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We purchased and tested 17 pairs of the best climbing shoes for men, with award winners from La Sportiva, Scarpa, Unparallel, and Ocun
We purchased the best climbing shoes on the market to test side-by-side. Our comprehensive review includes award winners from La Sportiva, Scarpa, Unparallel, and Ocun.
Credit: Dom Rickicki
By Dom Rickicki ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ Updated November 24, 2025
For over a decade, we have purchased and tested the best climbing shoes to test side-by-side. Our team of certified rock guides and professional rescuers has tested more than 75 shoes to date, delivering the most comprehensive review of climbing shoes in existence. Below, we compare 27 pairs of the best climbing shoes for men, covering options for everything from gym and sport climbing to bouldering and long trad routes.
We love the La Sportiva Katana Lace for sport and trad climbing. Blending edging power, precision, and comfort into one versatile package, it's well-suited for any type of roped climbing.
If you're focused on bouldering and modern sport climbing, the Scarpa Instinct VS is a bit more flexible and sensitive, which helps it thrive on overhung routes.
If you're working on a budget, check out the Unparallel UpMocc. This wallet-friendly shoe can be sized comfortably for climbing cracks or long multi-pitch routes, or tightly for more versatility while bouldering and gym climbing.
Editor's Note: We updated our climbing shoe review on November 24, 2025, after retesting every shoe in our review. We re-scored old favorites and added new shoes from Scapra, Unparallel, La Sportiva, Tenaya, Ocun, and Mad Rock.
Low-volume toe can slot into thin cracks and pockets
Lace-up design is more comfortable in cracks than Velcro
CONS
Less comfortable for all-day climbs
Stiffness sacrifices sensitivity
Pricey
SPECIFICATIONS
Style
Lace
Upper
Leather / Microfiber
Lining
Pacific (in forefoot and back)
Rubber Type
Vibram XS Edge
Listed Rubber Thickness
4 mm
For climbers that spend a majority of their time on vertical faces, hard trad routes, or even gently overhung climbs, the deservedly popular La Sportiva Katana Lace is a do-it-all workhorse. The subtle downturn, stiff Vibram XS Edge rubber sole, and precise toe make this a shoe that can power down on small edges, yet it is still comfortable enough to wear on long marathon pitches. Our lead tester, Dom Rickicki, attests, “If I'm headed out for a day of challenging roped climbing in the Estes Valley, and I'm not exactly sure what a route is going to throw at me, the Katana Lace is often the first shoe I throw in my bag.”
The subtle downturn helps this shoe smear up routes, but we wouldn't call it a soft, smeary bouldering shoe. If your days are spent more often on steep routes, boulder problems, or in the gym, the Katana Lace's lack of aggressive downturn and sensitivity hinders performance for these styles of climbing. If this sounds like you, check out our favorite shoe for bouldering and sport climbing, the Scarpa Instinct VS, but when it comes down to more vertical and slabby pursuits in climbing, the La Sportiva Katana Lace is our go-to shoe.
Less supportive mid-foot for long vertical pitches
High toe angle may be uncomfortable
XS Edge rubber is less sticky than XS Grip2
SPECIFICATIONS
Style
Velcro
Upper
Microsuede / Leather
Lining
Lined
Rubber Type
Vibram XS Edge, Vibram XS Grip2
Listed Rubber Thickness
3.5 mm forefoot
2 mm heel
In the world of steep climbing, shoes tend to be softer and more sensitive. This design works well for overhanging routes, but when walls tilt back closer to vertical, the lack of rigidity makes climbing pretty challenging. Instead of one or the other, the Scarpa Instinct VS offers a third option. Unlike the Scarpa Drago, the Instinct VS combines the more flexible Vibram XS Grip2 underfoot with 3.5 mm of stiffer XS Edge rubber on the forefoot. This unique combination makes for a shoe that can be used for pulling on holds in overhanging terrain, but still supports you when you're weighting your feet on edges on more vertical walls. “I used to always carry two shoes for bouldering or to steep sport areas: a stiff downturned shoe, and a softer, more sensitive shoe. Now with the Instinct VS, I almost always only bring just this one shoe,” claims our lead tester.
While the stiffer forefoot on the Instinct VS delivers admirable edging performance, its split sole in the midfoot remains fairly soft, which can lead to foot fatigue on long vertical pitches. Climbers with stronger feet may notice this less, but our testers shied away from this shoe for their edging projects. If you're looking for a more supportive shoe, check out the more versatile La Sportiva Katana Lace or the hyper-specialized Scarpa Boostic R. If the Instinct VS's high toe angle is a challenging fit for you, consider the Tenaya Mastia, which has a more supple upper for a more comfortable fit in a similarly aggressive shoe.
Beginners and experienced climbers alike will appreciate the classic UnParallel UpMocc. Its minimalist design is easygoing, and the ultra-sticky Unparallel RH Rubber inspires confidence for smearing up long slab pitches or gripping large volumes at the climbing gym. The UpMocc is a cult classic for desert crack climbers, but we think it's actually a great all-around shoe – you can choose to size it comfortably for moderate trad climbing or tightly for the gym. If you're new to climbing, you'll appreciate the comfortable fit and high-performance rubber as you work on your footwork. “While guiding, I often find people struggle the most with trusting their feet, and budget shoes do little to help solve that problem,” explains our lead tester. “The UpMocc changes this by giving you a shoe with sticky rubber and increased sensitivity, so that you can trust what you're standing on.”
If you haven't picked up on it yet, we'll say it again: what really sets the UpMocc apart in this price range is the premium RH rubber. Other price-point shoes, like the La Sportiva Finale or La Sportiva Tarantulace, have a similar flex, but they're built with bulkier rubber that's less sticky and less sensitive. While this is one of the UpMocc's best attributes, it also makes this shoe poor at edging. The relatively soft rubber lacks the support to stand on dime edges, and we often felt like we were going to roll off. A high-performance edging shoe often comes at a price, though, and specialized shoes like the La Sportiva TC Pro are both less sensitive and more expensive than the UpMocc. But for every other style of climbing, the UpMocc is a climbing shoe you can happily climb in all over the world.
To achieve a high level of performance for steep climbing, you are often looking at steep prices – the Ocun Bullit breaks that paradigm. For a mid-tier shoe, the Bullit really stands out as one that feels and performs nearly as well as the premium models we tested. The upper materials are supple and sock-like, the large toe patch makes it easy to hook, and a snug heel pocket complements the sensitive, grippy rubber. The Bullit has a powerful asymmetric shape and a soft flex that make it easy to toe into holds in the bouldering cave or to smear on volumes. After a bouldering session, our lead tester pointed out, "Climbing in them back to back, these shoes felt about as good to me as the much more expensive La Sportiva Solution."
The Bullit is a great option if bouldering is your thing. But in our opinion, it lacks the versatility to branch out to other types of climbing, mainly because the soft flex just lacks support. This shoe may do quite well climbing steeper routes, like those at The Red River Gorge. However, for edgier pursuits, we recommend a stiffer shoe like the Scarpa Instinct VS. The Bullit never outperformed more premium shoes like the Scarpa Drago, which is more precise and sensitive. But it did keep up, and that's saying a lot – this isn't just a good shoe for the price; it's actually a really good shoe.
The Scarpa Drago is the softest and most sensitive shoe we have tested, making it the perfect option for feeling every part of the rock or curling your feet into holds on overhung routes. Utilizing a small patch of Vibram XS Grip2 rubber on the forefoot and a thin, glove-like design, the Drago helps you stick to marginal holds in steep terrain and grab them with precision. Our testers have come to love this shoe for its grip on steep bouldering projects, whether they're in the gym or outdoors. It's not all about toeing in on holds, though. The Drago is covered with sticky M50 rubber and a sensitive heel for when you need to bust out some fancy footwork. Our lead tester has this to say, “When creative footwork, like heel or toe hooking, is necessary to solve a problem, I like bringing out the Drago to make these moves that much easier.”
While the Drago is an excellent shoe for steep, overhung climbs, it becomes less capable as you tilt the wall back towards vertical. Its soft flex doesn't support your foot very well, and you will start to feel fatigue creep in quickly as you try to edge up vertical faces. It's sensitive enough to take advantage of even marginal holds, but that also means you'll feel every point of the rock, which is pretty painful for weighting your feet on slabs. For boulders with vertical faces and small edges, we recommend the Scarpa Instinct VS over the Drago for the stiffness in that shoe's toes. When things go horizontal, though, we trust the Drago to keep our feet stuck to the rock.
The La Sportiva Ondra Comp may just give you the leg up you need to send your gym projects or up your game in competitions. These shoes were designed in conjunction with Adam Ondra – argued to be the world's best climber – to perform on the Olympic stage. While most of us will never know what that feels like, we can all definitely benefit from the Ondra Comp in our daily sessions. Most gym shoes tend to be ultra-soft, which makes them great for smearing on volumes and clawing in on holds. But the Ondra Comp adds just a touch of stiffness under the toes for increased edging performance without sacrificing its ability to smear. Our lead tester points out, “I really appreciated the additional stiffness on small screw-on foot jibs in the gym, which helped me stand up on my toes for a bit of extra reach.”
The Ondra Comp has a slightly wider toe box than other La Sportiva shoes we've climbed in. While this adds a touch of comfort, it also makes this shoe feel slightly less precise, especially when compared to the Scarpa Drago, its closest competitor. The blunted toe box, combined with the overall lack of rigidity, also makes the Ondra Comp a poor performer for edging on rock. While we appreciated the Ondra Comp's surprising versatility for transitioning to bouldering outdoors, we often wanted the edging capability of a shoe like the Instinct VS. But as a unique design that splits the difference between stiffness and sensitivity, the Ondra Comp is our new favorite gym shoe.
Adorning the feet of climbers at trad areas around the country, the La Sportiva TC Pro is a beloved classic for good reason. These shoes were designed by climbing legend Tommy Caldwell for big wall free climbing in Yosemite, but you surely don't have to be sending 5.14 2000 feet off the ground to enjoy their benefits. The TC Pro's flat lasted sole and stiff flex make them a comfortable shoe for standing on your toes all day on big climbs. Beyond just comfort, the precise toe and narrow fit offer ample performance on the kind of slabby and vertical climbing you often find on big routes. But where our testers, and many other climbers, love this shoe most is for jamming cracks. The stiff last helps you feel secure as you twist your feet into fissures in the rock, and the high-top design provides ample ankle protection.
Flat soles and stiff flexes surely make crack climbing easier, but they don't give you much of an advantage in steep terrain – if you're looking for a bouldering or sport climbing shoe, you'll be much better served by the Scarpa Instinct VS. The TC Pro is a classic for crack climbing, but it actually lacks a bit of precision for thin cracks – for this, we highly recommend the thinner Unparallel UpMocc. While the TC Pro fits our lead tester well, we know that its narrow last doesn't work for everyone. For a wider fit with similar performance, check out the Scarpa Generator Mid. But if the TC Pro fits, we can't recommend it enough for trad climbers. “From desert splitters, to El Cap, to laps in my backyard at Lumpy Ridge, the TC Pro has probably been the shoe I've climbed in the most,” admits our lead tester, Dom Rickicki. “For day-to-day adventures, they've been a trusty companion for many years.”
The original Boostic was a classic shoe among climbers working on the hardest technical face climbs. Scarpa updated the shoe a few years back, but many climbers felt it didn't live up to the old model. Fortunately, Scarpa took this feedback to heart and gifted us the Scarpa Boostic R. Essentially a reissue of the legendary edging powerhouse, our testers can attest that the Boostic R is the same great shoe as the original. What makes this shoe so special for edging is a combination of a stiff, full-length sole and an aggressive shape that holds your foot in a supported position. All the while, the shoe maintains a good level of sensitivity, which is very unlike other shoes of this style.
We have become big fans of the Boostic R, but it is worth driving home the point that it is a highly specialized shoe. It's a shoe that you add to a quiver, rather than an all-arounder you rely on for most of your climbing. Its stiff flex makes it nearly impossible to flatten onto smears or grab holds in a roof. If you plan on climbing a lot of slabs, the La Sportiva Katana Lace is a much more versatile option. But when it comes to its intended purpose – driving up hard, technical face climbs – the Boostic R is unbeatable. Our lead tester, Dom Rickicki, claims, “For all of my sport climbing projects this season, this has been the shoe on my feet; anything else feels underpowered.”
For a supportive shoe specifically designed to power off edges, the Boostic R is surprisingly sensitive. Credit: Dom Rickicki
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Finding the right climbing shoe will help make climbing easier and more enjoyable. Credit: Dom Rickicki
How We Tested
We've been testing the best men's climbing shoes for over a decade. We purchase every shoe at retail, just like you, and send them to our team, who tests them over many months. Our lead testers lean on friends and colleagues with a range of foot shapes to provide more accurate feedback on the comfort and fit of each shoe. Our crew laced up or velcroed into these kicks at crags across the American West to evaluate each model on five performance metrics:
Leading up our test team is Dom Rickicki. Dom is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide with over a decade of climbing experience. Residing in the epicenter of Estes Park, CO, he is surrounded by a storied history of climbing, including some of the hardest boulder problems in the country, famous big walls like The Diamond, hard single-pitch test pieces, and classic granite trad routes. This setting inspires Dom to progress across all disciplines of climbing, and as a climber who takes his gear seriously, he enjoys dissecting the nuanced differences between climbing shoes.
Previous reviewers Jack Cramer and Matt Bento laid the foundation for this extensive review. Both Jack and Matt are veterans of the Yosemite Search and Rescue team, with decades of combined experience on the rock. Like Dom, Jack and Matt share an affection for a variety of climbing disciplines, ranging from low-boulders to massive big walls. All three reviewers agree that it's tough to find just one rock-climbing shoe that can do it all. But hopefully, with their insights, you can find the shoe that's best suited to your goals and budget.
Meticulous side-by-side testing across disciplines helps us better understand the nuances of each pair.
Analysis and Test Results
We all want to send our projects, on-site harder climbs, and continue to progress as athletes. Being able to do this largely comes down to proper training and skill development because, safety gear aside, our sport isn't actually very gear-intensive. If we focus on just the physical act of climbing, our only 'gear' is chalk and shoes. Looking at climbing from this angle, we see that the single most important piece of gear we can buy is the one that goes on our feet. Outside of pure hard work, shoes are the one thing that will actually improve your performance. Our testers see this clearly – sometimes one shoe lets us easily climb a route, while another leaves us desperately overgripping. Choosing the right shoes for you can be a challenge, and our aim is to offer recommendations, based on comparative testing, to make that decision a bit easier.
Our favorite shoes are those that strike a good balance for their intended use. Manufacturers may claim that one design can do it all, but the reality is that all designs involve trade-offs. Different styles of climbing require different performance characteristics, and it's impossible to incorporate all of these characteristics into a single shoe. When looking at the relative scores in this review, notice that our favorite all-arounders rarely ever score a 10 in any one metric. Other shoes that score 9s or 10s in a single metric often come at the cost of a low score in another metric.
Worse Value
Better Value
What's the Best Value?
High-performance climbing shoes tend to cost more. There is a high level of craft that goes into making a good climbing shoe – the best ones are usually hand-made by skilled workers, which isn't cheap. Those looking to eke out every bit of performance will find a way to justify this cost, but spending more isn't always the answer. We have started to see many high-quality shoes come from smaller manufacturers, who offer them at lower prices.
It takes much more than just a new pair of shoes to send your dream route. Credit: Dominic Rickicki
You may be asking yourself," Is it worth it for me to pay the premium price for shoes?" That's a fair question. If you're just starting out, it can be worth saving some money and buying cheaper shoes like the Unparallel UpMocc or La Sportiva Finale. Most of us exhibited pretty poor footwork as beginners, which led to quickly wearing out a pair of shoes. Once you've burned through your first pair of shoes, you've probably climbed enough to justify something a bit higher performing.
A well-constructed budget shoe, like the UpMocc, can be useful for climbers of any experience. It was our lead tester's favorite shoe for guiding last season. Credit: Dom Rickicki
At this point, something in the middle price ranges may suit you well, such as the Ocun Bullit or La Sportiva Kubo. Folks who have been climbing for a while, whether casual climbers or performance-focused climbers, will often benefit from a pair of more premium shoes. More expensive shoes will allow you to use your feet effectively, which, overall, will likely help you enjoy climbing more. Some of our favorite premium shoes are the La Sportiva Katana Lace for longer outdoor routes, or the Scarpa Instinct VS for bouldering and sport climbs.
The Bullit is an affordable shoe that punches far above its class, especially for gym climbers. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Comfort
Comfort is pretty subjective, and it boils down to a few different factors. If you line up a bunch of climbing shoes, you'll probably notice that none of them really look like feet, even though they should fit like a glove. A climbing shoe is designed to put our foot in an optimal position for climbing, not for walking around.
By climbing the same route in one shoe after another, we can make comfort a much more objective metric. Credit: Dom Rickicki
At the extreme end of the shape spectrum, a performance edging shoe may have a highly asymmetric shape with a high toe angle at the front, meant to curl your toes into a crimp. This shape drives a lot of power into your big toe, so you can stand on the smallest of holds.
You'll notice that our lead tester's naked foot looks very different from its shape in an aggressive shoe, like the Scarpa Drago. Credit: Dom Rickicki
On the other end, you have a crack climbing shoe that's flatter, stiffer, and more symmetrical, so that you can stand up on it when foot jamming. Outside of their symmetry and toe angle, the volume and width of a certain last (the shape of the shoe) may or may not work for your feet.
A flat shoe, like the TC Pro, is specifically designed to be worn on long multi-pitch routes and longer days in the alpine. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Sizing
Sizing climbing shoes can be a nightmare. Some companies intentionally calibrate a performance-climbing fit to correspond to normal street shoe sizes, while others run true measurements. In the latter case, climbers have to size smaller than their street shoe size to get a performance fit. Still, other manufacturers seem to vary their sizing from model to model, making buying shoes online maddening. If you are shopping online, find a retailer with a generous return policy so you can order several sizes and return whatever doesn't fit.
How do I find a performance fit? The answer to this will be different for everyone, but our lead tester has this to say, “When I try on shoes, I often find I hit a point where one size fits comfortably tight and the next size down fits uncomfortably tight, but not painful. Usually, I go with that uncomfortably tight pair as most shoes break in about a half size and wind up feeling like the comfortably tight pair after some use, but fill air gaps better. Whereas the comfortably tight pair will be too baggy after the break-in period. If I can't get a fit that fills all air gaps without being painful, it usually means that this shoe won't work for my foot shape and I need to try a different model.”
Increasing asymmetry, starting with the more neutral Unparallel UpMocc, then the La Sportiva TC Pro, and the most asymmetric Scarpa Instinct VS.
We primarily base our comfort scoring on a shoe's intended climbing style. A shoe geared more toward all-day climbing, like the La Sportiva Finale, should be comfortable for long periods on lower-angle rock. On the other hand, a shoe designed for steep terrain like the Ocun Bullit will likely not be comfortable for long days, but should be comfortable when pulling with your feet on severe overhangs or when heel or toe hooking. These two shoes come in at similar prices, but their use case are very different.
While people mostly think of downturned shoes as less comfortable, this is not always the case. Mildly aggressive but solid all-around shoes like the La Sportiva Katana Lace or Scarpa Instinct VS strike a nice balance between the two ends of the comfort spectrum. Sized appropriately, these shoes should be comfy to climb in, but may need to be removed while walking around. The comfiest downturned shoe we've tested is the Tenaya Mastia, which uses super supple upper materials to blend comfort and performance for bouldering.
We were seriously impressed by the fit and feel of the Tenaya Mastia, especially compared to other high-performance bouldering shoes we tested. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Slipper-style shoes score high for comfort, but really, any flat-soled model made from stretchable leather that easily forms to your feet will be more comfortable than an aggressively downturned model. Additional materials can both aid and detract from a shoe's comfort, depending on how they're employed in the design. For example, the padded, stretchy tongue on the Katana Lace makes it feel comfortable out of the box and protects the top of your foot from tightly pulled laces. The new lace protector on the TC Pro, on the other hand, can create a rigid pressure point on your foot.
A bit of extra padding on the tongue of the Katana Lace really goes a long way, making this one of the most comfortable shoes we've ever worn. Credit: Jack Cramer
The lining, rubber layout, and upper material all greatly contribute to a shoe's comfort. In most high-end downturned shoes, the trend is to use microsuede (or similar materials) on the inside to reduce hot spots and ensure a snug fit. Top models, like the Drago or Instinct VS, feature very soft linings that make these shoes quite comfortable relative to their aggressive shapes. These shoes also have rubber strategically laid out around the shoe so you can toe hook securely without any rubber edges digging into your feet.
The thick toe patch on the Instinct VS makes it particularly comfortable for toe hooking, a move that can be quite painful on shoes that aren't designed for it. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Smearing
As one of the most frequently used techniques in a climber's arsenal, a shoe's ability to smear should be considered for every style of climber. To smear well, a shoe needs to flatten out over vague features on the rock, allowing you to feel small holds. The rubber also needs to be super sticky so that it latches itself to these small holds. Ideally, it also provides enough support to push off those same small holds or stand on them while placing trad gear.
To smear well, a shoe needs to be flat, like the Unparallel UpMocc. Or, if it is downturned, it must be soft enough to flatten out under pressure, like the Scarpa Drago. To feel small holds, a shoe must also be sensitive. Thinner rubber soles let you feel more of the rock, thereby improving a shoe's sensitivity.
The soft Drago allows you to press a bunch of sticky rubber onto flat holds for better purchase, even in overhung terrain. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Sensitivity is an amazing attribute for any shoe, unless you plan to be standing on your feet for extended periods, say, while placing trad gear. For trad climbers, wearing shoes with slightly thicker soles, like the Katana Lace, will stiffen them up just enough to save your feet from fatigue or pain.
Stiffer shoes like the Katana Lace help support your feet for long climbs. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Climbers looking to smear on large-volume holds in the gym often prefer a shoe like the Ocun Bullit or La Sportiva Ondra Comp, which excel at smearing thanks to a soft, sensitive flex profile. An added downturn in these shoes helps to climb steep terrain, where you need to curl your toes around holds.
Softer shoes like the Ondra Comp easily flatten out and conform to large flat holds. Credit: Dom Rickicki
On the flip side, a climber looking to smear up long routes in Tuolumne would find these shoes too soft and downturned to spend extended time on their feet fiddling with small gear. Instead, they should look more towards something like the La Sportiva TC Pro, which is flat and stiff enough to help avoid fatigue.
The TC Pro is stiff enough to support you as you stand on your toes, yet flat and sticky enough to smear well up lower-angle rock. Credit: Dom Rickicki
As with every scoring metric, we try to place our smearing scores in context based on the intended use of the shoe. The UpMocc and the Ondra Comp may score similarly for smearing, but they will be used in very different ways. The UpMocc is great for long slabs, whereas the Ondra Comp is better for smearing on gym holds.
Our individual gear reviews address whether a shoe is better for sustained smearing on long, slabby routes or for technical smearing on boulder problems. It is rare for a shoe to do both jobs well, so it is worth delving deeper into this question before purchasing a pair of shoes based solely on a single score.
For smearing up clean granite slabs, the soft and sticky UpMocc is a tester favorite. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Edging
The ability to stand on tiny edges is paramount to success on many routes, especially vertical to gently overhanging climbs. The more weight you can support with your feet, the less you will burden your throbbing forearms. What gives all the top-scoring shoes their edging prowess is a full-length sole of stiff Vibram XS Edge rubber and an asymmetric shape with a precise toe.
The Scarpa Boostic R and the La Sportiva Miura VS also have high toe angles to provide more support, whereas the Katana Lace has a more comfortable lower toe angle.
Let's look at toe angles: the higher volume toe box on the Boostic R (right) allows you to knuckle up your big toe, compared to the Miura VS (left), which is subtly flatter. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Rigid flexes and precise shapes make for excellent edging shoes, but these design features are all but nullified if your shoe is not sized tightly. Tight doesn't have to mean painful, but any air gaps or a sloppy fit will mean the shoe no longer supports your foot, and edging becomes far more challenging. Because you are putting so much pressure on a small part of your shoe, any poor fit will usually make the shoe feel like it is rolling off the hold.
The rigid structure is one of the reasons why the Boostic R is unmatched for edging performance alone. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Along with fit, consider the angle of your big toe in a shoe. In general, a higher angle on your big toe allows you to drive more power into a small foothold – but this performance point generally comes at the cost of comfort. Some climbers handle this well, while others don't, so personal preference plays a role.
Even though it has a flatter profile, the Katana Lace is at home on tiny edges, thanks to its stiff midsole. Credit: Jack Cramer
“For vertical walls, my preference is a flatter toe angle, like the Katana Lace or TC Pro,” shares our lead tester. “I have just never been able to get along with high toe angles unless the terrain is more overhung.” Of course, personal preference will vary – we know plenty of climbers who prefer a higher angle toe even on vertical terrain.
If you're new to climbing, we recommend starting conservatively with a shoe with a flatter toe angle while you get used to the fit of climbing shoes. It is worth remembering that if you size a shoe too tightly, the pain will simply make it unbearable to weight your foot, eliminating any edging performance you were trying to achieve.
Edging performance often comes at the cost of sensitivity, and shoes that excel at edging can feel pretty clunky, especially while breaking them in. The Scarpa Boostic R amazed us by providing support on the smallest of holds while still being sensitive enough to feel what you're trying to stand on. The shoe uses a stiff Flexan midsole and stiff XS Edge rubber, combined with Scarpa's V tension system, to maintain stiffness. What is so incredible about this shoe is that designers used this material in just the right doses, keeping the rubber thin under your big toe so you can actually feel the rock.
Whether we're bouldering or sport climbing, there is no other shoe we'd rather wear for technical face climbs than the Boostic R. Credit: Dom Rickicki
The Boostic R is a touch more sensitive than the La Sportiva Miura VS, which is, classically, the best edging shoe on the market. Both of these shoes are highly precise, stiff, and asymmetric edging machines. It's worth noting that the Miura VS does have a slightly flatter toe angle than the Boostic R, which some folks may prefer for more than just edging projects.
The downturned profile of the Miura VS helps you pull into the wall and edge on small holds and pockets. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Pulling
As the angle of cliffs and boulders shifts to overhanging, we enter the realm of gymnastic climbing movements. To succeed in this terrain, we must use creative footwork to take any weight off our forearms to avoid the dreaded pump. We can think of our feet like hands here, curling our toes into holds to hold on, or employing heel and toe hooks to engage our larger leg muscles and pull into the wall.
Shoes like the Scarpa Drago or La Sportiva Ondra Comp are our favorites – their soft flex and aggressive downturn shape help you claw into holds with talon-like precision. These two shoes use the stickier Vibram XS Grip2 rubber, rather than the harder XS Edge formula, which provides better friction on marginal holds. Both are also covered in ample sticky rubber across the toe and heel to increase your friction while creatively hooking.
For overhung climbs, finding ways to use your feet to take weight off your arms is paramount. The Drago makes geting creative easy. Credit: Dom Rickicki
To some extent, the world of shoes designed for overhung terrain represents the pinnacle of performance-climbing-shoe construction. Within this world, we can find a wide variety of models that highlight different performance characteristics, and it is not uncommon to see climbers carrying many different shoes to the crag to take advantage of the performance they need for a given climb. The Drago and Ondra Comp are great for the most severely overhung terrain or for slippery plastic holds in the gym, but their soft flexes can be a hindrance when the terrain is less steep or the footholds are very small.
The additional stiffness under the toes of the Ondra Comp gives this shoe a slight advantage for pushing off holds you've pulled with your toes. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Shoes like the La Sportiva Solution or the Scarpa Instinct VS offer a stiffer flex profile but still maintain a downturned shape. We prefer these shoes when a route also requires us to climb vertically, where we need to put more weight on our feet and use small edges on overhangs.
If you need to pull into the wall and stand up from a sit start, a shoe with a slightly stiffer profile, like the Instinct VS, may be the ticket. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Across the Western US, there are many limestone crags characterized by climbing on small pockets – including famed areas like Wild Iris, Ten Sleep, and Shelf Road. These tiny pockets challenge your footwork as you try to chisel your toe into them and pull your weight off your arms. The Solution, with its ultra-precise toe, is a popular shoe because it allows you to get into the hold while still providing enough support to put weight on your feet. You may also find that shoes we score high for edging, like the Muira VS or Katana Lace, work best here, as their ultra-precise toes help you dig into these pockets, and their downturn shape still allows you to pull your weight into the wall.
Even though fully overhanging isn't the ideal angle for the Katana Lace, it can still hold its own against softer shoes, making it much more versatile than other shoes specifically designed to pull. Credit: Jack Cramer
Depending on the situation, you may be fast and sloppy as you pull overhung moves. Sloppy isn't always bad, as sometimes we are onsight climbing, or we're just trying to move as quickly as possible. In general, a softer shoe like the Ocun Bullit forgives a bit of sloppiness, as you can just cover a hold with sticky rubber rather than carefully edging onto it.
The Ocun Bullit was an excellent training partner, giving us a bit more leeway as we figured out moves on new boulder problems. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Going even further down the ultra-specific rabbit hole, check out the La Sportiva No-Edge range of shoes, including the La Sportiva Mandala. The edgeless toe profile helps you paste even more rubber over a hold, which can be advantageous for on-sight climbing. Other times, we have the beta dialed in and can be ultra-precise with our movement. For efforts that require more precision, a stiffer shoe like the Mad Rock Drone 2 HV could be the ticket.
The unique no-edge toe on the Mandala allows you to quickly cover a hold with a lot of rubber. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Crack Climbing
For many climbers, crack climbing is a love-it-or-hate-it sort of affair. Ultimately, cracks tend to be the most striking lines up a face, but the technique required to climb them requires patience to learn and is often a painful affair until you get good at it. We have tested crack-climbing performance at various crags across the country, including Lumpy Ridge, Colorado; Indian Creek, Utah; and Vedauwoo, Wyoming. While we have tried our hardest to find a silver bullet for all the cracks at these famous crags, it is just not that simple.
Shoes like the La Sportiva TC Pro and Scarpa Generator Mid are what we often grab for our crack climbing objectives. Their stiffer flexes and flat toe profiles allow us to jam cracks more comfortably, added ankle protection helps when the cracks get wide, and their chiseled toes still allow us to get purchase when the cracks taper down to finger size. For all-around crack climbing, these are great shoes, but the world of crack climbing goes far deeper than just old-school-looking high tops.
Their high-top designs make crack-specific shoes stand apart from other climbing shoes on the market. From front to back, the Black Diamond Aspect Pro, La Sportiva TC Pro, and the Scarpa Generator Mid. Credit: Dom Rickicki
For the most technical of thin cracks, we tend to go for a softer shoe with a lower volume toe, like the Unparallel UpMocc. These shoes are still flat and comfy for cracks, but their stickier, softer rubber is advantageous when you're trying to cram as much rubber as you can into a thin jam or a corner. For sandstone cracks, their stickier rubber is especially helpful on the featureless rock.
Even though the UpMocc has a blunted toe box, its soft, sticky rubber offers a huge advantage for jamming in thin cracks. Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
Watch videos of the hardest crack climbs in the US, and you may notice climbers wearing shoes that don't score super highly for crack climbing in this test. For these routes, climbers usually choose a shoe like the La Sportiva Solution or Scarpa Boostic R for their advantages on the face holds they're actually standing on – they generally just put up with jamming when they have to.
The La Sportiva TC Pro is our favorite shoe for pure cracks that are hand-size or wider. It's also one of the best for traditional multi-pitch adventures. Credit: Jack Cramer
While we wouldn't recommend specifically buying a pair of shoes like this for a crack climb, if you already own a pair, it can be worth experimenting. One shoe that strikes a nice balance for crack and face climbing is the Katana Lace. It does a great job of edging onto holds outside of the crack, but is still just flat enough to be comfortable while jamming, and its precise toe can be useful for thin jams.
For a combination of face holds and torquing jams, few shoes perform as well as the Katana Lace. Credit: Jack Cramer
Pain and discomfort are common complaints among beginner crack climbers, so if this includes you, it's worthwhile choosing a pair that won't add to your pain. Any shoe with an aggressive downturn is going to hurt, simply because the position the shoe places your foot pushes your knuckled-up toes directly against the rock. The other thing we look at is the closure system. Velcro closures can create pressure points when you try to twist your foot into a crack. A lace-up shoe like the TC Pro or a slip-on model like the UpMocc will reduce these pressure points.
The type of rock may influence your shoe choice for crack climbing. On granite, the La Sportiva TC Pro is one of our favorites and it also seems to be the most popular model with the general public. Credit: Jack Cramer
It's worth noting that crack climbing is a specific skill that requires specific footwear. While you can get away with it in other shoes, we think having a good pair will help you enjoy crack climbing more and learn the skills faster.
Testing different shoes side-by-side to compare climbing prowess. The Generator Mid (bottom) is stiff enough to be comfortable in wider cracks, while the Black Diamond Aspect Pro (top) has a more precise toe. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Other Notable Men's Climbing Shoes
Picking a list of top climbing shoes is no small feat, especially when we consider how subjective this topic can be. While we do our best to choose a list of shoes we believe offer the best cross-section of the market, you may find that your feet get along better with something else. Here's a list of some of our other favorite shoes that didn't quite make the cut of our top selection, but are well worth checking out.
Bouldering and Sport Climbing Shoes
Scarpa Chimera – This shoe feels a lot like the Drago, but a little stiffer, and with a more precise lace-up construction. According to Scarpa, the Chimera fits more with their Furia family of shoes, which are specifically designed for an ultralight, glove-like fit. You can expect a similar soft, sensitive feel to the Drago, tuned up a bit for longer routes.
La Sportiva Solution Comp – This shoe is a favorite of some of our testers over the original Solutionfor its narrower, more supple heel. It's also softer, which some may like for steeper routes or gym climbing.
La Sportiva Skwama - This shoe offers a wider forefoot, which is more accessible for climbers with wider feet. It strikes a nice balance between stiffness under the toes and a softer midfoot flex, ideal for outdoor bouldering.
Evolv Shaman - This aggressively downturned shoe is specifically designed for overhung routes, but it is also quite stiff and great for holding body tension on small edges.
The Chimera is one of those shoes that helps you find tiny footholds, thanks to its precise toe profile and soft rubber. Credit: Dom Rickicki
Edging and Face Climbing Shoes
La Sportiva Miura – This is a tried and true classic that has been on climbers' feet for many hard ascents throughout the last two decades. Its lace-up closure and asymmetric shape deliver high precision on your hardest technical climbs.
La Sportiva Otaki - This shoe blends an incredibly stiff forefoot with a subtly softer midfoot. This combo makes it a great shoe for edging without sacrificing too much sensitivity, but it does lack some precision compared to other models.
Scarpa Instinct Lace This lace-up shoe with a full-length rubber outsole provides stiff edging performance, just with a wider last to better accommodate climbers with wider feet. It prefers gently overhung routes, but you may find that it's great for all types of technical climbing.
The La Sportiva Otaki won't make you a better climber, but it may give you a leg up in areas that demand precise footwork, like the Buttermilks. Credit: Matt Bento
Crack and Trad Climbing Shoes
Black Diamond Aspect Pro – This specialty shoe feels like what the BD design team created for their weekend climbing trips in the Utah desert. The super slender toe is the thinnest of any high top we have tested and jams a full cam size smaller than the competition. The shoe also has stickier rubber, which is reassuring on featureless sandstone.
Black Diamond Aspect - Unlike the high-top Aspect Pro, this is a low-top trad shoe that offers a stiff flex. It's a shoe that offers well-balanced performance for crack climbing, at a very reasonable price.
For long technical alpine routes, the Black Diamond Aspect Pro's softer rubber feels less clunky on a cold morning. Credit: Julia Cassou
Budget Shoes
La Sportiva Tarantulace – A classic entry-level climbing shoe, the Tarantulace is a budget-friendly option for anyone seeking a comfortable fit without sacrificing too much performance or durability.
Five Ten NIAD VCS - The original version of this shoe was a popular shoe for decades, and fans of the Anasazi VCS will likely still enjoy the NIAD VCS. Unfortunately, the latest update lost much of its luster for us — compared to many modern shoes, this design feels a bit dated.
Black Diamond Momentum - This affordable shoe offers a comfortable fit and soft uppers to help make your first days on rock a bit more enjoyable.
Even if the La Sportiva Tarantulace is designed for beginners, it's a highly capable climbing shoe. Credit: Jack Cramer
Conclusion
We'd like to offer a disclaimer to close out – product reviews are inherently subjective, especially in rock climbing shoes. Our assessment of each shoe is largely contingent on the shape of our testers' feet, the type of rock we climbed, and how tightly we sized them. Our advice is built on the first-hand experience of multiple climbers over many months of climbing, but everyone's feet are different. While comfort is obviously important, we wanted to focus on how these shoes perform the moves and techniques that climbers use most frequently. A shoe's performance in these metrics helps determine whether or not it is a great climbing shoe. Ultimately, your perfect pair of shoes needs to match your climbing goals.
Whether you're new to the sport or a seasoned veteran, we've tested everything you need to get out climbing, including climbing ropes, harnesses, top-rated belay devices, and quickdraws. We've even pitted different climbing chalks against each other to try and determine the best performers. From boulders to big walls, our roundup of the best climbing gear on the market has something for everyone.
