Hey Seb. Thanks man - always good to give people comparisons or like for like with shoes. No shoe is identical, but there are definitely similarities.

We’ve just gotten into climbing and been recommended the tarantulas how have you found them a year on?

@@RooReviews not sure they will survive a year of regular use.

@@RooReviews my tartanulas lasted about a month and a half of daily climbing in the gym, pretty disappointing

@@ottok7448 same idk what to get next

Glad it helped dude!

For pure comfort and still very well performing consider tenayas range

@culann thanks me

It should be about as salty as the sea, if you're not sure how salty that is it's roughly as salty as you feel when kids a third your age send your project

The waters meant to taste like the Mediterranean apparently. The rule is 10-100-1000, 10g salt to 100g pasta in 1000mls water. Thank you for listening to my TedTalk

This is the best comment I've ever read

@@culann483 For training purposes regular table salt should be fine, but as your foodwork improves, or if you're looking for a high-performance salt to send your project, I recommend Kosher salt.

I love Instincts! I actually can’t think of a better all round shoe.

That’s our next video! 😜

Evolv Zenist could be one.

Hey, thanks for the comment :) Not on purpose, I just don’t know much about Tenaya shoes. Obvs Scarpa is where I have most knowledge, and other brands I’m less knowledgeable about with some of the finer technical details so I asked for help from friends at those companies or other sponsored climbers. I actually don’t know anyone at Tenaya and tbh I thought I’d done a good cover of brands that even if I missed a few I didn’t think it would be a problem. At the end of the day, this wasn’t about comparing brands, it was about isolating features of shoes that make them good at what they do. I showed popular other brand alternatives mainly because you can then see the similarities across brands, but also if someone has that shoe then they can look themselves. I also missed out Evolv, Butora, Boreal, etc... not on purpose, just me being lazy I guess 🤪

@@RobbiePhillips Awesome, yeah the research part of this must be astronomical, obviously you can't go asking for a pair of every shoes out there but really good insight none the less! Definitely worth bearing in mind if I need to go shoe shopping again

5.10 Anasazis are a great shoe! As I said in the video, just because they aren't designed specifically for indoors, doesn't mean it wont perform. I have worn my maestros for certain things indoor :) This video is trying to find the ideal shoe for certain things, but realistically most climbers want a shoe that can do most things very well, and the Anasazi is one of them :)

Yeah! But more rigidity in the laces than the velcros and a few finer tweaks elsewhere but exactly the same last :)

@@RobbiePhillips nice video as always mate ;) is just my impression or that Vapor lace you hold in the video seems pretty wrecked with unglued yellow rubber? i think is a super cool new model scarpa released, but this let me think about its durability..

A man can dream 💭 👠

True... but do you think many beginners could climb them? Frankly never been to the RRG so don’t know if 50 degrees 6a’s exists there haha

@@RobbiePhillips there's a handful of wildly overhanging "beginners" routes, I doubt they get to 50 degrees though so yeah...not quite gym boulders. Haha! www.mountainproject.com/v/111229014 The major overhangs start around 6b+/6c. The Red should definitely be on your short list. 👌🏼

Which shoe did you end up buying? I tried a few things here - instinct was so painful in my toe, vapor was good fit but no sensitivity. Haven't been able to wear chimera, but it seems in family with Drago/FuriaAir with greater built in toe support, plus I'm looking for a lace system for maximum fit.

@@itsYiyas I bought the Instinct S based on an instructor's and scarpa corporate mmanager's advice/opinion. They hurt badly and I didnt size down but the fit is skin tight. I also bought the Evolve Oracle and it is more aggressive (similar to the Chimera/drago) and it is even more painful. I can only wear them for a couple sport climbs or a few boulder climbs and then I take them off for a few minutes and slip back on to go again. I asked everyone and the consensus is, suck it up buttercup, the shoes hurt, feet will get ugly and you get used to the pain after a while.

Great indoor slipper is the Instinct SR - softer than the VS

Hey Drew, From the SCARPA end I've always found that the Instinct VS/VSR/Lace was a fairly wide fitting shoe, as well as the Vapor's and of course the Veloce. It's always a fine balance finding a shoe fit for your feet as well as fit for purpose. The Drago are a soft shoe so similarly to your Cobras would possibly break in eventually. Other brand alternatives I'm a bit less in touch with their relative fits. Occupational hazard being sponsored haha Unrelated - look forward to a banger Unseen Bits today on the Patreon page :D

When you say stiffer profile, do you mean rubber? The VS and VSR are completely identical aside from the rubber sole :)

@@RobbiePhillips is that so? I was told in the shop the vs also has a stiffer last.

Hey Jan, If it’s your first shoe I’d go for something not too aggressive/downturned/assymetric. Have a look at VAPOR Velcro, Arpia and Veloce. Also if you wanted something a bit more performance orientated then the instinct VSR is a good shout - it’s a bit more downturned than the other 3 but not too much :)

what model?

Love the mastias. I think I would prefer something even softer like the mundakas but they are not as well built (two shitty velcros instead of a big one, less rubber for toe/heel hooking, etc) The mastias just have a more up to date design.

I love them but any sort of edging they just give out and there not super durable

@@minifishy7162 yea I try to avoid slab with them on haha

I agree that they are terrible on little edges, however I use that as a handicap in training to work my toe strength :) Durability I have found fine indoors - but outdoors don’t think I they’d be up to much

Im on a team and i get 50 percent off shoes... My mom convinced me to get 25 rei garage sale shoes and wait it out a couple weeks until theres another order cuz my veloces fell apart... Ig its my fault who woulda known there not hiking shoes for the crag 🤷😂😂

@@RobbiePhillips the lil metal loop that the strap goes through came out cuz the lil fabric holding it in place broke but i was definetly agressive with them

Hey Luis, The VSR will be better than VS for smearing - I find that I use the VSR more and more these days..: just a brilliant all round shoe. For volumes I’m a massive fan of the DRAGO, but VSR will also be good 👍

Leaving a comment here in case someone recommends a decent indoor climbing shoe for Greek feet

I don’t at the moment, but I’d love to share the knowledge when I get it. The current iteration is a brilliant shoe - maybe buy one pair of the oldies and wait for the new ones to come out in case you prefer them?

Hey man, if you’re interested in some of the finer details of shoes for outdoors, check out some of my other videos :) it’s not quite as straight forward as stiff rubber for outdoors, but indoors definitely soft all the way. As it seems you have a stiff shoe and a midrange shoe (solution), why not try something softer? Scarpa DRAGO, Furia S are good to look at, but you can see loads of great other brand alternatives in my vid too :)

My momentum I only went half size smaller and they are comfortable yet still fill out the shoe.

Honestly I’m not really sure… I know in Edinburgh, Eden Rock have the entire SCARPA range in stock. Other stores like Tiso/Cotswold typically have a pretty poor selection to choose from - it’s hard for the big retailers to stock every type of shoe across all the brands 👠

Instincts are a brilliant all rounder :) VSR, VS, Lace or Slipper?

@@RobbiePhillips was thinking about the VSR since they are softer but I've heard the VS are better for those who are heavy.

About the weight, in theory yeah, but the stiffness of the midsole is the same, it’s only the rubber that is different. I’m 80kg and I really really like the VSR. I find for indoors and most outdoor stuff the VSR is brilliant. I’d take the VS more if I was doing some really small feet on a project. It also has a lot to do with toe strength as well! I do believe our toes can get stronger if we climb in softer shoes, abs vice Versa, get weaker in stiffer shoes. It’s a good idea to experiment with softer shoes. Made a huge difference to my climbing when I made the switch

@@RobbiePhillips thanks for the input! Definitely going towards the VSRs then.

vapor V is your best bet for comfy shoes, but instinct VS is pretty nice, high performance

VSR - Yes. Relatively low level of assymetry in the design, and low down turn, medium height toe box. VAPOR V - they aren’t the softest. Their softer than the Laces version but they still have a relatively stiff midsole. The women’s (low volume) is completely Grip2 sole, however the men’s (high volume) only has a Grip2 heel whereas it has edge on the flat part. They are built as a multipurpose shoe with edging and smearing in mind for bouldering, so although the men’s use edge rubber, they do perform well in an indoor bouldering settinf. They are also a great shoe for resoles so if you get the men’s version, an option is to resole in Grip2 once you’ve worn them through :)

All but the Instinct Lace which has a slightly narrower fit. The lace the Vs and VSR are the same last :)

Yo Christian, haha I used to be the same. I’m 80kg and I genuinely loved the stiff shoes, but I learned that the softer shoes have much better grip on slopier surfaces. If you want a good hack with your maestros which will make them perform even better - when it comes to their resole, get them resoled in XSGrip2 as opppsed to their standard XSEdge. Game changer! When I was training for Yosemite last year I would do big sessions at the bouldering wall in maestros to get used to climbing all day in them. Climbed hard in them too, but they still have massive limitations indoors

Hey Kai, The main diference is the shape - the wmns lace will have a narrower fit and more scultped heel with the new PAF heel system for a better more secure fit. The rubber is the same, Grip2 ;)

I’m on fire 🔥 😜 Didnt take 20 shots at it either... 😅

@@RobbiePhillips 😂😂😂👌🏻.....good wee segment dude 👌🏻🧗🏻‍♂️

I wouldn’t be using my boosters indoors much, it would depend on the climb. As an indoor all rounder they aren’t ideal, more suited to steep climbing on edges and pockets. I do think they compliment the VS well though as the VS is probably better on less steep angles than booster.

@@RobbiePhillips thanks

Afraid I’ve never used them before and don’t really know anything about them. Sorry 😞

👠😘💋

The tarantula is a pretty terrible shoe from a performance pov. It’s fine for rental, but too many climbers have it as their first shoe for too long. It has very little sensitivity and won’t give you much ability to progress your technique as a result. If this is important to you then I’d really recommend looking for something comfortable but with better sensitivity. In the Scarpa range I’m thinking Veloce, VAPOR V, Vapor S. Unfortunately I don’t have any experience with BD. Equally, if you really just want a cheap shoe to play on the wall with and get you out of rentals, then tarantula or something equivalent such as Scarpa Reflex will do nicely :)

Thanks man. really new to it so just looking cheap, durable, etc. Thanks a lot for the feedback!@@RobbiePhillips

Hey Leona, I have found them fine relative to other Scarpas. Bit wider in the forefoot, and much easier to break in! Compared to helix and vapor this will feel like a sock with rubber :P

@@RobbiePhillips great thanks. I tried a friends on when he first got them. they were a touch too big but I loved the feel of them. such a great idea!

Hey, velocity is very much a beginner shoe. It has quite a rigid sole and not the best for indoor use or progression. VAPOR V is much better but has a slightly more technical shape to it which means you may feel initially that it’s a little more uncomfortable than the velocity, but if sized correctly this shouldn’t last long. But... if it’s mainly indoors your doing I’d check out the Veloce. It’s a soft indoor specific shoe and a great beginner shoe. Very comfy and a great first climbing shoe as well.

Robbie Phillips thank you very much! That was very useful:)

Definitely the most colourful one. Make sure that girls are watching too though.

Surely a pair of Vans looks the best!?

@@1337-David Of course, what's the point in climbing if there aren't girls watching? 😉

@@RobbiePhillips yeah probably, how they in terms of performance?

Fairly lightweight with a flat aerodynamic design for beating wind resistance whilst campussing

You’re right. Sorry that might have been my bad there. I was attempting to show other brand alternatives but sometimes they don’t directly cross over. From my understanding I was told Otaki had a softer midsole than the Instinct but used a stiffer rubber, so perhaps a Skwama would have been a better comparison. I do say as a rule of thumb to avoid Xs Edge rubber. It’s not to say it won’t work, just that Grip or Grip2 will perform better.

Thanks for the reply! Of course the shoe as a whole matters more than the sole rubber but I just wondered if there was something I missed. Otherwise I really enjoyed the series👍

There are so many factors that go together to making these shoes great 🙂 and fit for purpose. As I said in another comment, I have used Maestros resoled in grip2 indoors for techy slabs haha they performed great! There will always be anomalies, but these videos are aimed to give people the knowledge to make informative judgments for themselves

What do you climb mainly? Style? Indoors/outdoors? Etc…

Hey Tim, I’ll be the first to admit I made a mistake there. I’ve already apologised for that in another comment. The Otaki does actually have a softer midsole but uses a stiffer rubber so it’s a bit of a mid range shoe. Also, this is a guide, not definitive. Many of the specialists in the world of climbing shoes think grp2 and edge rubber have the same stickiness, just edge deforms less making it harder on sloping features, so even a well broken in pair of edge shoes would function really well indoors. For those who want a guide in choosing the perfect shoes for the job I think this video and my articles on the subject do pretty well.

The chimera are great performance shoes. I would also be happy training in them, but relatively they are not as comfortable as a Veloce. But they will perform better 😉 hope that helps

Thank you!!

In FZ lasts I wouldn’t say there are direct counterparts similar to VAPOR and Vapor Lace, but the Chimera has a slightly stiffer midsole than DRAGO so it’s certainly one to look at if you want something with a bit more bite on small feet. Furia Air and S are obviously much softer yet again :)

The ether! O.o