rest day.

I haven't been to Mammoth Mountaineering but hear good things.

Sorry Climbing Weasel, let's try to get this drift back on track finding you suggestions on shoes. 

Hoping to hear some feedback on the Helix as well, as I'm in the same boat as the OP.  Looking for something that can do trad multi-pitch, granite slab, occasional gym use...and be somewhat comfy.  And I need a size 49.  

One addl benefit of the Helix seems it'll turn my feet blue for a while. 

Charles Iguana wrote:

Sorry Climbing Weasel, let's try to get this drift back on track finding you suggestions on shoes. 

Hoping to hear some feedback on the Helix as well, as I'm in the same boat as the OP.  Looking for something that can do trad multi-pitch, granite slab, occasional gym use...and be somewhat comfy.  And I need a size 49.  

One addl benefit of the Helix seems it'll turn my feet blue for a while. 

Appreciate it! Was thinking of making a thread about good stores in different states/areas. Seems there’s some interest in that topic. 

Justin Reed wrote:

One of my friends recommends one of the bishop stores/someone in bishop for resoling shoes so been meaning to swing by either that area either way. 

https://www.rubberroomresoles.com/ is the place. You can send your shoes by mail but you do get quicker turnaround if you drop them off in person.