Superior design, fit and comfort by SCARPA.
These are my real first pair of climbing shoes. The first pair of climbing shoes I got were no match for my wide feet, and I ripped the top off on the first day using them. I had done some research, and decided the SCARPA Instinct VS would be a much better fit. I'll review the 3 points I consider most important: fit, design, and durability.FIT:Every one of my friends that have claimed to have "hobbit feet" have been put to shame by my monster feet. They're not particularly large, just quite (un?)naturally wide. Had to push the heel flat and push/wiggle the front of my foot to get it in. Once in, there was no space but my toes were nicely lined up and just slightly curled. Pulled the heel over and my feet were hermetically sealed into the shoe, for a snug, performance fit. Took me 3-4 solid outings to break the shoes in, and they still fit snug but bearable compared with the first few times. I LOVE the SCARPA toe box on these.DESIGN:The shoe is a work of art. The rubber is simply awesome, and the precision of the shoe is out of this world. The heel is sticky, very sensitive, and in my case, zero space. They can be worn loose to warm up with confidence thanks to the Bi-Tension rand. One tightening of the super-sticky velcro strap and your feet turn into mountain goat hooves for serious business. As a bonus, the shoe looks totally sweet.DURABILITY:Have only had them about two months, and climbing outdoors nearly every day with them and they still look just like new, except broken in. Rubber is still great. Shoes don't even smell yet (make sure you have clean feet and wear socks on the approach, and air out your feet before and after putting the Instinct VS on). Will update this as time goes on.Verdict:I've worn a dozen or so climbing shoes of many brands and owned only one other pair before. The SCARPA Instinct VS are superior in every aspect to all the others I've tried (Solutions, Anasazis, Katanas, Tarantulaces, Miuras, Shamans, etc.). I highly recommend this shoe.
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An excellent sport and bouldering shoe that fits surprisingly comfortably for ...
An excellent sport and bouldering shoe that fits surprisingly comfortably for its level of downturn. If you have a wide forefoot and/or morton's toe I highly recommend this shoe as it is the most comfortable high end bouldering focused shoe I've worn. I would describe the fit (I bought street shoe and downsize by 1-1.5 sizes in La Sportiva shoes which have been my previous 4 pairs (Katana Lace, Futura, Otaki, and TC Pro) as snug, without having any distinct pressure points. The best way I can describe it is that the shoe suctions around my foot very well, unlike some other tight shoes which I would describe as a less comfortable compression and forcing of the foot. I also love the heel; its quite grippy but more importantly it has minimal dead space and doesn't painfully dig into your achilles tendon .Compared to the La Sportiva futura (my previous favorite shoe for these uses) the Instinct VS is: stiffer under the toe, likely a little faster wearing as I found the no-edge shoes to be extremely slow wearing, has a better heel, takes a little bit longer to get on or off, better at vertical to off vertical edging but slightly worse at smearing and using extremely rounded or sloping holds, a little more supportive structure overall. I'm a relatively heavy climber at 170# and tend to push off my feet aggressively so I favor a somewhat stiffer shoe than average for a given application.
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Best Shoes Ever
Let me start off by saying I swore that La Sportiva Pythons were the best shoes ever, and no shoe would come close, BUT these are right up there. I have to wait and see but these have not disappointed so far, I am going to have to buy these in the correct size to truly be able to tell.So I usually wear La Sportiva Pythons in a 39.5 and these shoes fit like Pythons, at least for me. I went with a size 41.5 but for my next pair I am going to buy them in a 41. I do not size shoes super super tight or anything, but so I would recommend going up one size to a size and a half from La Sportiva brand shoes depending on how tight you like them. I wore a 40 in the Solutions and a wear a 39.5 in the Katana and Miura VS. These are like a better version of the Python in my opinion, especially with the rubber on top of the toe, toe-hooking is awesome. The rubber is sensitive and sticky and the heel is awesome. The main reason I like Pythons and these Instincts so much is because these heels seem to be the only ones that fit my foot so well. I would recommend these to anyone, you will not be disappointed. I have not tried them outside yet since it is summer but they have performed perfect thus far. I have not even put on my Pythons since I got these! Anyway I hope this helps!Oh by the way I wear a size 9 street shoe.
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when they fit (like my old pair) are AMAZING shoes. Super comfortable shoes with tons of power ...
If you are ordering these to replace an older pair of Instinct VSs, go .5 to 1 size smaller. I'd normally never buy climbing shoes that I can't try on, or can't return after using, but I figured the risk as negligible as I've already owned the same make/size shoe... boy was I wrong! With the toe and heel flopping around I don't trust these for any kind of precise footwork, so now i'm stuck with a $160 pair of warmup shoes.That said, the Instinct VS, when they fit (like my old pair) are AMAZING shoes. Super comfortable shoes with tons of power and precision, and quite durable too- I put 2 years of 3x/week climbing on my old shoes before my toes started to come through the rubber.
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