Thread: breathable climbing shoes

Something crawled into my climbing shoes and died. Gonna have a little wipey down with hydrogen peroxide later.

But considering these leather Evolv climbing shoes (Royale) that I bought of SAC (on a whim) as my first shoes don't really breathe worth a damn, I have two questions.

i) Do better breathing shoes hold up better to ward off the funk?
ii) Any recommends for breathable shoes? These Evolvs actually fit just right, so I'd prefer to stick with that brand if the other ones are built to a similar fit.

Evolv's just stink, I'm not sure why they do but everyone I know that climbs in them complains about the stench.

Evovs are throw away beginner shoes anyway, if you are serious about climbing use them to dial in your footwork then look into buying a higher performance shoe from 5.10 or La Sportiva, both of which have similar foot profiles as the Evolv with the 5.10 having better rubber and the La Sportivas offering longer durability.

Throw your shoes in the washing machine with the rest of your clothes. Then air dry. Seriously. It will not hurt the shoes in any way, and takes the stink right out. This was actually recommended to me by our local Evolv rep, it works just fine.

thanks guys.

Any recs on 5.10s or La Sportivas that actually breathe a little bit?

My Evolvs are definitely beginner shoes - at $35 from SAC I'm not complaining too much about how well they work ... the rubber seems fine for outdoors, not so great for smooth worn plastic on stemmy holds. Funny thing looking at the wear pattern on my shoes ... I can see how I use my left and right feet differently. I tend to smear straight on with my left but more from the inside of the big toe with my right.

Climbing shoes are just as specialized as ski or snowboard boots so what you buy next depends on what you want to focus on.

If you want to do long free routes with all around performance then look for a comfortable boot like the 5.10 Grandstone or La Sportiva Mythos. If you want fun in the sun bouldering then you will want a light slipper like La Sportiva Katana or Five Ten Anasazi.

It all depends on fit, there are a lot of good shoes out there, try to find a place that will let you try on a bunch of models.

Shoes with synthetic liners stink, look for a shoe that is unlined. Also, when your done climbing air your shoes out and let them dry. Shoving them into a backpack and putting them into the car truck for days makes 'em super stinky.

Evolv makes some nice high end shoes, and they're manufactured in California, so don't write them off if you like the fit.

I have a long index toe (1/4" longer than my great toe) so I like a square toe box. I looked at La Sportiva and 5.10 offerings, finally settling in on a set of 5.10 Coyote's and have been very satisfied. They are unlined and breath well, although I don't have a huge amount of issues with foot perspiration. They do have full laces allowing you to tailor the fit and keep some breathing room in the toes if you prefer. I think you may want full laces for this reason. Also, if you hare running long routes and going to have your shoes on for extended period, room for thin wool socks might be nice. I had my shoes on for 5 hrs last weekend for a long trad route and was wishing I had room for socks!

spray some lysol in them. dead bacteria = no more funk

took care of this shortly after this thread was posted, but I wanted to say

Hydrogen peroxide rinse & wipe inside the shoe,
air dry,
a couple days in the freezer to kill anything else still alive,
and making sure every flake of dead skin was removed from my feet

did great wonders for the shoes. No more dead animals.

But a faint trace of Evolv funk - a mix of cheap leather, synthetic material, and funk smell - still wafts gently out ever so lightly after I'm done climbing. Much better than dead animal smell.

[QUOTE=SchralphMacchio;3332445]Any recs on 5.10s or La Sportivas that actually breathe a little bit?[QUOTE]

In my experience 5.10s and La Sportivas fit very differently. Climbing shoes are specific in fit manufacturer to manufacturer and model to model much like ski and snowboard boots. You are going to have to try them on.

The La Sportiva katana and miura fit my foot very well. I have never had a breathability issue even while climbing in the heat. In my experience the insides of all climbing shoes are nasty but these La Sportivas can't be that bad as I have resoled them several times.

All I can say is find something that fits and stay away from too much rubber on the tops of the shoe if you are worried about breathability.

La Sportiva and 5.10 definitely have different shapes. I have a long skinny foot and most 5.10s don't fit me, if I buy the right length I have to cinch the laces all the way. La Sportiva fits me better.

As was said above, what shoe you want depends entirely on the shape of your foot and the kind of climbing you like to do. Lots of shoes give me pain and I just can't put up with it, so I always go with a soft full leather shoe that'll break in and fit like a glove. I'm using a pair of La Sportiva Mythos right now, for everything. I climb mostly trad and long alpine routes, and can stay in them all day comfortably. I was stoked when the La Sportiva rubber wore out and I could get them resoled with 5.10 C4, it really is much stickier.

If you want to become a shoe whore though, it's totally possible to have a huge quiver of shoes for different kinds of climbing.

As far as the funk goes, it's ever-present. What you've done already helps. I also think it helps to let the shoes air out every time you sweat in them, don't stuff them into the dark recesses of your pack. If your climbing area has a hike out, strap them to the outside of your pack while you walk.