Scarpa instinct variations

So I wanted to love the scarpa instinct VS.  I found in my proper size there's a pretty decent pressure point at the tip of my big toe nail and the first joint of the big toe.  Freshly cut nails within a couple days.  Does the VSR or the VS lace suffer a similar stiff point between where the rand overlays the toe hook patch?  Does it soften over time or am I maybe better with the lace since toe hook patch is different?

I have the same issue with that Scarpa toe rubber patch. The Scarpas with softer toe patch like Instinct S and Vapor VS are super comfortable for me, while the Instinct VS and older Boostic kill my big toe nail with the pressure from the rand/toe patch.

Vsr is a lot softer. I wear them a half size down from the vs and they are a lot comfier on my big toe than the vs, even with the half size difference. YMMV of course but I was surprised how much of a difference there was.

I've had sooooo many Scarpa and they do take longer to break in, but my pairs that are on their first resole are so comfy and that patch is way softer now. I do wish they would update the shoe and pull the patch a bit higher up on the inside and use the same rubber that's on the S.

I wear the VSR, W Lace, and Instinct S. The worst to break in for me were the Lace, S are the fastest, but it's the shoe that fits me the best.

Karl Walters wrote:

I've had sooooo many Scarpa and they do take longer to break in, but my pairs that are on their first resole are so comfy and that patch is way softer now. I do wish they would update the shoe and pull the patch a bit higher up on the inside and use the same rubber that's on the S.

I wear the VSR, W Lace, and Instinct S. The worst to break in for me were the Lace, S are the fastest, but it's the shoe that fits me the best.

How does the S compare in fit, particularly the heel? I have both the men's VS and women's VS in the same size and the women's are predominately smaller just in the heel, (no air gap!) but also overall a much snugger fit which works better for me.

I wear the women's VS for the smaller heel and the S fits me perfectly.

I love the instinct VS, but have found that the instinct laces fit very differently for me. They feel tighter on my foot and I much prefer the Velcro. This is even after a full break in period and even a resole. The toe construction definitely feels different to me, but could work better for different foot shapes. 

Tanner Hayes wrote:

I love the instinct VS, but have found that the instinct laces fit very differently for me. They feel tighter on my foot and I much prefer the Velcro. This is even after a full break in period and even a resole. The toe construction definitely feels different to me, but could work better for different foot shapes. 

Funny, as I have a wider forefoot and high arch, and vastly prefer the laces. I have a hard time getting into the velcro (because of my arch), and once I am in the toes feel more pinched. Maybe the toebox on the lace-up stretches more because of the absence of the full on rubber patch? No idea, but I'll stick with the lace-up. Might try the slipper for the gym soon, although they might be narrower?

The Lace is narrower and stretches less for me. The S feel the widest

I have the VSR and I get a lot of pain on the inside of my big toe knuckle on both feet. I sized down 1.5 eu sizes and after a couple days of climbing the pain has lessened, but it's not completely gone. I imagine the pain will continue to decrease as the shoes stretch out over time.

Once these wear out I think I'll get the Instinct S or the VS Women's. The heel on the VSR is really baggy on me (even after downsizing) and women's Scarpa shoes have a 20% lower volume heel, but I fear I may have the same toe knuckle pain because the forefoot is the same as the VSR. I tried on the S and the toe pain wasn't as bad, they're a bit stiffer and the heel on the S seemed to be lower volume.

The heel on the S is lower. I size down from a 43.5EU Scarpa approach shoe to a 42 Instinct. You could try just going down a single EU size lots of people I know are fine with that fit.