Fewer shoes have disappointed me more than the Five Ten NIAD Moccasym. As a fan of the original Mocc I had high hopes for its successor, only to be sorely let down; however, hope was not entirely lost, as Unparallel - arguably the true heirs to Five Ten's legacy - announced the launch of their own version of the Mocc shortly after. This slipper looked like it ticked all the boxes, with some subtle improvements, but ultimately keeping its core design true to the original. As such, I was excited to give them a go. So do they live up to expectations?

Short answer: YES!

If you loved the original Moccasym, thenthe Up Mocc could well be the shoe that you've been waiting for

In Use

One of the things I liked most about the original Moccasym was how it blended comfort and performance. It was a shoe that you could use for just about everything, from bouldering through to trad, single pitch through to multi-pitch. The UP Mocc manages to do something similar, although courtesy of its sympathetically designed toe patch it is now far more capable both in bouldering and crack climbing, as the extra rubber on top offers more purchase whilst toe hooking and more protection for jamming.

Upon first acquaintance the Up Mocc feel quite stiff, but due to the unlined leather uppers they're something that improve the more you wear them. In time, they mould around your foot and become much more adaptable and responsive. Historically the old Five Ten Mocc was a little guilty of bagging out in its later life, but I haven't yet found that to be quite as bad with the Up Mocc, which I partly put down to the toe patch helping them retain their original shape.

Out of the box the UP Mocc is definitely capable of edging, especially if they're sized quite tight, but where I think they excel is in their adaptability whilst smearing, and when jamming in cracks. Once worn in they're an extremely sensitive and comfortable shoe, which can be worn all day either on routes or bouldering. Because they soften up in time, their performance on edges tends to diminish, but this is only noticeable if you're attempting to use seriously small footholds (and for this there will be other more suitable models than the Up Mocc).

Once worn in they're an extremely sensitive and comfortable shoe, which can be worn all day either on routes or bouldering

Fit

The achilles heel for most slippers is, literally, the heel; and a large part of whether or not you feel they work for you will come down to how they fit your foot shape. If they fit well, they'll work well, if they don't - they won't. Our recommendation, with footwear in particular, is - as always - to try before you buy. 

The Mocc is a flat-lasted, moderately assymetric shoe. In terms of width and volume it sits somewhere in the middle. It could even be on the narrower side, but as someone with a wide foot I haven't found this to be a problem, because the unlined upper gives around the shape of your foot. As a result of this, I have found that they are - once worn in - an extremely comfortable shoe.

Size-wise I went down 1.5 UK sizes in order to get a snug, technical fit. If you're after something a little more relaxed a single size drop would do, but remember that they stretch (although they obviously stretch more the smaller they are).

Features

Though it's good, the construction of the UP Mocc does feel a little basic. I get the impression this may be an Unparallel thing; it seems as if they make good, functional shoes, but perhaps not necessarily shoes with flourish in terms of their finish. Arguably, one upshot of this is that they're not as expensive as some of the Italian models that are being released, with the UP Mocc coming in at a relatively competitive price in comparison.

When it comes to rubber, Unparallel have a well-deserved reputation as having some of the stickiest stuff around. The Mocc uses 4.2mm of their RH compound. This is the more durable of their offerings, but it still feels super sticky - very Stealth C4-esque - and this balance makes it a brilliant all-rounder. Something else I quite liked, which adds to their value, is that unlike many other models on the market they feature 4.2mm rubber (unlike the standard 3.5mm which seems to be going onto everything these days). Whilst you may lose a bit of sensitivity in the short term, you at least get a whole lot more life out of them in the long run, something that makes the price tag look like even better value.

On the toe patch Unparallel have used their softer VD compound. Unlike the NIAD Mocc, which featured a firm and uncompromising piece of rubber, this is much more adaptable and is everything you'd hope a toe patch would be. It's good for toe hooking and offers protection whilst camming your foot into cracks. It also gives the shoe a bit more structure, which is actually a blessing given how little structure the old Moccs had. In that sense these are actually quite a big improvement.

Summary

If, like me, you loved the original Mocc, but were bitterly disappointed by the NIAD Mocc, then look no further - the Up Mocc could well be the shoe that you've been waiting for. The updates to its design have actually improved the shoe too, with the toe patch being a genuinely good feature both for boulderers and trad/crack climbers alike.