Anasazi VCS replacement?

My Anasazi’s are on their last gasps so looks like it’s time to shoe shop. What’s a good similar shoe, regardless of brand? I’m not interested in the Adidas NIAD, and I actually owned a pair of the Unparallel UpRise but I found the all rubber toe to be too bulky and I gave up on them after a month or so. Any input appreciated.

As much as I think buying used climbing shoes is kinda gross, that’s what I did. I resoled my last pair of Anasazi’s three times before I scoured a used pair that had plenty of life left in ‘em. Probably not the answer you’re looking for, but I’m keen to follow the thread to see if others can recommend a solid modern shoe replacement. 

Tenaya Masai perhaps?

Edit:Sorry, the Masai is a lace up. 

I finally retired my pinks back in 2021, it feels so long ago now. They were on their…4th or 5th resole? Anyways.

So far nothing has really quite hit the same, closest has been the Uprise. One that has felt surprisingly good though has been the Butora Gomis - they’re all rubber, but the rubber is quite soft and flexible, so the toe hasn’t felt bulky. Then, my cobbler put Stealth C4 on them for me and that has been great. They’ve become an edging machine that smears well and does great on overhangs.

Otherwise the search goes on. I just got a pair of Acopa Merlins, they seem promising but I’ve just been fit testing them at home. Most of their shoes have a patch of rubber on the toe though, hard to find shoes without it.

Brent Moore wrote:

Tenaya Masai perhaps?

Edit:Sorry, the Masai is a lace up. 

Fwiw I was an Anasazi VCS fanboy (RIP) and the Masai is my go to all day show now. Not as good as the Anasazi was at edging though (definitely a softer shoe). 

Nathan Smith wrote:

Fwiw I was an Anasazi VCS fanboy (RIP) and the Masai is my go to all day show now. Not as good as the Anasazi was at edging though (definitely a softer shoe). 

Whoa, that must be really soft cuz the Anasazi were not great at edging, even with the onyx rubber. Still a great shoe, I’ve owned at least a dozen pairs. 

I am 100% a SL*T for the anasazi last. 80% of the hoard.
I have been finding Anasazis of all colors recently!

Seriously. Brand new verdes with a carabiner (bonus town) for 30 bucks! another set of verdes from a seller here. Brand new blancos.....some pinks.just look once in a while and they're still out there like new, or brand-new.

@jiggs. The blanco's were the stiffest and most aggressive of the anasazis. They edge like a dream. Then verdes, pinks, VCS, Mocc.
Pinks and verdes are pretty solid toss up, but with the onyx rubber on the verdes I think they do a bit better.

UP lace is the closest to the Anasazi though I have tried. I also really like the Up Mocc for a slipper, but damn they stretch a whole lot. More than the 5.10 mocc ever did so good to take into account.

since eBay links are not allowed search "Five Ten Anasazi Lace Up Pinks Rock Climbing Bouldering Shoes - Mens 11" nice pair available if ya got some bigger feet.

Mr Rogers wrote:

I also really like the Up Mocc for a slipper, but damn they stretch a whole lot. More than the 5.10 mocc ever did so good to take into account.

Really? Mine haven't stretched at all lengthwise to get me flat toes, so I don't wear them for cracks or multi (unless I take them off at belays) - vs the 5.10s mocc that just kept on stretching.
I really like the Up Mocc and may get a 1/2 size bigger at some point.

(and I think I sold ya some Verdes - glad they'll get used!)

Matt ya did! They're great. They're getting a good life already, and honestly the two different rubbers is gonna be a fun experiment. Can I tell the difference? not yet.

But yeah the Up mocc stretched out so freaking much. I expected some decent stretch as they're unlined leather, but dang. They just kept loosening. Now I need a thick sock to make em feel decent. My guess is they stretched about a whole size. It did take a good minuet to get to the point they started feeling sloppy. I suspect it's the upper is getting hammered from cracks and long slab days and it is what is causing the fit to be "baggy" now, more than length continuing stretch.
Still love the shoe, will order 1/2 size down next time. I heard from my dogs uncle they may release the mocc (or something super close) with a single velcro strap sometime soon-ish? That would be one I would try for sure.

I think the Tenaya Ra is pretty similar to the VCS

Mr Rogers wrote:

I heard from my dogs uncle they may release the mocc (or something super close) with a single velcro strap sometime soon-ish? 

Wonder if they'll stiffen the midsole too like the old 5X slipper with a zipper? I still have a couple pair of those.

I bought the Up VCS to try as an Anasazi replacement but it's a different shoe, not as good fit. Softens more, I'm not fond of that toe rubber patch and I miss the split tongue. Still a decent shoe.

Adidas/5.10 ruining the anasazis (the NIADs feel like a totally different shoe) is one of the biggest tragedies of my climbing career.  Good bye old friend :(

The closest I've found is the UP Lace.  At least to the Pinkies.  I went down a 1/2 size from my 5.10 size to the UP.  

They have a great stiffness on the 1st sole.  Smear a lil better after the 1st resole.  Comfortable and well made.

As an anasasi lover myself, I have a question for you guys. I feel like when it's about time for a resole, the shoe itself has gotten very soft and loses it's ability to edge. I have gotten one pair resoled and it was somewhat okay, but nothing compared to a new set. I feel the old worn shoes slip around my feet and can't hold an edge well, but a brand new set is like standing on a board, which is nice. Am I the only one like that?
It's an issue now that I've run out of blancos and haven't scored another set on ebay for a few years. I used to be able to score a set of blancos or the brown ones for just about the same price as a resole. Those deals are long gone now. Anyone else not like them after they've gotten a bit past broken in? 

gtluke wrote:

As an anasasi lover myself, I have a question for you guys. I feel like when it's about time for a resole, the shoe itself has gotten very soft and loses it's ability to edge. I have gotten one pair resoled and it was somewhat okay, but nothing compared to a new set. I feel the old worn shoes slip around my feet and can't hold an edge well, but a brand new set is like standing on a board, which is nice. Am I the only one like that?
It's an issue now that I've run out of blancos and haven't scored another set on ebay for a few years. I used to be able to score a set of blancos or the brown ones for just about the same price as a resole. Those deals are long gone now. Anyone else not like them after they've gotten a bit past broken in? 

This is where Yosemite bum is rad, they can put a stiffening "plate" when you resole, and of course the super rands is great if you jam a lot of thin cracks. I find trax rubber to be fine, but am interested in their harder edging compound which I have not tried yet. Gonna be sending 6 pairs off to them soon for various treatments.

And again, I still find deals on anasazi last shoes regularly.
Blancos are the ones that are über hard to find. Then prob verdes. VCS and pinks there are still good amounts floating the webs.

Recovering Anasazi VCS fanboy here. I probably owned about 8 pairs and no other shoe fits my foot as well. I've owned a few pairs of Pinks, Verdes and Blancos too. If I could go back in a time machine, I would definitely buy more Blancos.

Everybody blames Adidas for ruining the VCS, but I actually think they went downhill in 2012, during the last major FiveTen redesign when the heel tension got relaxed and they made the straps cheaper. It went from a performance (but flat) shoe that Sharma used to send all his early hard routes in, to kind of an intermediate all arounder. The Anasazi Pro was the closest to the pre-2012 VCS, but I never liked all the extra toe rubber on the Pro, it never broke in well to my forefoot.

The closest equivalent that I've owned is the Tenaya Ra. But the Ra's heel felt a little softer and smaller so I didn't like it as much as the VCS, but it was close. A friend considers the Ra a VCS upgrade.

The shoe I like better than the VCS currently is the Sportiva Otaki. On paper, it looks like another VCS knockoff, but someone could argue that it is a completely different shoe. It has more downturn and harder rubber, so it is less of an all arounder, but edges better than even the Blanco (nothing compares to the OG Boostics for edging). I usually don't fit well in most Sportivas but the Otakis are actually wider than the Anasazi last, and a tad more asymmetrical - both improvements to me. I'm still not sure what I think about the Otaki's heel - the VCS fit my heel better and was more comfortable, but the Otaki's S-heel is far superior for heel hooking and has less dead space.

I haven't yet needed a resole on my first pair of Otakis, so I'm not sure what I will think of them over their life cycle, but they currently seem like the marriage of the VCS and the Blanco, with downturn. The Otaki actually felt too stiff and insensitive at first, and I like stiff, but they have softened, but not gotten too soft and still edge great For smearing and slab, the VCS would perform better. For edging and cracks, I prefer the Otakis. The Pinks always got too soft for me, like done by the time they needed the first resole. The VCS still felt good after the first resole but done by the second.

I'm not sure what story these pics tell but here they are anyway:

I have 2 pair of size 42s just sitting in the closet.  Each has been resoled 1 or 2 times, can't recall.  Been wearing the model for a decade and have tossed out several.  These were the best I had left.  Anyone wanting them PM me for more detail/pics and we can probably work something out.

Mr Rogers wrote:

Matt ya did! They're great. They're getting a good life already, and honestly the two different rubbers is gonna be a fun experiment. Can I tell the difference? not yet.

But yeah the Up mocc stretched out so freaking much. I expected some decent stretch as they're unlined leather, but dang. They just kept loosening. Now I need a thick sock to make em feel decent. My guess is they stretched about a whole size. It did take a good minuet to get to the point they started feeling sloppy. I suspect it's the upper is getting hammered from cracks and long slab days and it is what is causing the fit to be "baggy" now, more than length continuing stretch.
Still love the shoe, will order 1/2 size down next time. I heard from my dogs uncle they may release the mocc (or something super close) with a single velcro strap sometime soon-ish? That would be one I would try for sure.

To throw out a point on the Moccasym vs UP Mocc situation, I actually think the UP Dual is a much better equivalent to the original Moccasym. 

It is advertised as their speed climbing shoe, but it is the same last as the Upmocc without the toe patch and made out of synthetic rather than unlined leather. That will help a lot with the bagging out problem on the UP Mocc. Also not having the toe patch makes it feel more supple along the top of the foot, very similar to the Moccasym. Pete Whittaker actually wears the UP Dual a ton if you watch his videos, he almost never wears the UP Mocc. I think these are totally worth giving a try if you are on the hunt for alternatives.

Also yes Sang Lee told me that they are planning to do a version of the Up Mocc with a single velcro strap, but from what I recall he made it sound like it would be almost the exact same shoe otherwise. I would not expect it to be out until at least next fall because they have already announced the new Float and Beat shoes for spring summer 2025. They also have a velco version of the Vim in the works which will have a much wider throat opening because it is too difficult to get your foot into the current version, and a super stiff lace-up flat based off the old 5.10 Newton which will have their hardest RA rubber. He told me that will be a great all day multipitch shoe and will be much much stiffer than the "stiff" Uplaces.

Sam Ehmann wrote:

....

Excellent. Thanks for the informative post.

Update: So I decided to go with the Tenaya Inti and I ordered them in the same size as my street shoes (9 U.S.)…they showed up today and the fit is just right and to be honest they feel remarkably similar to the Anasazi but perhaps a little more comfortable. Can’t wait to see how they perform on the rocks, hopefully can get out this weekend.