UKC

Has anyone got experience of using Cobras outdoors? From what I've been able to find so far, they are designed as a gym slipper, but interested if anyone has used them for sport/harder trad? 

Cheers!

Haven't used them on anything harder than HVS (because I don't climb that hard), but I really love them for grit trad and bouldering, anything where decent smearing capacity is important.

For harder sport I'm guessing you might want something a bit stiffer or more downturned?

I have (when I had Cobras) and use Speedsters or Maverinks for a lot of harder trad or sport**. Soft slippers come to their own, anywhere where you need sensitivity and precission... and smearing. Obviously not that great for lots of heelhookin' or tiny edges where support os needed. Heck, I've used Moccasyms a lot on longer semi-hard trad multibitch routes (up to E2/E3 or so), they climb cracks like a dream and are easy to get off the feet whilst on belay (attach a elastic loop from front loop around yer feet with a cord lock, take off the heel and not worry about loosing the shoe... if more air is needed, you can also easily take off the whole shoe and still not loose it).

So it boils down to what kind of climbing is involved, not what genre (like sport, trad, boulder or indoor).

** hard/harder for me, so E3 or E4s and upwards, or for sport 6C or harder.

I've used Cobras for the best part of 20 years as my everyday shoe, and have got through a fair number of pairs. They resole well - I've had all mine resoled at least twice. They do stretch quite a bit, so buy them quite tight. I would disagree with the 'gym slipper' designation though. I wear them for both sport and trad. I prefer slippers as it's so easy to slip them on and off. In all a great shoe - as long as they fit you, of course!

Great shoes, as other have said they stretch a bit - normally a 43, use a 41 in these. Personally have been happy with them bouldering up to 6b+ on grit, used them them on a few E1s as well, no real issues.

In case it helps to have a point of comparison: they're on the same last as the Miuras, just softer, and unlined leather (so more stretch in the upper).

Yeah - I had a pair at the end of the 90s, used them for both indoor and outdoor climbing. They made my feet go a fine Trumpian-orange through their entire life span, but as long as you didn't mind orange feet they were great. Now I'm starting to think I should look for another pair - haven't had any full-on slippers in donkey's years!

Wear thin socks. 
 

And either Cobras or Maverinks, which ever you get a good deal on. Albeit I think the NoEdge Maverinks would suit grit better. 

Now you can buy them in a range of different colours to dye your feet with! And there's an Eco version too (85% recycled materials, metal-free leather tanning).

Thanks for all the replies! Sounds like they should be awesome

They are indeed good/great, provided your usecase suits them.

So pick the right tool for the job. Slippers tend to be good on sensitivity and smearing... less so on edges or heel hooking. A hammer is really nice to bang in nails, but less good at showelling dirt... A showel is better for the latter .