Wow can't believe it has already been 5 years since this video dropped. Would be sweet if Matt made an updated version for 2023, if his climbing shoes collection hasn't gotten bigger.
La Sportiva Mythos. Toes are flat inside the shoes. Most comfortable climbing shoe there is. Tie the Laces, untie on top of the mountain, hours later. Never think about your shoes meanwhile.
Another flat lasted shoe is the FiveTen Stonelands VCS! Flat, surprisingly wide at the ball of the foot / toe box for a FiveTen shoe. Und it comes with the famous Stealth C4 rubber, considered by many the best allround rubber sole there is. Don't get them too big, otherweise it is too soft and floppy. Yeah, TC Pros should be hard shoes that really support your feet. Very good for climbing and standing around on a big mountain for hours and hours. One of Sportiva shoes I didn't get my hands on, i just read that they are not that wide, so, are a little more on the narrow end of Sportiva shoes. What do you can tell me about that Josh? :)
Do anyone have some good tips or advice to make your climbing shoe last longer? I've climbed with the Scarpa Instinct VS and the SO ILL "the street". I climb indoors (bouldering and sport) 3-5 days a week and both my shoes lasted no longer than 4 months.
Improve your footwork, it will make shoes lat so much longer. I blew threw my first 2 pair in a couple months each my footwork was so bad, now I normally have about lasting 6-7 months of heavy use (5-6 days a week). I used this guide alot, my favourite drill was silent feet. www.climbing.com/skills/training-7-simple-drills-to-improve-footwork-and-technique/
The "weird shape" your Miuras have taken seem to be consistent with a lot of other Miuras I've seen. I dont understand why people would want to buy a shoe that will become upturned.
I came here to see a review of my instincts but now I need to know where you got that sweater., It’s the exact sweater I’ve been looking for. Let’s hear it, brand shout out?
Hi Matt, what a great idea to showcase your rich knowledge of climbing shoes. It's great to have a professional that have tried such a diverse range of shoes and proved us some insights of them. Love it!
4:20 those are the old Vapour V lace. The new version of the instinct lace is still really comfortable but holds its shape a lot better. Climbing in Shaman 2s atm and miss my Scarpas a lot.
Since you're kind of an expert at being on the nerdy side of ... most things climbing, really good at filmed presentations and ... generally just a cutie, could you not just make EVERY shoe brand maker send you a pair of every shoe they make - every year - for review? Brake it into three categories: indoor/comfy/comp style, soft smear (Font/slab) and razor edge. Pros: You need to climb a lot more to get the feel of each shoe. Cons: A little bit of work :)
surely theres no way all these shoes fit your feet well enough to show the true potential and performance of each shoe? they may be the 'best shoe' but if they dont fit they are no good for you for anything right?
Nice vid and heaps of great insights. What’s your thoughts on Five Ten Team 5.10? I’ve read that is pretty much the best toe hook shoe on the current market. Also magnificent for overhangs and smearing as well. If you could give me some comments that’d be much appreciated.
What kind of sweater is that? Also, are you going to make a new one of these videos since you have added to your expert shoe collection. Would appreciate one! Thanks for the content!
thanks to your review i just bought the mutant and an extra set of quick draws at the epic tv shop and additionally saved about 40 euros when compared to bigger online shops here out in germany.
Matt, I wonder about the complete different wideness of your shoes. The Miura Lace / Miura XX (twenty) is very narrow, whereas Scarpa Instinct VS & VSR are one of the widest (ball of the foot) climbing shoes out there. How can they all fit you equally well??
Hi! I'm not Matt but I have Miura XX and Scarpa Vapor V, some years ago I also bought a couple of Scarpa Instinct. The Miura lace has a normal fit (not "very narrow") and the velcro version fits perfect for wide foot. So if you feel good with a Miura lace, probably you could feel very comfort with Scarpa vapor, in fact Matt said Vapor lace are the most comfort shoes that he has bought.
The Hiangle is a beast of a shoe. Besides the Team, I think it’s the best for toe/heel hooking, but it also has superb edging performance. I will say that the rubber isn’t soft by any means, but it gets soft enough to smear on slabs. The men’s model is a bit better for wide feet, so if you have an incredibly low volume, narrow foot go with the women’s version.
Just bought them to try them out after destroying my 5.10 Team due to heavy use the past half year. Didn't climb in them yet, but from what I tried they're much more comfortable than the Team. Also much stiffer so I do not expect to be able to toehook even remotely as good - but I also got a fresh pair of Teams for toehook problems. I'm really looking forward to the edging performance. I except the Hiangle to do much better in that regard.
Used them now. The 5.10 Team is strictly better, imo. Unless all I'd do is indoor sport climbing. The Hiangle is worse for toe-hooking and smearing, making the 5.10 Team superior as those don't have such weaknesses in any regard.
Chris, maybe you are one of the lighter climbers. The HiAngle is pretty much the same as the Team Black, just made out of leather, + a midsole in the front of the shoe which makes it much more supportive and a weapon for edging, and a imho better heel. Team heel is too deep, HiAngle (2016, grey/aqua, 0.5 UK down from street size) heel fits my heel best of all climbing shoes. For example, basically ALL Sportiva heels are too big for me, no matter how small the size i try (and crazy stupid tight i squeeze my feet into them). The stiffer the shoe, the more weight you need to apply to make the downturn flat, to get the most contact area between the rubber of the outsole and the underground. Ergo, for smearing, you need a softer shoe, the lighter you are (or the shoe in a bigger size, same for toe hooks), or, more weight if the downturned shoe is stiffer. The HiAngle is so common in comp climbing and much more used than Team, so they can't be that bad as you describe them. I'm not saying that you are not right, in fact i believe you and it is logical (to me), but the differences are maybe not so big as someone would believe after reading you post. For me, I prefer the HiAngles. Teams are so soft, I can't use that advantage. If I would climg only roofs, then the Team, or even the Team VXi would be the weapon of choice, who knows. But for me, a climber of 84kg i would have to get the Teams as crazy small as pissible to stand on tiny footholds. But for standing on tiny footholds on vertical walls or slight Overhands, I use stiff shoes, like the Miura VS or the Otaki. The HiAngle is my indoor comp climbing shoe (sport and boulder) and the choice for the hardest possible stuff. The C4 sole fades away rather quickly indoors, and i would claim to have quite good footwork. But indoor + my weight, lets the C4 melt away on these shoes. Just the straps on the heel to put the shoes on, are sewed onto the shoe material last, so, you maybe feel the stitching on the heels. And it gets worse with use, as the corners of the straps inside the shoe become peaks after few times in and out of the shoes, may hurt you! Very annoying!! I used as raps for those edges, and they are fine now. Why they don't sew those starps between the layers of material, like Sportiva or Scarpa? That's the only thing to complain about these shoes for me
Confusing vapour with instinct, stiff shoes out of fashion!? No mate , they are only designed for different terrain, not sure miura can climb more than 7b!!?? What are you talking about!?
Szymon, if you look at for ex. La Sportiva and Scarpa, they've both introduced softer and softer shoes (especially Scarpa with the new Futura, Chimera etc.), which seems to be a new trend. Also, there are people climbing sport with a soft shoe and boulder with a stiffer shoe, often it's a matter of preference. I guess that's what Matt was talking about, referring to Miuras. In the end, it's only about effing shoes :P
So what size should i get the Boreal Mutant? Also, when you said "When I moved to Europe" did you mean from the UK? Thought the UK was also part of Europe and you're not out of the EU yet ;) Nice video!
Even once we leave the EU we’ll still be part of Europe but to be honest we never really properly consider ourselves part of Europe even though technically we are! Guess it’s cos we’re an island! Don’t know what size his shoe is but I’m a UK size 8 or 8.5 street shoe and my mutants were a size 7.5. Comfortable texture but still quite tight, but as a boulderer that’s not a problem!
Three shoes or three pair of shoes? xD I know what you mean though, I'm still on my first pair of shoes and I really hoped I didn't have to buy as many pairs as Matt. That would hurt my closet and my wallet. What 3 pair of shoes would you buy? 3 different styles or so?
You can seperate climbing shoes in as many use cases as you want. For example: 2 pairs of shoes, one for just outdoor climbing, one for just indoor climbing. Or one shoe at the smallest size for competitions or climbing at your limit, another pair of the same shoes a half a size bigger for training. And then there could be: Bouldering (smallest shoes possible), sports climbing, and multipitch, so a shoe you can stay in longest. Divide like you feel you need, after you climb a little longer and more diverse stuff. But you should have at least 2 Pair of climbing shoes. That you have something to climb in, if one pair is away to be resoled.
Imo as beginner climber you only need one pair. Two-Three pairs if you branch out a little, but even then it's viable to just use the same pair for everything. I used the 5.10 Team four outdoor/indoor bouldering plus outdoor/indoor sport climbing just fine.
great shoe; great rubber ; heel really nice ; toe patch could be better ,but it works ; go street size or half down if youre brave (in the synthetic street size)
I got them three months ago and really like them. As Freshman said, don't go too small, even on the leather models. A week ago, the glue between sole and upper failed on the tip of the left shoe. Brought them to the store where I bought them, they fixed it within 10 minutes and told me that they get that rather often, but it's not specific to that shoe or brand.
I prefer the 5.10 Team. The Hiangle has more weaknesses like toe hooking and smearing while the 5.10 is great in all aspects. Used both of them, would never get the Hiangle again. Unless all I'd do was indoor sport climbing.
Matt Groom oh nice! Thank you. I’m looking at a new shoe as I’ve battered mine as they were my first pair. I’m looking at getting a new pair as well they’re like I said battered and also I’m a lot better climber than I was before so looking at maybe a more technical shoe, maybe the Arpia or the VSR. Looking forward to seeing your new choices one day.
You will found la-sportiva , madrock , 5:10 , evolv etc in india... i personally using right now madrock & la sportiva cobra ( original model )... planning for la sportiva solution.. i'm from kolkata... If you're interested then msg me..
Wow can't believe it has already been 5 years since this video dropped.
Would be sweet if Matt made an updated version for 2023, if his climbing shoes collection hasn't gotten bigger.
I have 1 pair and they are pink because that’s all they had
I'm surprised you don't use the black diamond zone, they are the perfect climbing shoes
First shoe was la sporting taranclace and just got scarpa force v and I love them.
How is the toe box like for Scarpa Instinct VSR? I have wide feet and previously wore Shaman 2
What about all day multi-pitch with hanging belays etc? I mean besides and old stretched out pair...
La Sportiva Mythos. Toes are flat inside the shoes. Most comfortable climbing shoe there is. Tie the Laces, untie on top of the mountain, hours later. Never think about your shoes meanwhile.
Thanks Philipp - I just got a pair of TC Pros. Basically same idea except quite a bit stiffer than Mythos
Another flat lasted shoe is the FiveTen Stonelands VCS! Flat, surprisingly wide at the ball of the foot / toe box for a FiveTen shoe. Und it comes with the famous Stealth C4 rubber, considered by many the best allround rubber sole there is. Don't get them too big, otherweise it is too soft and floppy.
Yeah, TC Pros should be hard shoes that really support your feet. Very good for climbing and standing around on a big mountain for hours and hours.
One of Sportiva shoes I didn't get my hands on, i just read that they are not that wide, so, are a little more on the narrow end of Sportiva shoes.
What do you can tell me about that Josh? :)
or just clip your bouldering/aggressive shoes to your harness for hard pitches and wear your slippers for the rest :)
Do anyone have some good tips or advice to make your climbing shoe last longer? I've climbed with the Scarpa Instinct VS and the SO ILL "the street". I climb indoors (bouldering and sport) 3-5 days a week and both my shoes lasted no longer than 4 months.
Improve your footwork, it will make shoes lat so much longer. I blew threw my first 2 pair in a couple months each my footwork was so bad, now I normally have about lasting 6-7 months of heavy use (5-6 days a week).
I used this guide alot, my favourite drill was silent feet.
www.climbing.com/skills/training-7-simple-drills-to-improve-footwork-and-technique/
you're like the richard hammond of the climbing scene, in terms of your review style and also voice
Ben Nutley this is beyond true
What an insult haha
Matt, that cupboard must have some serious stank to it. All those climbing shoes with no ventilation!
Just letting you know Matt, the yellow and black Scarpa lace ups are the “vapor lace”, not instincts. Love the video!
Hey Matt! I know this is an old video, but do you have thoughts on Butora? Have you tried the Acro?
The "weird shape" your Miuras have taken seem to be consistent with a lot of other Miuras I've seen. I dont understand why people would want to buy a shoe that will become upturned.
I don't see a problem Matt, if anything you need more shoes! I wish people sent me shoes for free...
Lol I wear a size 10 us if you wanna get rid of some 😂
Scarpa Instinct VSR are aggressively downturned lol half a size down is tight!?
I came here to see a review of my instincts but now I need to know where you got that sweater., It’s the exact sweater I’ve been looking for. Let’s hear it, brand shout out?
Do an updated vid??
Hi Matt, what a great idea to showcase your rich knowledge of climbing shoes. It's great to have a professional that have tried such a diverse range of shoes and proved us some insights of them. Love it!
4:20 those are the old Vapour V lace. The new version of the instinct lace is still really comfortable but holds its shape a lot better. Climbing in Shaman 2s atm and miss my Scarpas a lot.
Since you're kind of an expert at being on the nerdy side of ... most things climbing, really good at filmed presentations and ... generally just a cutie, could you not just make EVERY shoe brand maker send you a pair of every shoe they make - every year - for review?
Brake it into three categories: indoor/comfy/comp style, soft smear (Font/slab) and razor edge. Pros: You need to climb a lot more to get the feel of each shoe. Cons: A little bit of work :)
don't you mean you wrecked your FLAT?!
surely theres no way all these shoes fit your feet well enough to show the true potential and performance of each shoe? they may be the 'best shoe' but if they dont fit they are no good for you for anything right?
Nice vid and heaps of great insights. What’s your thoughts on Five Ten Team 5.10? I’ve read that is pretty much the best toe hook shoe on the current market. Also magnificent for overhangs and smearing as well. If you could give me some comments that’d be much appreciated.
What kind of sweater is that? Also, are you going to make a new one of these videos since you have added to your expert shoe collection. Would appreciate one! Thanks for the content!
Correction - that shoe is not the Instinct Lace, it's the Vapor V (Lace). Other than that, good show!!!
Nofront nur you're really mit good in climbing and have tons of shoes
Moccasym all the way baby, for every type of climb (if it doesn't involve too much heel hooks)!
thanks to your review i just bought the mutant and an extra set of quick draws at the epic tv shop and additionally saved about 40 euros when compared to bigger online shops here out in germany.
Lmao and here I am climbing with friends who can only afford to wear their running shoes when we go. :(
We need an updated version of this vlog.
Matt, I wonder about the complete different wideness of your shoes. The Miura Lace / Miura XX (twenty) is very narrow, whereas Scarpa Instinct VS & VSR are one of the widest (ball of the foot) climbing shoes out there. How can they all fit you equally well??
Hi! I'm not Matt but I have Miura XX and Scarpa Vapor V, some years ago I also bought a couple of Scarpa Instinct. The Miura lace has a normal fit (not "very narrow") and the velcro version fits perfect for wide foot. So if you feel good with a Miura lace, probably you could feel very comfort with Scarpa vapor, in fact Matt said Vapor lace are the most comfort shoes that he has bought.
could you not just receive free shoes then sell them or give them to me ;)
No Black Diamond shoes? Are they that much behind all these shoes you've shown?
Hi, They hadn't actually been released when I shot this video. I've got some pairs now :)
11:45 Well great review of the Five Ten Hiangle 😂 Anyone else thoughts on them?
The Hiangle is a beast of a shoe. Besides the Team, I think it’s the best for toe/heel hooking, but it also has superb edging performance. I will say that the rubber isn’t soft by any means, but it gets soft enough to smear on slabs. The men’s model is a bit better for wide feet, so if you have an incredibly low volume, narrow foot go with the women’s version.
Just bought them to try them out after destroying my 5.10 Team due to heavy use the past half year. Didn't climb in them yet, but from what I tried they're much more comfortable than the Team. Also much stiffer so I do not expect to be able to toehook even remotely as good - but I also got a fresh pair of Teams for toehook problems. I'm really looking forward to the edging performance. I except the Hiangle to do much better in that regard.
Used them now. The 5.10 Team is strictly better, imo. Unless all I'd do is indoor sport climbing. The Hiangle is worse for toe-hooking and smearing, making the 5.10 Team superior as those don't have such weaknesses in any regard.
Chris, maybe you are one of the lighter climbers. The HiAngle is pretty much the same as the Team Black, just made out of leather, + a midsole in the front of the shoe which makes it much more supportive and a weapon for edging, and a imho better heel. Team heel is too deep, HiAngle (2016, grey/aqua, 0.5 UK down from street size) heel fits my heel best of all climbing shoes. For example, basically ALL Sportiva heels are too big for me, no matter how small the size i try (and crazy stupid tight i squeeze my feet into them).
The stiffer the shoe, the more weight you need to apply to make the downturn flat, to get the most contact area between the rubber of the outsole and the underground.
Ergo, for smearing, you need a softer shoe, the lighter you are (or the shoe in a bigger size, same for toe hooks), or, more weight if the downturned shoe is stiffer.
The HiAngle is so common in comp climbing and much more used than Team, so they can't be that bad as you describe them.
I'm not saying that you are not right, in fact i believe you and it is logical (to me), but the differences are maybe not so big as someone would believe after reading you post.
For me, I prefer the HiAngles. Teams are so soft, I can't use that advantage. If I would climg only roofs, then the Team, or even the Team VXi would be the weapon of choice, who knows.
But for me, a climber of 84kg i would have to get the Teams as crazy small as pissible to stand on tiny footholds. But for standing on tiny footholds on vertical walls or slight Overhands, I use stiff shoes, like the Miura VS or the Otaki. The HiAngle is my indoor comp climbing shoe (sport and boulder) and the choice for the hardest possible stuff. The C4 sole fades away rather quickly indoors, and i would claim to have quite good footwork. But indoor + my weight, lets the C4 melt away on these shoes.
Just the straps on the heel to put the shoes on, are sewed onto the shoe material last, so, you maybe feel the stitching on the heels. And it gets worse with use, as the corners of the straps inside the shoe become peaks after few times in and out of the shoes, may hurt you! Very annoying!! I used as raps for those edges, and they are fine now. Why they don't sew those starps between the layers of material, like Sportiva or Scarpa?
That's the only thing to complain about these shoes for me
Will you or epictv review the new scarpa furia s?
Can yo send me shoe you dont like?
Confusing vapour with instinct, stiff shoes out of fashion!? No mate , they are only designed for different terrain, not sure miura can climb more than 7b!!?? What are you talking about!?
Szymon Dziukiewicz I never knew my shoes could climb a 7b must be pretty good lol
Szymon, if you look at for ex. La Sportiva and Scarpa, they've both introduced softer and softer shoes (especially Scarpa with the new Futura, Chimera etc.), which seems to be a new trend. Also, there are people climbing sport with a soft shoe and boulder with a stiffer shoe, often it's a matter of preference. I guess that's what Matt was talking about, referring to Miuras. In the end, it's only about effing shoes :P
Why does he have a hat on indoors?
So what size should i get the Boreal Mutant?
Also, when you said "When I moved to Europe" did you mean from the UK? Thought the UK was also part of Europe and you're not out of the EU yet ;)
Nice video!
ie. What size are yours
Even once we leave the EU we’ll still be part of Europe but to be honest we never really properly consider ourselves part of Europe even though technically we are! Guess it’s cos we’re an island!
Don’t know what size his shoe is but I’m a UK size 8 or 8.5 street shoe and my mutants were a size 7.5. Comfortable texture but still quite tight, but as a boulderer that’s not a problem!
Thanks carlosKH13! :)
Should I expect needing to buy that many shoes myself if I become a climber? :O
Three shoes or three pair of shoes? xD
I know what you mean though, I'm still on my first pair of shoes and I really hoped I didn't have to buy as many pairs as Matt. That would hurt my closet and my wallet.
What 3 pair of shoes would you buy? 3 different styles or so?
You can seperate climbing shoes in as many use cases as you want. For example: 2 pairs of shoes, one for just outdoor climbing, one for just indoor climbing.
Or one shoe at the smallest size for competitions or climbing at your limit, another pair of the same shoes a half a size bigger for training.
And then there could be: Bouldering (smallest shoes possible), sports climbing, and multipitch, so a shoe you can stay in longest.
Divide like you feel you need, after you climb a little longer and more diverse stuff.
But you should have at least 2 Pair of climbing shoes. That you have something to climb in, if one pair is away to be resoled.
Imo as beginner climber you only need one pair. Two-Three pairs if you branch out a little, but even then it's viable to just use the same pair for everything. I used the 5.10 Team four outdoor/indoor bouldering plus outdoor/indoor sport climbing just fine.
Matt, is there a reason why you haven't used your higangle? I want them but i want to know someone elses opinion. :)
great shoe; great rubber ; heel really nice ; toe patch could be better ,but it works ; go street size or half down if youre brave (in the synthetic street size)
Thanks so much, I guess I'll give them a shot.
I got them three months ago and really like them. As Freshman said, don't go too small, even on the leather models. A week ago, the glue between sole and upper failed on the tip of the left shoe. Brought them to the store where I bought them, they fixed it within 10 minutes and told me that they get that rather often, but it's not specific to that shoe or brand.
I prefer the 5.10 Team. The Hiangle has more weaknesses like toe hooking and smearing while the 5.10 is great in all aspects. Used both of them, would never get the Hiangle again. Unless all I'd do was indoor sport climbing.
I have been climbing the drones for a while now, was never a mad rock fan but I'm in love now!
Please can we get an updated shoe update?
Yup! Good idea :)
Matt Groom oh nice! Thank you. I’m looking at a new shoe as I’ve battered mine as they were my first pair. I’m looking at getting a new pair as well they’re like I said battered and also I’m a lot better climber than I was before so looking at maybe a more technical shoe, maybe the Arpia or the VSR. Looking forward to seeing your new choices one day.
@@mattgroom5179 Madrock Drone. Done.
Give away
Would you really want someones worn in shoes? Have you smelled your own shoes let alone someone else? (No Offence Matt)
as they are not available in india, so i hope you can donate
ik watched it my whole childhood
You will found la-sportiva , madrock , 5:10 , evolv etc in india... i personally using right now madrock & la sportiva cobra ( original model )... planning for la sportiva solution.. i'm from kolkata... If you're interested then msg me..
Cool video but man how unfair is life... Climbing shoes are so expensive!! Struggling to afford one pair and you complain about having too many!... 😜
no solution no like!:D