Rock shoes have evolved light-years since the early days of the 1980s, when there was just one option: board-lasted high-top boots. Today shoes for the sport come in so many flavors, with new models being developed every year, that it takes concerted research to find the niche rock shoes you want. Not to worry, though: we did the work for you, and here present the most interesting, highest-performing climbing shoes of 2023.

The Winners at a Glance

Editor鈥檚 Choice: Scarpa Vapor S

Butora Gomi

Black Diamond Aspect Pro

Black Diamond Method S

Five Ten NIAD VCS

La Sportiva Katana Lace

La Sportiva Skwama Vegan

Red Chili Voltage LV

Scarpa Quantix SF

Tenaya Indalo

How We Test

Number of Testers: 10

Number of Shoes Tested: 16

Number of Vertical Feet Sent: 40,000-plus

Lowest Grades Climbed: 5.6, V0

Highest Grades Climbed: 5.14a sport, 5.12 trad, V10

Most Accessible Testing Venue: A backyard garage gym with a side-by-side MoonBoard and Tension board

Least Accessible Testing Venue: Bugaboo Mountains, British Columbia

Number of Times Our Lead Tester Threw His Shoes at the Rock Because He鈥檇 Punted on His Project Yet Again: At least once鈥攎aybe more (but who鈥檚 counting?)

Our climbing-shoe philosophy rests on two pillars. First: consider each shoe鈥檚 stated niche, and test it on the appropriate terrain. Second: take each shoe outside its comfort zone, to see if it has any surprise attributes. We also emphasize testing each model on as many climbs as possible, both to generate the most thorough feedback and to break in the shoe to see how it really performs. (Any reviewer who offers an opinion after a few gym sessions is full of it.) Testers will also climb the same route or problem repeatedly in different pairs, to see how the shoes stack up against each other on the same footholds and sequences.

This year, ten testers (including myself)鈥攁ll experienced climbers ranging in age from their twenties to their fifties鈥攃onsidered 16 new (and newish) rock shoes, and narrowed our final selection down to ten. We tested on routes between 5.6 and 5.14; we tested at the climbing gym, on outdoor sport routes and boulder problems, and on MoonBoards, Tension boards, and Kilter boards; and we tested on trad climbs, sport climbs, and multi-pitch alpine rock climbs. Our crew covered almost all rock types鈥攕andstone, limestone, granite, basalt鈥攐n everything from slabs to caves, and on cliffs in British Columbia, Colorado, California, New Mexico, Utah, and Kentucky.

The main factors we considered were fit, break-in period, comfort, precision, edging, smearing, hooking, scumming, and jamming. We also considered durability鈥攈ow well a shoe holds its structure and last after heavy use. (Does it stay pointy, precise, and sharp, or does it 鈥渟lop out鈥� too quickly? Are the uppers and other components still intact?)

In this list, we kept the focus on intermediate and advanced climbing shoes, which are typically priced around $150 (but can run into the $200 range) and built for high performance. There is such a glut of undifferentiated, entry-level shoes on the market that it didn鈥檛 make sense to consider them in this review鈥攁nd, to be honest, even newer climbers might do well to consider higher-end offerings after their initial months in the sport, to see what precision footwear is all about as their foot muscles strengthen.

Meet Our Lead Tester

Matt Samet, the former editor of Climbing, has been an avid rock climber since the mid-1980s, the era of high-top Fir茅 rock shoes. He lives in Boulder, Colorado, where he primarily sport-climbs, boulders, and trains on his home wall, and has been testing climbing gear for more than 20 years. The Climbing staff (Delaney Miller, Steve Potter, and Anthony Walsh) were also key testers for this review, as were husband-wife duo Chris and Heather Weidner, who are also based in Boulder and boast decades of climbing experience, as well as a shared hardest redpoint: Stockboy鈥檚 Revenge, a 5.14b in Rifle, Colorado.

The Reviews: The Best Climbing Shoes of 2023

Editor鈥檚 Choice: Scarpa Vapor S ($229)

Weight: 8.3 oz
Pros:

>Insane sensitivity
>A vacuum fit and lots of rubber make for epic steep-rock footwork (hooking, grabbing, and scumming)
>Zero dead space

Cons:

>Squishiness and asymmetry can be distracting on slabbier terrain

Don鈥檛 let the low-key aesthetic fool you: the Vapor S is a powerful, muscular slipper. The key is a sticky, full-length XS Grip 2 outsole married with a surprisingly flat last and touch of asymmetry that curls your big toes inward like talons. None of these attributes alone scream high performance, but consider them alongside the shoe鈥檚 overall flexibility, glove-like fit, gummy M50 rubber over the toe box, semi-stiff heel cup, and a low-profile, rounded toe that deforms preternaturally into tiny pockets, slots, and thin cracks. The collective result is one fierce steep-rock beast. Like a total beast, the kind you can maneuver into subtle heel-toe cams that would feel clunky in any other shoe. For a slipper, the Vapor S is also surprisingly versatile, as Heather Weidner can attest: 鈥淚 was very impressed with the ability to toe in on small edges on more vertical terrain, as well as smear on slopey, sandy feet, but was also able to pull and grab on steep footholds.鈥� Personally, I had the best gym session of my life in these shoes: I couldn鈥檛 get them to slip, whether on jibs or slopers, and I felt everything underfoot. Ditto on Red River Gorge cave climbs, where this shoe dug into the holds but offered just enough heft to see me through edging (smedging!) cruxes on the slabbier outros. The removable Nano Strap closure system looks nice, and I always ratcheted it down, yet it doesn鈥檛 seem to do much more than help angle your toes slightly one way or another.

Bottom Line: The Vapor S is for slipper aficionados who gravitate toward bouldering, gym climbing, and sport climbing. It鈥檚 pricey, yes, but all the elements are done right, and the shoe conforms to the foot like a second skin.

Butora Gomi ($160)

Weight (all weights listed are per shoe): 8 oz
Pros:

>Soft, intuitive, socklike fit makes for a quick break-in
>Regular version accommodates wide feet
>Excellent 鈥渁ll-shoe鈥� sensitivity鈥攇ood feedback in the toe box, heel, and scumming patch

Cons:

>Neo Fuse rubber felt squishy for long sport pitches, especially when sustained edging was involved

This nearly all-rubber boot had some of the best all-shoe feedback of the test. Translation: it鈥檚 sensitive everywhere, from the toe box to the heel cup to the scumming patch. (Most rock shoes only offer supreme sensitivity in one or two of these spots.) One tester confirmed this on a modern-style gym problem that involved rocking over a sloping jib screwed onto the side of a triangular volume. The hold was angled in such a way that you could only drop your heel鈥攏ot toe鈥攐nto it. The Gomi did better than just about all the other shoes I tried on this problem, mainly because I could feel the jib through the molded heel cup and thus trusted the shoes on this bizarre move. Ditto for scumming and toeing into tiny jibs on gym boulders and overhanging rock. The socklike fit and tensioned Power Rand drive you down into the big toe, despite the Gomi鈥檚 merely mild downturn, offering an almost prehensile grip. On the flip side, this pair of shoes is not incredibly supportive, so I experienced some calf fatigue and squish on longer edging pitches, and the toe is a bit too rounded for micro crimps. That said, as a bouldering or sport-crossover shoe fit for wide dogs, the Gomi is one of the better, friendlier-priced options out there.

Bottom Line: This is a well-rounded boulderer-friendly shoe that also crosses over into sport climbing鈥攅specially steeps.

Black Diamond Aspect Pro ($200)

Weight: 10.6 oz
Pros:

>One of the kinder fits for a performance trad shoe
>Solid long-term comfort and incredible stability at stances
>Narrow toe profile great in cracks
>Thick, sticky Fuse rubber outsole was grippy on slabs

Cons:

>Toe box could be sharper, for better precision
>Lace eyelets caused foot pain in deep jams

We began by testing this shoe on a mixed bolt-and-gear granite slab with a strange, leaning, flaring crack, followed by thin nubbin stepping and faith smearing鈥攅xactly the type of climb it鈥檚 designed for. The big news here is that the Aspect Pro has such a kind, cushy microsuede footbed, and a softer demeanor than similar trad shoes, that it performed amazingly out of the box, needing almost no break-in period. On its inaugural voyage, the shoe felt grippy and reliable鈥攁nd even had a dash of sensitivity, despite the full-length bilayer midsole. On smears, one tester found himself enjoying the Fuse rubber鈥攁 kind of thick, softer outsole that wouldn鈥檛 usually be my jam. It deformed nicely to rugosities in the rock. At 21.1 ounces, a pair of Aspect Pros is heavy, but in exchange you get stability and calf support, priceless for stances where you鈥檙e fighting calf fatigue while hunting for protection. The leather footbed promises long-haul comfort, bolstered by a sweat-wicking, knit tongue and thick, ropy laces that hold tension well, ensuring a dialed fit. However, tester Chris Weidner noticed a painful pressure point on the overhanging 5.10+ hand crack of Beach Buzz in Indian Creek, Utah. 鈥淎fter lowering and taking off the shoe, I realized that the combination of small lace coverings over such thick laces caused a single point of lace to be jammed against the crack, and thus also against my foot,鈥� he noted. He did like the narrow toe profile, which shone while climbing Hail of a Beach, a baggy-fingers, thin-hands 5.11- crack also at Indian Creek. 鈥淚 could stuff the tiptoe into the crack, twist, and stand on it reliably,鈥� he noted.

Bottom Line: The Aspect Pro is a great option for trad and multi-pitch climbers seeking stability for long leads and mid-ankle coverage for cracks but favor a soft feel with greater emphasis on smearing than edging.

Black Diamond Method S ($144.95)

Weight: 8.8 oz
Pros:

>Comfortable fit, even when sized tightly, making for great bouldering-session wear
>Designed with a soft, pliable last that鈥檚 ideal for smearing, steeps with big footholds, and volume climbing
>Eye-catching camouflage aesthetic

Cons:

>Some bagginess over the forefoot hampered toe-scumming performance
>Black Label Fuse outsole feels too thick for a performance slipper

A softer sibling to Black Diamond鈥檚 all-arounder, the Method, the Method S is an ideal comfort shoe for long gym sessions and steep routes, thanks to its mild downturn and cozy footbed. It鈥檚 also one of the flashier shoes on the market: both the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 versions sport a camouflage heel cup and tension rand that tend to be conversation starters with others. Two testers felt the Method S was great for grabbing extruded footholds on gym boulders and board climbs. 鈥淚 was surprised by how well this shoe toes in on MoonBoard plastic and Tension board wood,鈥� noted tester Chris Weidner. The shoe is sensitive (reason: the Soft Flex midsole is 0.9 millimeters thick, comprised of a small horseshoe in the toe box), making it a choice pick for smearing and steep grabbing. And it鈥檇 be even more so if the outsole wasn鈥檛 so thick鈥攁n odd choice for a slipper. (This issue that resolves over time, as you grind the sole down.) The sensitive squish means almost nonexistent edging performance, so you have to learn to toe in to holds, not on to them. Testers noted there鈥檚 no break-in period, and the shoes held up well, minus some minor toe flattening. My major complaint was that the scumming patch was baggy (albeit amply sized and nicely ridged). On a double-toe-hook parkour move, I slid down before the shoe caught. Though it did eventually snag, and I did send the problem.

Bottom Line: The Method S is the shoe for gym boulderers, board climbers, and cave boulderers who appreciate sensitivity married with a soft fit for long-session wear. It鈥檚 also adapted for smearing and big footholds, resulting in a solid steep-rock shoe that鈥檚 simply fun to climb in.

Five Ten NIAD VCS ($150)

Weight: 9.5 oz (men鈥檚) / 8.5 oz (women鈥檚)
Pros:

>A very stiff, precise toe (though surprisingly rounded) allows for edging and micro-edging support
>Sticky 3.5-millimeter Stealth outsole yields surprisingly good smearing for a shoe with a full-length midsole

Cons:

>The flat last coupled with dead space midfoot hampered a precision fit

Five Ten鈥檚 Anasazi line has enjoyed a cult following since the 1990s. The NIAD family鈥擫ace, Moccasym, and the VCS鈥攊s a reimagining of that line. The VCS is the most well-rounded of the three options, occupying middle ground between the stiffer Lace and the softer Moccasym. It鈥檚 a beast of an edging shoe, with the kind of old-school support (read: a flat last coupled with a full-length, two-millimeter midsole) and precision you want on long, vertical face climbs and trad pitches. 鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 climbed in Eldorado Canyon for a couple years, and I鈥檓 always surprised at how small the toe edges are and how much you have to trust your feet,鈥� said tester Heather Weidner of the Colorado hot spot. 鈥淚n the NIAD VCS, I was able to be precise in my toe placements. The stiffness of the toe edge made it easy to weight my feet without too much calf pump on vertical, technical terrain.鈥� Another tester, Yosemite local Chris Van Leuven, described the toe as 鈥渃hiseled,鈥� and commented on how well it let him lay the shoe against offset seams but also stand on micro edges and granite nubbins. For such a stiff shoe, it offers quite decent smearing performance, thanks to 眉ber-grippy Stealth C4 rubber. As with so many Five Tens, these shoes are better for long, narrow feet, although the toe box is more rounded than, say, the brand鈥檚 Hiangle. Weidner, who is flat-footed, experienced dead space midfoot and had trouble eliminating it with the straps. 鈥淭he flaps under the Velcro need to be arranged perfectly while buckling, which I found annoying, especially on multi-pitch climbs where you take your shoes off and on constantly and have many other logistics to think about,鈥� she said.

Bottom Line: This option is perfect for climbers who tend toward old-school edging, as well as mixed and traditional pitches, and who value support over sensitivity. The fit is geared more for flat, narrow feet, though it鈥檒l accommodate wider feet after break-in.

La Sportiva Katana Lace ($219)

Weight: 8.8 oz (men鈥檚) / 7.5 oz (women鈥檚)
Pros:

>Offers extreme precision for edging and micro-edging
>A long toe box and laser-cut sole promote access to thin cracks, pin scars, and seams that elude other shoes

Cons:

>Very stiff: smearing takes real trust and visual inspection of the foothold

The Katana Lace is among the highest-performing all-around and thin-face shoes on the market, overbuilt for durability, support, and performance in that unique Italian way. Trad aficionado Clayton Laramie wore them to flash his hardest climb ever, a 5.12c gently overhanging a mixed-face-and-seam route in the Tan Corridor of Colorado鈥檚 Staunton State Park, about an hour south of his home in Boulder. 鈥淚 love this shoe,鈥� he said afterward. 鈥淚t鈥檚 my personal favorite for hard trad and vertical face.鈥� Meanwhile, Climbing鈥檚 digital editor, Anthony Walsh, lauded the thin toe profile. 鈥淏oth vertically and horizontally, It provided unparalleled access to thin cracks and a ton of precision,鈥� he said. Walsh said the shoe shone on Zap Crack, a 5.12+ crack line in Squamish, British Columbia, where the crux centers on two parallel, left-leaning seams: a right-hand seam that takes 0.1 cams and a toe jam and left-hand offset seam that you crimp. 鈥淭he Katana was the only shoe that could meaningfully jam the right seam while my left foot edged hard on granite chips,鈥� he said. The key with such a long, thin toe is that it鈥檚 also supportive, with no flex. The Katana held its rigidity and shape over months of testing, in part due to the full-length 1.1-millimeter midsole. On the downside, even after breaking these in, the shoes remained stiff, and you often had to take smears on trust, visually confirming your foot placement. For me, the low-volume women鈥檚 version, with its four-millimeter XS Grip 2 half-sole (versus the men鈥檚 full-length four-millimeter XS Edge sole), climbed much better; its deliberately inbuilt flex and softer outsole rubber render greater versatility while still keeping the precision toe.

Bottom Line: Need a stellar precision shoe for thin face climbs (pockets and micro-edging) and thin crack routes? The Katana Lace is it and will especially appeal to anyone who prefers long, narrow, supportive toe boxes.

La Sportiva Skwama Vegan ($199)

Weight: 8.1 oz (men鈥檚) / 7.1 oz (women鈥檚)
Pros:

>A new vegan option for what鈥檚 a proven, high-performance slipper
>Versatile
>Extremely sensitive
>Perhaps La Sportiva鈥檚 most forgiving last for wide feet

Cons:

>Break-in takes time and patience

The Skwama has a huge fan base for a reason: it鈥檚 a high-torque, highly sensitive slipper that gets the job done鈥攁nd done well鈥攐n just about any terrain, even the slabby stuff. The downturned last drove energy into the forefoot. The XS Grip 2 outsole and pointy toe provided stick and bite on tiny holds, especially bouldery steeps. The bulbous, geometrically patterned heel held its own in stiff hooks鈥攁r锚tes and heel-toe cams鈥攂ut also deformed for technical hooks on crimps and rails while bouldering. This shoe dominated on everything from the 40-degree MoonBoard to a gently overhanging pocket climb called Triple Sec, 5.12d in Kentucky鈥檚 Red River Gorge that involves precision high steps into tiny pockets and smeary feet. The synthetic upper stretches less than leather and complements what La Sportiva calls its SkinLike insole: an interior 0.6-millimeter odor-reducing microfiber layer that鈥檚 adhered to a 1.6-millimeter microfiber upper. These shoes may feel a little squishy to some, especially climbers who haven鈥檛 yet developed strong slipper feet, and they aren鈥檛 great for endless edging routes. But for everything else, the feedback married with power is 100 percent on point.

Bottom Line: Designed for advanced climbers with strong feet, the Skwama Vegan is ideal for those who value feedback, a high-torque fit, and are consciously looking for a shoe with a synthetic upper for ethical or fit reasons (or both).

Red Chili Voltage LV ($180)

Weight: 8.3 oz
Pros:

>A forgiving fit and stretchy elastic tongue meant almost no break-in period
>High marks across the board for smearing, edging, hooking, and grabbing

Cons:

>The uppers and closure system need better integration, to increase tension down into the big toe

Made by a small European brand not often seen in the U.S, the Voltage has long been a sleeper classic. It鈥檚 one of the friendliest downturned shoes available, with a low-key fit that鈥檚 good for steep-rock neophytes, a precise and supportive toe, and a suction heel. Now it comes in a low-volume (LV) version for narrow feet. Our LV tester, Scottie Alexander, mostly bouldered in this new shoe. He praised its precision toe, giving it an eight out of ten on technical demands presented by fussy sandstone and quartzite boulder problems, a seven out of ten for edging, and an eight out of ten for grabbing and smearing. 鈥淭his shoe gets the soft-versus-edging balance as close to optimal as any shoe I鈥檝e worn, and it does so out of the box,鈥� he noted. However, Alexander thought the soft uppers and orange knit tongue were too flimsy to properly impart tension from the double-Velcro-closure straps (especially the upper one, which he felt was misaligned with the plastic eyelet). Red Chili either needs to stiffen the uppers or remove the straps altogether and recast the shoe as a slipper. On the other hand, my wide feet felt happily snug in the regular Voltage, which features a socklike upper and stretchy knit tongue.

Bottom Line: The Voltage LV is a good steep-climbing and bouldering quiver for narrow-footed climbers determined to enjoy a more comfortable fit.

Scarpa Quantix SF ($189)

Weight: 8.1 oz
Pros:

>Extremely precise toe box held both shape and bite over months of use
>The combination of a stiff forefoot with overall flexibility and a soft PAF heel made this shoe a jack-of-all-trades
>A precision all-arounder, marked by its light weight

Cons:

>Pumpkin-orange color may not be for everybody
>Toe-hooking patch is so small that it鈥檚 nearly nonfunctional

The most remarkable thing about the Quantix SF is how much precision you get for such a light, low-key shoe. 颁濒颈尘产颈苍驳鈥檚 digital editor, Steve Potter, concurred鈥攚e both gave the Quantix SF a perfect ten for edging, thanks to a sharp, pointy toe box that digs into micros. However, unlike other precision masters (say, the brand鈥檚 Boostic), the Quantix SF is not overbuilt. The forefoot is stiff鈥攄espite having a gummy XS Grip 2 outsole鈥攂ut the rest of the shoe is super malleable, so you can drop your heels to vary your angle of contact with the rock. It was superb at toeing incuts on a steep wall, particularly when using low feet, yet also solid on slabbier edging. Potter put this versatility to good use on a granite V7 block in the Adirondacks that started with overhanging smears, compression, and heel hooks, finishing on a tech-nine slab that required a pistol squat on a slanting three-quarter-inch edge. The Quantix SF 鈥渂ends enough to allow you to stand on your toes without the surface of the shoe changing its alignment on the foothold,鈥� he said. My ultimate test was a 50-meter lead at Staunton State Park. The bottom half was slabby 5.10, while the top half required precision edging鈥攚ith all that rope weight dragging you down. On the upper crux, the shoe flexed as it was meant to, but stayed locked in on the tiny holds nonetheless. Two dings, in my opinion: the toe-hooking patch is just a thin strip, so you don鈥檛 get much stickum, and the toe box鈥檚 beak-like shape means toe hooks hurt.

Bottom Line: The Quantix SF is a sleek, airy, low-profile best friend for sport climbers, boulderers who climb like sport climbers (or cross over into sport climbing), and anyone attempting hard trad.

Tenaya Indalo ($215)

Weight: 11.3 oz
Pros:

>Well-balanced and precise forefoot structure locks in on small holds
>Forgiving fit for a performance shoe
>Sets up great grabbing, overhanging edging, and smearing, thanks to the XS Grip half sole
>Molded heel cup excels at hooking

Cons:

>Toggles on Draxtor closure system are hard to adjust, due to small components

Like the La Sportiva Solution, the Tenaya Indalo is a downturned, slightly asymmetrical, semi-stiff quiver and bouldering shoe that scored good to great on just about everything. As someone with wide, high-volume feet, I was initially skeptical about the Indalo. It鈥檚 a pointy shoe, and I figured I鈥檇 have to contend with dead space in the toe. But Tenaya nailed it this time, building just enough softness into the microfiber upper and lateral stretch on the bilayer perforated tongue so wide feet can spread out and fill the toe box. The Indalo shone on a hyper-techy, gently overhanging granite project at a secret crag near Estes Park, Colorado, which I ultimately sent in this shoe, after a month; I was able to dig into the smallest divots and micro-edges (the dual-construction double midsole鈥攁 0.5-millimeter textile-and-thermoplastic layer superimposed on a braided-polypropylene layer鈥攊s just stiff enough) but also toe down and grab sloping footholds. Yes, the toe box is long, but it鈥檚 also just the right amount of heavy, and the feedback was off the charts. I also dug the thermally-molded heel cup and its full-wrap rubber panels, which kept me locked in around ar锚tes and on bouldery moves. Tester Anthony Walsh appreciated the stretchy, thin-mesh tongue for hot gym sessions, and he noted that the vegan material 鈥渄idn鈥檛 tear or fray despite yarding on them far too hard a couple times.鈥� My single complaint is that the Draxtor closure system, while highly effective at letting you customize fit, is hard to adjust with fat or pumped fingers.

Bottom Line: This is an amazing, quiver-of-one shoe for sport climbers who lean toward technical, gently overhanging routes and mega-steeps. It鈥檚 a bit soft for dead-vertical edging-fests, but still has enough big-toe bite to squeak by on spots of slabbier terrain.

How to Buy

With brands offering so many rock shoes, including 鈥渇amilies鈥� of shoes (lace, Velcro, and slippers all built on the same last), it can feel overwhelming to pick out a new pair. Really, there are no wrong answers; only the wrong fit or the wrong shoe for the wrong job. Here are some parameters to help refine your search.

Intended Use

This is a big one, with two facets: you should know both how you intend to use the rock shoe and what the brand鈥檚 intended use was when they designed it. These don鈥檛 necessarily need to match up, but it鈥檚 better when they do. First consider what you want the shoes to do for you, then take a look at the product information to see where there鈥檚 overlap. Rock shoes are super niche these days; shop accordingly.

Gym Bouldering and Board Training (Moonboard, Tension Board, Kilter Board, Grasshopper Board, Etc.)

For gym bouldering or board sessions where you鈥檙e frequently removing your shoes, you want a slipper or a Velcro-closure shoe that makes for easy on/off. You鈥檒l also want a versatile shoe that performs both on radical steeps and for volume smearing on comp-style problems. To that end, look at soft shoes with only a mild downturn; you need jib-standing power, but you鈥檒l mainly be smearing, hooking, scumming, and glomming, whether it鈥檚 on the holds or the actual wall surface.

Gym Lead Climbing

It鈥檚 rare to see people wearing lace-ups in the gym, as they鈥檙e often too stiff and too cumbersome to take on and off frequently. Instead, you want a softish, jack-of-all-trades performance shoe, usually a slipper or Velcro version that鈥檚 one notch stiffer than your gym-bouldering shoe. A semi-stiff all-arounder gives you options on your gym鈥檚 lead terrain, which typically varies from vertical to very overhanging. Some climbers like shoes they can keep on for the duration of their session, and there are now purpose-built models for exactly these scenarios (including the ).

Performance Sport Climbing

This is likely the largest category on the market, with each brand offering multiple options. Sport climbs come in all flavors, from radical cave ascents on tufas to techy granite faces and ar锚tes to pocketed limestone. Consider where you鈥檒l be climbing frequently. What attributes do you need the most? A pointy toe for micro-divots and pockets? A neutral (i.e., not downturned) last and a stiff outsole for performance on vert and slab? A slight downturn and medium-sticky rubber for grabbing power on semi steeps? Major downturn, radical asymmetry, and squishy rubber for cave climbs? Or are you looking for a 鈥渜uiver of one,鈥� pretty good at all disciplines and/or able to excel in just one or two?

Bouldering

There are countless high-end bouldering shoes out there. Most are designed to encase the foot in rubber, for fluency with futuristic, non-big-toe-focused moves like heel-toe cams and toe scums. These tend to have an aggressive fit鈥攁n asymmetrical 鈥渂anana鈥� shape and a radical downturn鈥攖o help you bite into small holds on overhanging terrain. They are not meant for edging-intensive climbs or long-duration wear.

Trad Climbing/All-Around

In general, these shoes are flat-lasted so your feet and toes sit in a more neutral, less activated position, for the longer-term comfort you鈥檒l need on traditional and multi-pitch climbs. Trad shoes are meant to be stiff and supportive, so that the small muscles in your feet and calves don鈥檛 fatigue on long, vertical leads. Trad shoes will also often have higher heel cuffs or ankle protection, for wider cracks. They can be very precise, but will typically lack flexibility and sensitivity.

Fit and Break-In Period

Fit is personal and varies from shoe to shoe and genre to genre. If I really love a particular shoe, I may even buy two different sizes: a looser, more forgiving fit for warm-ups, long pitches, multi-pitch climbs, and gym sessions; and a tighter pair for sport climbs and boulder problems at my limit鈥攕hort-duration wear. Here are a few rules of thumb.

Go by Volume

Some brands make shoes that favor wide feet, and some that favor narrow feet. So you may discover that some shoes just work better for you. That said, many climbing shoes now come in regular and low-volume (LV) models, or may be labeled as men鈥檚 or women鈥檚 versions (women鈥檚 fit usually translates to LV). It pays to try on both options. There may also be a difference in midsole support between the two: a thinner or half midsole for lighter climbers (often marketed to women), and a stiffer, full-length one for heavier climbers.

Know How Brands Size Their Shoes

Some brands design their shoes to correlate with your street-shoe size; others design them to be sized down. Check the manufacturers鈥� websites, or go to a shoe demo or retail store, before you commit. For my wide, high-volume feet (street size ten), I鈥檝e figured out the corresponding size by brand, which may help you on your search:

Black Diamond: 9.5

Butora: 9.5

Evolv: 10

Five Ten: 10

La Sportiva: European 40.5 or 41

Mad Rock: 9

Red Chili: 9.5

Scarpa: European 41-42, roughly two to four European sizes off street shoe size

Tenaya: European 41

Unparallel: 10

Again, these are just rough guestimates, but after intensive shoe testing for the past 15 or so years, they continue to serve me well.

For women鈥檚 sizing, I asked Heather Weidner, who wears a women鈥檚 street-shoe size eight (equivalent to a European size 39). For the sizes she鈥檚 sure of, she said:

La Sportiva: 37.5

Five Ten: 39

Scarpa: 39

Recognize the Right Fit

You never want your climbing shoes to fit so tightly that you immediately lose circulation鈥攏ot even during break-in. In a shoe that fits perfectly, your big toe will sit flat or slightly curled at the very tip of the toe box, and your heel will slide all the way into the heel cup. If your big toe or other toes are so curled that you can barely weight the shoe, or if your heel doesn鈥檛 drop down fully into the pocket, the shoes are too tight. At the same time, you don鈥檛 want loose or baggy shoes, except maybe for warming up and long gym sessions. If a shoe is too comfortable out of the gate, it鈥檚 likely too big and will slip on smaller holds, especially as the shoes stretch. Most synthetic shoes only stretch a little (to become a quarter size larger), while those with leather uppers can stretch up to a half size, so take that into account when making your purchase. Finally, with performance sport and bouldering shoes, listen for a vacuum whoosh noise when you put them on鈥攖hat signifies a good, conforming fit.

Don鈥檛 Skimp on the Break-In Period

Some models鈥攅specially high-performance shoes that run $200 and up, with their numerous sewn panels, special materials, and tension rands鈥攁re meant to have a long break-in period. Most performance shoes come with plastic sheets, to facilitate sliding tight, new shoes on over your heels. (You can even climb with the plastic hanging out the back. does it!) I鈥檒l usually wear a tight pair at home (including the plastic sheets) for a night or two in front of the TV, then do a few gym sessions in them, then finally take them on the rock when they鈥檙e more pliable and better shaped to my feet.

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Climbing shoes are your direct link to the cliff and thus the most important part of your gear arsenal. Rock shoes have become highly specialized, ranging from aggressively downturned for steep sport projects听 to stiff and burly for big-wall climbs. A good pair is expensive, but today鈥檚 high-end shoes will stand up to multiple resoles, making them a good investment in your sending future. Here are the best, most innovative new shoes on the market.

Unparallel Duel ($120)

Best for the Gym

It was designed for Olympic speed climbing, but this soft, sensitive flat also makes a stellar gym trainer. Reason: it鈥檚 comfortable enough to wear for hours on end. The pliable build excels on slabs, though the 4.2-millimeter sole is a bit too soft to weather regular abuse on real rock. (unisex 3鈥�13)

La Sportiva TC Pro ($199)

Best for Trad and Big Walls

With input from Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold, the latest TC Pro is built for the long haul, thanks to a single-piece rand (less chance of delamination over time) that extends higher up the foot for increased protection, and reinforcements on all the lace eyelets (extra on the lower ones). Thinner webbing on the lace harness improves jamming comfort, while the perforated leather uppers boost breathability. The tongue is also ventilated and has been redesigned to reduce toe scrunch, which improves comfort. (unisex 34鈥�46)

Red Chili Voltage Lace ($170)

Best for Sport Projects

The updated Voltage retains the aggressive downturn and wide last of its Velcro predecessor (great for climbers with wide feet), now in a lace-up with a stiffer midsole and added leather lining in the toe box. This means extra forefoot support, and comfort to drive hard on overhanging terrain. A single pull on the minimalist, four-eyelet lacing cinches the entire shoe. As a result, the Voltage Lace marries the precision fit of a lace-up with the fast on-and-off of a slipper. (unisex 4鈥�13)

Evolv Shaman Lace ($185)

Best for Beginners

Evolv鈥檚 beloved aggressive shoe has long been a favorite for its stability on small to medium edges on vertical and gently overhung terrain. Credit the raised midsole and stiff heel rand, which drives your foot forward, and a toe box designed to minimize dead space. It also has one of the best heels we鈥檝e tested: meaty enough for reliable hooking without any loss of sensitivity. All that鈥檚 different is the new lace-up closure, which affords more fit control. (men鈥檚 7鈥�13 / women鈥檚 6鈥�11)

Scarpa Quantic Velcro ($159)

Best for Doing It All

This lightweight jack-of-all-trades sits right between intermediate and advanced. It鈥檚 comfortable enough to wear for an entire session鈥攎ore so than more rigid, aggressive shoes. But, thanks to Vibram鈥檚 stiffest rubber compound, XS Edge, it retains enough overall rigidity and bite in the toe for precise moves on small holds. It excels on gently overhanging terrain. Caveat: the minimalist rear falters a bit on technical heel hooks. (men鈥檚 34鈥�50 / women鈥檚 34鈥�45 )

Lowa X-Boulder ($185)

Best for Techy Terrain

A seriously stiff midsole makes this shoe particularly well suited for edging and for heavier climbers (featherweights may begrudge a loss of sensitivity). Two hook-and-loop straps overlap to form an X over the forefoot, creating one of the snuggest fits in the genre. The perforated upper keeps your feet cool on humid days. (unisex 5鈥�14)

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Most approach shoes are uncomfortable to walk in for long distances. And that makes sense, given their typical construction: a thick upper designed for extreme abrasion resistance, and a tight toe box and flat, stiff sole intended for climbing precision on fourth- and fifth-class terrain. The design is effective on small foot holds but clunky, heavy, and hot the rest of the time鈥攏ot ideal for casual hikes or outdoor hangs.

Scarpa鈥檚 new ($159) offers a solution. It鈥檚 light (10.4 ounces per shoe), airy, conducive to fast hiking or even running, and flexible enough to lend confidence on slabby, smeary rock鈥攁 situation when stiffer approach shoes can actually feel less secure. In fact, we loved the Rapid not just for climbing but for hiking as well.

That鈥檚 because it looks鈥攁nd strides鈥攍ike a trail-running shoe, with a rockered, dual-density EVA midsole, a slightly roomy toe box, and a thin mesh upper and tongue that breathe well and avoid the excess material that can make other approach shoes feel cumbersome. The Rapid鈥檚 shock-absorbing midsole and airy upper held up well and dried quickly on a steep, wet four-night backpacking trip in the jungle of northern Panama. 鈥淚 packed a whole blister-care kit and never had to break it out,鈥� said a tester. Note: that light build is most at home on fast-and-light missions and day hikes.

But the Rapid also boasts a sticky Vibram Megagrip outsole, which kept testers鈥� feet planted on low-angle rock, and a TPU insert at the toe to increase edging stiffness without compromising underfoot flexibility or toe-box breathing room. 鈥淲e were pulling moves in our approach shoes that I would not ever want to do again,鈥� said one tester after a hairy, fifth-class approach to 12,195-foot North Peak in the Sierra. 鈥淏ut I was surprised that the Rapid performed so well on edges.鈥� We love this shoe because it simplifies our decision-making process when gearing up for the mountains. It鈥檚 a quiver of one that鈥檚 perfect for trips that will have running, hiking, and climbing on the menu.

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Mountain Hardwear Crag Wagon 45 Backpack ($230)

Minimalist looks hide this hauler鈥檚 true capabilities. A guidebook sleeve, three external pockets, and a clamshell opening keep you organized. Meanwhile, the expandable cinch top accommodates a 70-meter rope.

Black Diamond 9.6 Dry Bi-Pattern Rope (from $290)

At 9.6 millimeters鈥� enough girth to lend durability without too much bulk鈥攖his dry-treated rope is our favorite workhorse. The bi-pattern design is key on rappels.

Black Diamond Onsight 375 Headlamp ($60)

The Onsight 375 has a distance beam for route finding and a wide one for climbing鈥攕witch with just a tap. A rear battery reduces forehead bulk.

Scarpa Booster Climbing Shoes ($189)

Scarpa鈥檚 beloved all-around shoe got a new last that鈥檚 wider up front and narrower in the heel. Increased precision comes from a light, grippy, durable synthetic patch in the toe box.

Arc鈥檛eryx Oriel 28 Leggings ($89)

We love the Oriel for its durable, breathable nylon and opaque black elastane. This year, a higher rise (8.7 inches) means you won鈥檛 moon your belayer.

Prana Sol Defender Hoodie ($79)

The Sol Defender looks like a normal hoodie, but it鈥檚 packed with technical qualities, like its UPF 30+ rating, durable polyester blend, and wicking grid interior.

Petzl Corax LT Harness ($60)

The latest iteration of Petzl鈥檚 popular sport harness is even more comfortable, with a wider waist belt and leg loops. The foam kept our legs happy (and awake) during long hangs.

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Wild Country Session Quickdraws Six-Pack ($95)

At 3.5 ounces apiece, with stiff dogbones and rubber vices that make clipping easy, these are our new favorite quickdraws for projecting.

Arc鈥檛eryx Konseal FL 2 Approach Shoes ($145)

Most approach shoes are either stiff for climbing or supportive for hiking, but the Konseal does both. A layer of TPU lends a springy feel to the thin midsole, which has a beveled edge for support.

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Mountain Hardwear 惭别苍鈥檚 Tutka Warm Pants ($125)

Made of stretchy twill and a brushed interior, the Tutkas look like khakis and feel plush, but they offer work-pants durability.

Tenaya Mastia Shoes ($200)

An aggressive shoe isn鈥檛 usually this comfy out of the box. And its asymmetrical last performs: toeing, edging, and heel hooks all feel solid.

CamelBak Octane 25 70 Oz Hydration Pack ($145)

This smart 25-liter hauler has a two-liter reservoir and room for food and layers.

Backcountry Double Dyno 奥辞尘别苍鈥檚 Climbing Pants ($110)

Testers liked the Double Dyno鈥檚听 stretch and deep pockets, and how it fit a variety of hips while leaving room for leggings underneath.

La Sportiva TX Guide Approach Shoes ($159)

Rubber outsoles can make approach shoes stiff and uncomfortable after more than an hour of use. But the TX Guides kept our feet happy because they have virtually no break-in period. Credit the cushy heel padding and four-millimeter OrthoLite insoles.

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Arc鈥檛eryx Motus AR Hoodie ($99)

At 5.5 ounces, this ultrasoft polyester midweight is lighter than similar models and kept us from overheating on approaches to the crag. The high neck and thumb loops boost coverage.

Black Diamond Circuit Crash Pad ($150)

Style points are what won us over, but there鈥檚 far more to love about the Circuit than just its flash. At less than nine pounds, it鈥檚 one of the lighter straight-hinge models on the market.

Mountain Hardwear Stretchdown Hybrid Hoodie ($300)

This 700-fill puffy weaves the face, back, and baffles from the same fabric. The upshot: better range of movement and heat retention. Plus, its pockets sit above a harness for sport days.

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Nineteen years ago, I bought my first pair of climbing shoes鈥攖he . Ten years and a bunch of different climbing-shoe models听later, I bought another pair of Moccasyms. Today听you can still buy them. And for certain kinds of climbing (granite friction slabs听and splitter cracks),听they鈥檙e听still one of the best shoes that exist.

You might read that and think,听Some things never change. But when it comes to climbing shoes, you couldn鈥檛 be more wrong. Back when I bought that first pair of Moccasyms, there weren鈥檛 many brands to choose from.听As of 2019, there were at least (and I can think of a few more now). While larger companies (Five Ten, La Sportiva, Scarpa) still dominate much of the market share in the industry, it鈥檚 great to see some interesting听boutique companies popping up with quality offerings. Here are听a handful of brands making a splash.

Acopa

was founded in Guadalajara by Mexican climbers Ernesto Vazquez and Dario Piana in 1997听and brought to the States by climbing legend听 and Steve Allen Karafa Jr. in 2003. In 2006, Acopa was well on its听way to being one of the top shoe companies in the U.S. But en route to the airport from the Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City, Bachar lost control of the SUV he was driving, and Karafa died in the accident. Acopa lost one of its听stars, , a year later, and Bachar died in a free-soloing accident in 2009. By 2010, Acopa had closed up shop. But ten years later, Piana and new business partner Sergio Langarica have revived Acopa, and the beloved brand听and its听tried-and-true shoes are back in business. One of the听headlining models is听 ($199, named after听Bachar), a shoe which climbs and looks very similar to La Sportiva鈥檚 TC Pro. But before you go crying copycat, consider this: the original JB actually predates the TC Pro.

UnParallel

鈥渨as started in 2017 by Sang Lee, who handled development and production for Five Ten climbing until Adidas closed the Redlands outlet鈥� in California, according to the website . A quick glance at its听lineup reveals that almost all of the company鈥檚听designs appear to be modeled after Five Ten shoes. (Adidas owns Five Ten.)听I听听($140), and frankly, I loved it. It edged precisely, while also doing well in tough crack sizes, in a comfortable package that can be worn all day long. Additionally, UnParallel does resoles听and, based on my experience, a good job of it. I鈥檝e tried a dozen or so shoe resolers over the years, and UP is in听my top two or three.

Butora

I learned about during a brief stint managing the retail shop of a climbing gym in Colorado in 2016. I was impressed by some of the South Korean company鈥檚 offerings鈥攑articularly the Acro, which I wore one day to climb听in during a shoe demo鈥攂ut honestly, I didn鈥檛 expect it听to make much of a dent in the American market, because other Asian climbing-shoe brands have struggled to succeed it here. Boy, was I wrong. Today听Butora not only has a devoted cadre of followers, but听. This knowledge has led to some cool features, such as high- and low-volume options in all of its offerings instead of the typical male and female choices. Butora is taking a more gender-neutral path: all of its听models are fairly unisex, and there鈥檚 no gender-based assumptions about foot volume. Price points are听pretty low compared to other shoe companies. The Acro ($154)听is hard to beat,听and the Altura ($155), its听high-top,听is like $40 cheaper than other competitive high-top models from Acopa and La Sportiva. If Butora听keeps it up, it听may unseat some of the industry giants in the coming years.

Tulson Tolf

When I first saw this company鈥檚 glittery (yes, that鈥檚 right) , the California ($125), I thought it was a joke. Turns out,听Tulson Tolf is actually quite serious, as evidenced by some of the names on its听sponsored squad: Kilian Jornet, Karl Egloff, and Denis Urubko are all TT athletes, and although those guys are definitely more mountaineers or mountain runners than rock climbers, Rock and Ice magazine thought well enough of TT to give the听sparkly shoes a . I haven鈥檛 tried them or seen anyone else wearing them, though鈥攁nd it seems like they would be hard to miss.

kN Climbing听

First: this brand鈥檚听shoes cost $350. Second: each pair is custom-made using a 3D scan of your foot. As such, is about as niche as it gets, which is why I鈥檓 including them here. Back in the day, nobody anticipated the rise of print-on-demand books听or the massive explosion of self-publishing facilitated by Amazon and other companies. Could a similar model be the future of rock-climbing shoes? That depends on whether kN 颁濒颈尘产颈苍驳鈥檚 unique methodology will actually yield a significantly more effective鈥攐r more comfortable鈥攃limbing shoe. It was听a three-week process to get the right fit dialed, have the shoes made, and then shipped, but it was totally worth it:听my very first time wearing them, I sent a 5.12a ar锚te听that a friend and I had recently bolted. They definitely nail the comfort-performance ratio as well (if not better) than most shoes I鈥檝e听ever worn. In the听few months since I started wearing them, they鈥檝e become my go-to shoe for almost everything I climb (bouldering, sport, and听trad鈥攖he only exception being very precise edging routes, since the model I got lacks a midsole and, as such, isn鈥檛 great for edging). I can鈥檛 say how well they鈥檒l stand the test of time, but my initial impression is that kN Climbing is onto a very, very good thing that will only get better.

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Mammut Comfort Knit Fast Adjust 颅Harness ($160)

Testers loved Mammut鈥檚 harness for its wide leg loops and seam-free lining, which hugs the lower back without digging in. The 3-D-knit material held up to chimney squeezes in Moab without fraying.

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Livsn Designs Flex Canvas Pants ($99)

These trousers from Livsn do it all, with zippered security pockets in front, reflective straps at the cuff for commuting, a gusseted crotch, and a mesh liner鈥攁ll in a burly cotton-polyester blend.

Black Diamond Camalot Z4 Cams ($70)

Pull the Camalot Z4鈥檚 trigger and the stem stiffens for easy placement. Release it and it bends for safety in horizontal cracks. This also prevents the cam from walking.

Scarpa Veloce Climbing Shoes ($139)

The Veloce is a shoe for all climbers. It weds the comfort and price point of a gym shoe with the thin midsole, mild downturn, and 颅ultrasensitive toe of a technical model.

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Mystery Ranch Tower 47 Pack ($275)

The Tower 47鈥檚 U-shaped front panel zips open for easy access. There are handles for moving your load between routes, dual daisy chains, and five pockets to keep your rack and sundries organized.

Mammut 9.0 Alpine Sender Dry Rope ($260)

Slinky and supple, this lightweight line is ideal for alpine climbs and long-approach days, when cutting weight makes all the difference.

The North Face North Dome Chalk Bag ($29)

Drawstrings are a thing of the past. The North Dome鈥檚 buckle closure keeps your precious magnesium carbonate from leaking, and when it鈥檚 time to send, the cover folds down around the mouth.

Outdoor Research Astroman Hoodie ($89)

This quarter-zip shines in light squalls. Its soft, stretchy nylon-spandex blend is the perfect weight for summer and handles rough sandstone with no problem.

Black Diamond Session Approach Shoes ($120)

A breathable stretch-mesh upper, snug inner bootie, sticky outsole, and elasticized heel that both stretches wide and collapses in make this the ultimate crag slip-on.

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We spend a lot of time testing the newest gear every year, but often know very little about the people behind it. So, we sent a handful of our writers out to talk to them. Julie Ellison听spoke with Heinz Mariacher, the climbing shoe category manager at Scarpa. The brand produced our Buyer鈥檚 Guide testers鈥櫶齠avorite new climbing shoe of 2020,听the Veloce, a comfortable training model that鈥檚 technical enough to appeal to all users. Here鈥檚 what Mariacher had to say about the past and present of climbing shoes听and how he likes to approach the design process.

Know Your Roots

In the early eighties, we had one climbing shoe: the EB. It was extremely painful, and you had to wear it really small to get it to work well. The big challenge was to make shoes that would be less painful and still precise. That鈥檚 where I started.

Trust the Process

The most interesting part is the first time you go out with the prototype and test it on the rock. There have been models where I鈥檝e made 50 prototypes before it works. On the other hand, many times the first prototype looks bad but works well. Then you want to make it better, and you actually make it worse.

Lean on Experience

I鈥檝e always insisted on being the developer and the tester, so I鈥檇 directly feel if a proto颅type worked or if it didn鈥檛. Everybody has a different opinion, because everybody has a different foot shape. It鈥檚 very hard to put all those opinions together and come up with solutions. When you can feel a shoe yourself, it鈥檚 much easier.

Keep Evolving

As indoor climbing has grown, shoe design has changed a lot. Precision and sensitivity on small footholds used to matter. Now it seems that nobody cares about that. People only care about heel hooking and toe hooking. But it can be fun to create really nice shoes for the gym. It鈥檚 a new challenge.

Check out Scarpa鈥檚 Veloce climbing shoes.

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Quality climbing equipment is built to last and keep you safe. But with time and use, even the most bomber piece of gear can become a safety hazard. The key to getting the most out of your kit is consistent inspection. We听spoke to American Mountain Guides Association鈥揷ertified rock guide 听for his tips on knowing听when it鈥檚 time to replace your gear.

Ropes

There are a few obvious signs that your rope is unsafe to use. First, look at the sheath鈥攖he outer material. Feel for any inconsistencies, like flat sections (which signal that the core is weak), frays, discoloration, or soft spots. Ideally, you should do this scan each time you flake your rope before a climb. If these marks reveal the core, the interior听strands underneath the sheath,听then that section is no longer safe to climb on. But if these spots appear toward the ends, it鈥檚 safe to and still climb on the rest of the rope, Bradford explains. Just be sure you know how long it is for rappels and long routes.

Smaller,听superficial marks, such as tiny chafes to the sheath, can be caused by drag. A听rope听is likely safe to use unless it鈥檚 soft and can be pinched into a sharp angle (a sound rope should bend in a smooth U shape), Bradford says, which would reflect damage to the core.

Judging integrity becomes harder when there are no visible marks or signs to indicate wear. 鈥淚f a rope isn鈥檛 showing obvious signs [of wear], there are other things to look for. Consider questions like: When did you buy this rope? What has been its life span? How was it stored?鈥欌�� Bradford says. 鈥淪ometimes the rope will show all other signs of being in fine condition, but that can still raise yellow flags for me.听An older rope鈥攅ven one that is stored properly鈥攊s not going to live up to all of its intended strength specifications. It鈥檚 not going to have the qualities that it originally had.鈥� This could present a safety risk, Bradford听says.

As a general rule of thumb, you should replace your rope听after a significant fall and inspect it for inconsistencies after a fall of any size. Climbers use the听 ratio to rate severity: the higher the number, the more likely there will be damage to the rope. Since every fall can vary, I asked Bradford听to get more specific. 鈥淔alls that would lead me to really inspect the rope are any kind that caused significant abrasion. If you take a fall and suddenly realize that there鈥檚 an abrasion that wasn鈥檛 there before, and you feel those soft spots, then听the fall probably did some type of internal damage, and you may want to consider chopping that rope.鈥�

But a big whipper isn鈥檛 the only sign that your rope should be replaced. 鈥淚f it was a particularly hard or short fall that really rattled you, as the climber or the belayer, that鈥檚 a really good time to inspect and make sure none of that damage was incurred,鈥� he says. If the rope was damaged, Bradford then weighs whether to cut the end off or retire the whole rope.听

If you mainly use your rope in the gym, it will likely have听a longer life span. 鈥淚f all you鈥檙e doing is top roping, and it has no obvious abrasions that are starting to really wear down the sheath, there鈥檚 just no reason it can鈥檛 go all the way up to the manufacturer鈥檚 recommended timeline for moderate use,鈥� he says.听

Also consider general wear and tear: Bradford says that if you use your rope more than three to four times a week, you should retire it within a year. Replace one that鈥檚 mainly used on the weekends after one and a half to two years. If you only use it occasionally, consider getting a new one after three to five years, since the rope鈥檚 organic material can deteriorate over time.

Carabiners and Quickdraws

When I was racking up for a climb years ago, I asked my friend for an extra locking carabiner. He tossed it to me, but it soared over my head and fell to a rock ledge below us with a metallic ping. Though we couldn鈥檛 see any visible marks, we knew it was five years old听and assumed the drop could have caused interior damage.听We decided to retire it. After talking to Bradford, I learned鈥攖o my surprise鈥攖hat it听was most likely still safe to climb on.听

鈥淢icrofractures are far less of a problem, both in real research that鈥檚 been done as well as in my own professional opinion. And they鈥檙e somewhat a ghost of the past,鈥� he says.听That鈥檚 because of the difference between aluminum and steel, he explains: 鈥淎luminum is a soft metal. And almost all of the [metal] equipment that we use now that is not permanent hardware, [like bolts] on a climb or in a gym, is aluminum, because it鈥檚 easy to use and lightweight. It also accepts damage really well.听Steel doesn鈥檛 bend as much,听it doesn鈥檛 react as well to impact. When steel hits a rock, it can crack much more.鈥澨齀t鈥檚 important to remember that steel carabiners听still exist, and each drop should warrant a thorough inspection.

No matter the material, look for any visible cracks or deformities in the shape of the carabiner. If the gate cannot open and close correctly, or if it appears to be bent or damaged, do not use it. The same applies to locking versions: if the mechanism can鈥檛 function correctly, then put the carabiner out of commission.听

What about that old box of 鈥檅iners听that鈥檚 been sitting in your basement? 鈥淐arabiners and metal objects like buckles have no set life span in an environment they are recommended for, where they鈥檙e just sitting. Theoretically, you could use a Chouinard听piece听that鈥檚 40 years old, if it鈥檚 been sitting in a duffel听bag in a dry environment out of the sun,鈥� he explains.听

When inspecting your quickdraws, take a look at the dogbones鈥攖he webbing that connects the two carabiners. Check them like you would a rope or harness, since the material is similar (nylon or polyethylene). The life of this connector is largely dependent on the elements it鈥檚 exposed to: rock abrasion, precipitation or moisture, and the sun, Bradford says. Watch for fraying听or cuts that would weaken the strength of the draw. Some companies 听to signal when it鈥檚 time for a replacement.听

Harnesses

Much like climbing rope,听harnesses should be examined frequently. Check for frays in the fabric or tears in the stitching, especially if you spot these signs on the belay loop. Are there any cuts or rips in the general construction, such as in the waist belt or leg loops? Do any buckles appear to be damaged or cracked? If yes, then it鈥檚 time to replace it.听

If there are no visible signs of wear, take into account how often you use your harness. If you climb in it every day, consider retiring it after a year to two years. 鈥淭he longest I鈥檝e ever kept a harness is two years,鈥� Bradford says. He rotates through a quiver听both at the gym and while guiding to spread out their life spans.听

Less frequent usage, such as on most weekends, means it should last about five years, Bradford听says. Like the nylon in ropes, the fabric can deteriorate with time and exposure to the elements. A harness that is听stored properly (away from the sun, in a cool, dry environment) will have a longer life span.

Helmets

Helmets generally last longer than ropes and harnesses. You should retire yours听if it suffers any severe damage, such as a big impact on the wall or听significant rockfall that compromises its integrity. Most will collect small dings and scratches from general use. But big depressions or dents in the shell mean it鈥檚 time to get a new one. If it hasn鈥檛 been majorly damaged, consider replacing it after听five to听eight years, Bradford says, depending on how often you use it.听

When Bradford inspects his clients鈥� headgear, he asks himself: Does the buckle function properly? Is the webbing inside the helmet visible and able to be inspected for inconsistencies?听If a client has an older model,听and he鈥檚 taking them into the mountains where rockfall, gear fall, and personal danger听is more likely, then he will have them use a different helmet鈥攈e鈥檚 not willing to risk their safety when he can provide them with a newer model that has likely taken less impact.听

Shoes

Compared to the rest of the gear on this list,听climbing shoes are the least crucial to your safety on the rock. But with frequent use, the rubber soles will wear out and become ineffective. Look at the rubber鈥檚 edge: Is it round, smooth, or dull? Is the sole slippery as a whole? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, it鈥檚 likely time to replace them. The good thing about climbing shoes is they can often be resoled for a fee by sending them back to the manufacturer or to an independent resoler. 鈥淚t鈥檚 way better to spend 60 bucks on a resole than another $180 on a new pair of TC Pros,鈥� Bradford says.

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When it comes to activities that require gear to get started, climbing generally isn鈥檛 the most expensive outdoor听sport鈥攂ut it鈥檚 also not the cheapest. Putting together a full gym kit, with shoes, chalk, a chalk bag, harness, belay device, and locking carabiner, can easily amount听to over $200.

Decathlon is trying to make the outdoors more accessible with its听affordable听gear. The French company operates its own in-house brands,听such as Quechua (hiking and camping), 听(paddle sports), and 听(climbing and mountaineering). The Simond line touts for $45, for $55, and a for $70. While some of these products aren鈥檛 jaw-droppingly inexpensive, their prices are lower听than those of most听name brands. There鈥檚 a difference between low-cost and cheap, though, so I decided to test out the gear鈥檚 technical chops.

For this test, I focused primarily on Decathlon鈥檚 least expensive options, to find听budget-friendly beginner climbing gear. I tested these products for a month, climbing three to four times a week both indoors and out,听bouldering, top-roping, and lead-climbing.听

Shoes ($45)

Simond鈥檚听baseline shoe, the , has a price you won鈥檛 find anywhere else except in some extreme sales (and even then, sizes are often limited). Other shoes for beginners, like ,听retail听from $80 to $100.听The price and simple build of this canvas shoe had me skeptical, but after a month of testing, I was pleasantly surprised by its performance.

Climbing Shoes Rock has a flat footbed, which is ideal for beginners, because the shape听doesn鈥檛 force your foot into an uncomfortable arched position听like a more down-turned shoe would. I found the rubber tread sticky enough to trust my feet on slab climbs. The toe box is snug听and gave听me control to pull on overhung听or vertical moves鈥攖hough only to a point, as it won鈥檛 give you the same results on roofs听as an aggressive听shoe will. The lace-up design works well if you want a bit more adjustment听with fit (as opposed to听), so you can keep it relaxed on easier climbs or crank down on a tough route.

For a shoe with some extra comfort and higher ankle support, the is also a solid option. It鈥檚 still very reasonably priced, at $65,听but it has more padding at the heel and tongue听and comes up higher on the ankle than the Rock does, which makes heel hooks more stable. It took a few sessions听wearing the Rock+ to get comfortable in my foot placement (which is normal for most new climbing shoes), but once I did, the shoe excelled at sticking to small nubs,听smearing on granite slab, and handling听basic heel and toe hooking indoors and outdoors. The Rock+ uses rubber, which is known for its durability and is听the same rubber found听in most Tenaya shoes. Simond doesn鈥檛 specify the type of rubber in the Rock shoe.听I only started to really notice limitations on both shoes once I got into the V4 and V5听range, doing awkward heel hooks.

The bottom line for all climbing shoes: finding the right pair听depends on your foot shape and how tight of a fit you want. I recommend trying on several sizes and types, including men鈥檚 and women鈥檚, regardless of your gender. For more information on this topic, check out our听101 video听on how to buy your first pair of shoes.

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Harness ($55)

Simond鈥檚 most basic harness, the , sells for $45, but I would recommend its听听for $55, which is just a couple bucks cheaper than a comparable harness, like . That $10听makes a difference鈥攊t鈥檚 fully adjustable, has two tie-in points in the front, and four gear loops, whereas the Easy 3 uses a single tie-in loop and only has two gear loops. The extra loops are only听important if you plan on climbing outdoors, because you鈥檒l most likely be carrying more gear (draws, protection, runners, webbing, etc.), but the single tie-in loop is the big kicker here; it makes the harness less comfortable, because the leg straps have to go all the way up to the waist belt听as opposed to leg straps that are connected by webbing, and will wear down quicker, because the single tie-in loop has to handle both belaying and tying in, so I suspect it will wear听down twice as fast.

The climbing and mountaineering harness has an extra double-backed buckle on the waistband, which makes it more adjustable than the Easy 3. With the climbing听harness on, I didn鈥檛 notice any place where it dug in or felt uncomfortable while听hanging in it for several minutes. It also gets bonus points for plastic buckles (compared to less user-friendly G hooks on harnesses like the Black Diamond Momentum) on the bungee straps, which come in handy if you need to use the bathroom.听

Chalk Bag ($17)

If you鈥檙e looking for a simple, compressible chalk bag, look no further than . The听stiff rim and large opening make听it easy for your hand to get into听during precarious rests on long routes, and the drawstring closure is easy to open and close with one hand. There鈥檚 also a small elastic strap on the side for a chalk brush. The Diamond isn鈥檛 Simond鈥檚 , and there are听chalk bags from other brands with similar price points, but for a quality chalk bag,听anything under $20 is a good deal in my book.

I鈥檇 recommend pairing this bag with a chalk ball, like the 听($5), especially in a gym setting, where there are a lot of climbers in a closed space. Chalk bags can easily be stepped on or knocked over, and using a ball goes a long way to make sure your chalk actually stays put.听Plus, I鈥檝e found that using a ball gives your hands a nice coat without over-chalking. It鈥檚听easy to apply, has a comfortable consistency, and works as it should.听

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Belay Device and Carabiner ($20 and $10)

Simond鈥檚 hardware prices aren鈥檛 drastically different from听brands you can find at retailers like REI or Backcountry. There are equivalents that are more expensive, but the difference is minimal鈥攇enerally $10.听

There鈥檚 nothing groundbreaking about Decathlon鈥檚 belay device or locking carabiners, but there鈥檚 also nothing wrong with them. Its听听clips and screws shut easily and is听just as strong as most other carabiners,听with a tested breaking strength of 25 kilonewtons听on the major axis (the average locking carabiner has a strength of 21 to 27 kilonewtons). The doesn鈥檛 have a guide mode, so it wouldn鈥檛 be my choice听for multi-pitch climbs, but you don鈥檛 need this feature for the gym or single-pitch sport routes. It also doesn鈥檛 have an auto-locking feature, like the ,听so if your climber is hangdogging,听it becomes a little tedious. Otherwise, the device is easy to use and smoothly handles the rope.

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Optional Item: Rope ($70 for 35 Meters)

If you plan on lead climbing in a gym, many places require you to bring your own rope. First听check the height of your gym鈥檚 wall. Indoors, you generally don鈥檛 need a rope exceeding 40 meters听in length (unless your go-to gym is somewhere like , in Edinburgh, Scotland, or the , in Salt Lake City, which feature walls 21 to 30 meters high, in which case you鈥檇 need a 50-to-60-meter rope). I wouldn鈥檛 go shorter than 30 to 35 meters as a general rule of thumb. A 70-meter rope for indoor climbing would be excessive.

You鈥檇 be hard-pressed to find a 35-meter gym rope for less than this . The dynamic rope is rated for up to 听(most gym ropes are rated between six听and ten听falls)听and gives a comfortable catch. My climbing partner took a ten-foot fall, and the rope was springy enough to absorb the impact, making the fall easy for both climber and belayer.听The rope鈥檚 static elongation (6.3 percent) is slightly lower than other comparable ropes, like the Black Diamond 9.9-millimeter rope (7.6 percent)鈥攖hat means听you lose less ground after taking a break at a bolt or on top rope, but it also might result in a less cushy fall.听My one minor issue with Simond ropes is their tendency to get twisted and knotted during the first three to four uses. On the first use, even after flaking the rope twice, the rope knotted itself midclimb. After 10 to 15 climbs, the rope started to get less twisted, but it鈥檚 something to be mindful of;听maybe run it through a carabiner or belay device a few times to help it untwist.听As a bonus, the 35-meter rope fits perfectly into the ($4), so you can听bring it听to the gym without the hassle of a lugging a huge bag.

The Bottom Line

Decathlon鈥檚 climbing line performed well across the board. After taking the kit lead climbing and top-rope climbing in the gym, sport climbing outdoors on sandstone and granite, and bouldering in Yosemite, I don鈥檛 have any major complaints that would lead me to discourage others from purchasing the gear. I was impressed with some features of its听shoes and harness, especially for the low price. If money isn鈥檛 an object, and you want the absolute best, Decathlon鈥檚 starter kit听isn鈥檛 for you. However, if you鈥檙e new to climbing or don鈥檛 want to shell out a ton of money, Decathlon鈥檚 collection is a solid place to start.

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