'MiFit' is a hybrid velcro/lace combination, which makes the Storm rock shoes look very different from other designs currently on the market. The shoe profile itself is similar to the Mutant and the Blade (but the Storms are made on a new last); that profile being asymmetric with a slightly toe down feel to them. The uppers are made from split leather, so no smelly bacteria forming here, and they feel very supple. They have lightning flash detailing, too, if you like that sort of thing and are unlined so may stretch a little.
Many would rightly argue that fit is the all-important feature of any shoe you buy and I would readily agree. These days it seems that most rock shoes fit much closer to your normal shoe size, a real relief to those who used to have to endure plastic bags to get them on and wear them in warm water to stretch and break them in. Now comfort and performance can sit, comfortably, side by side.
My shoe size is UK8 and the Storm shoes are a UK7.5. I could put them on and climb in them straight from the box, for a short period at least! And once I'd climbed in them for a day or so they wore in very nicely. A padded mesh tongue adds more comfort. The hook tab is wide and easy to hold and attached to 20mm elastic to help keep the tension across the mid foot even.
I particularly liked the heel in these shoes. They have the same heel configuration as the Blade and Mutant with an aggressive, ridged arrangement to aid heel hooking. The overall shape of the heel was excellent and I could feel the air being pushed out and a vacuum type effect keeping the heel firmly in place. It never moved in any climbing situation I put them through.
So what about this new lacing/Velcro combo? The new MiFit system is designed to offer the close fit of a lace up combined with the convenience of Velcro. There's a single lace, threaded through lace bands. First you 'set' the lace system to your own foot, and then you tie a knot, which never needs to be untied. Pulling the Velcro tab across then automatically operates the laces. To adjust how tight you want the shoe to be done up you simply pull the tab across harder or more softly.
Step by step guide to the new MiFit system:
Comments