UKC

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy some new climbing shoes, primarily for limestone sport climbing. I have vey wide feet, which has often made finding good, tight fitting shoes that aren't painful a bit tricky. For the climbers out there that also have fat feet, any recommendations for sport focussed shoes for wider feet?

Thanks!

Tim

In reply to tjoliver:

Cut a toe off, and get some Muiras.

In reply to tjoliver:

La Sportiva Otaki.

In reply to ianstevens:

Got some Miuras. Felt good in the shop then after about 3m of climbing felt like my feet were about to burst out the sides of the shoe. Never been so glad to get a shoe off at the end of a pitch. Tying to avoid making the same expensive mistake again!

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Cheers. Will try them out

In reply to tjoliver:

I have a similar problem with width (fnarr fnarr). I now wear scarpa vapour lace ups. I was intending to get the velcro's but none were in stock and went of these. They've been fantastic.

In reply to kedvenc72:

Vapour v's were a winner for wide footed me. Also maybe try some 5.10s. I think the heel can be a love/hate affair, was like a glove for me but got a deal on scarpas making them half the price. Buy 'em small though as they stretch a ton!

In reply to tjoliver:

Been really impressed with ocun ozone plus. Fit my fat feet brilliantly.

In reply to tjoliver:

I have a wide forefoot an have found the newest version of Five Ten Quantums a revelation. By far the most comfortable (tight) shoe I have owned.

In reply to james Campbell: I love Evolve, very comfortable, but I only climb up to F6b on a very good day.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:
I'm in the process of writing up a review for the Otaki and I was of the opinion that they were quite narrow. In fact, I'd go so far as to saying they ARE quite narrow, particularly when compared to something like the Instinct Lace (which I reviewed a few months back).

That said, I've liked them both - very similar spec/performance; I'd just recommend the Otaki to anyone with narrow/low-volume feet and the Instinct for anyone with wider/high-volume feet (assuming of course that's the sort of shoe they were after!).

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:


I own 2 pairs, the mens and the womens. I've got very wide feet, most shoes are too narrow for me. The Otaki are a great fit.

In reply to tjoliver:

5.10 Anasazi VCS work well (or as well as anything else I've tried) for my fat flippers, but they're maybe not limestone sport specific enough for you?

In reply to tjoliver:

Thanks for the recommendations everyone. Went down to my local shop today and tried on a whole load of things. In the end, I went for some Scarpa Vapour V's (seemingly a popular choice for fat-footed folk). Yet to see how they perform and feel in real life, but feel good in the shop. I already have the 5.10 Anasazis as my general all round shoe. Find they fit my feet real well, really like them and will continue to use them. Hoping the Scarpas might work a bit better though when the climbing gets a bit sporty.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Sorry I haven't replied sooner, that's interesting feedback - so much so I think I'll link back to this thread in the review.

I definitely found them wide compared to other La Sportiva boots, but quite narrow/low volume when compared to the Scarpa Instincts that I've recently reviewed. Not massively so, but certainly noticeably so. Guess this proves the point that it's always worth trying things on!

I've rated both the Otaki and the Skwama. Both suit very different things, with the Otaki being my main trad/sport shoe over the past few months and the Skwama being my main bouldering shoe now that the temperature has started to drop again. The two having the same last is actually quite convenient in that respect, as usually the transition between the seasons marks you having to adapt to a completely different pair of shoes!

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:


I use the men's version with the stiff rubber mainly at Malham. I tend to use the women's version with the softer rubber most other places (including grit bouldering).

But I really rate them, whichever pair I use. The heel is a great fit.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I second your suggestion, mine are fantastic.