Evolv Defy VTR

These shoes are simply put the worst climbing shoes I have ever owned, nay worn. And I have worn a lot of shoes in my life.

The sales person explained that these shoes would not stretch out since they are synthetic, and that they did not have to be sized tight to function well. The Evolv's proceed to stretch out immensely in the first day or twos use. Actually they stretched more than my last pair of leather shoes did in several years, and those were unlined leather.

Now they are completely worthless for climbing, I cant even smear in them, which is unfortunate because I just took a trip to climb slabs...
and had to purchase a new pair of shoes (not evolv's) after the scariest lead of my life.

Do not listen to the sales people when they tell you not to size them tight, they DO stretch, and they stretch quickly. My shoes still look new, but are no good for climbing whatsoever.

These shoes were my second purchase of climbing shoes. When I started climbing I bought Mad Rock's Flash. I really liked the Flashs, but I wanted a tighter shoe (smaller size) for some of the more demanding climbs I've been getting into.

The first time I used Evolv's Defy I noticed my foot slipping off of holds that my Mad Rocks never had a problem with. When I went to heelhook I discovered the minimal amount of rubber in the heel, making it pretty painful to push off of my heel. Also, I noticed even with the shoes strapped super tight that my heel tended to start slipping out of the shoe. This was occurring after stepping down a whole size from my Mad Rocks.

I thought I might just need to break them in or get used to them, but after 2 or 3 weeks of owning the Defys I brought them back for a refund.

This shoes are good cheap first time gym shoes. I would only recommend this shoes to those climbing only indoors, first time shoe buyers on a very tight budget. However in that case for $0.95 more I would go with the Five Ten Coyote Rock Shoes they are a lot better shoes for the same price. This Evolv is uncomfortable and it does not mold to your foot. The way you buy them that is the way it will fill to the last use of this shoes. I just put a hole on the rubber this week and they did not get any better. I got the same hot spots. Because it is all black this shoes gets very hot. My foot would sweat a lot and my food would get bigger and it would cut the circulation when I would climb outside; however, indoor climbing it was not very tight.

Got these on the cheap, so I can't complain. They actually fit pretty good from end to end, but they just seem floppy and I can't seem to keep an edge with these shoes. The heel cup is loose fitting to say the least, and the toe box too big for my feet (and I've been told by shoe salesmen that I have wide feet?). My biggest complaint is that my feet sweat in these things so bad that after 15-20 minutes of climbing they feel slimy inside, and I end up taking them off to air out the old dogs, or switch to a different pair of shoes. I'm always amazed when I switch to a different pair how much better all my other shoes seem to edge than these. I see a lot of good climbers wearing these things, but for me, just can't feel confident in them.

This shoe was unbelievably painful. I tried to push through and climb in them once but the pain was constant and distracting. I thought it was the size so I brought them back and tried a half-size then a whole size bigger. It didn't matter. The toe box is so narrow, no matter the size, the shoe put a lot of pressure on the side of my big toe and pushed the nail into the skin. It's even more painful than it sounds. I finally gave up and tried a pair of La Sportivas. While the La Sportivas are smaller size, they actually fit the shape of my foot and feel great! Every foot is different but for me, this shoe was horrible. The real lesson is to try shoes on and buy what works for you!

I used these shoes for indoor top rope, and both lead and top rope outside. The shoes were comfortable when I first bought them, but as soon as I started climbing in them I couldn't stand them. The sole has no support, the shoes stretched almost a full size, and I ended up with a lot of hand pain because the shoes provided little-to-no support. Returned them for a full refund and went with a pair of shoes from another company, best climbing choice I ever made. Do yourself a favor ans skip these shoes! Definitely glad I bought them at REI though!

I have heard great things about evolv shoes so I decided to get a pair of the defy. After only 4 months of climbing in the gym they completely blew out in the toes. The rubber is very soft and wears down quick. Although this is good for smearing it will reduce the life of the shoe.

I bought these as my first pair of shoes because they felt great and were reasonably priced. After about 8 months of consistent use, holes developed on the toe of each shoe. I loved these shoes for their comfort and versatility but the lack of durability is an issue.

These shoes Delaminated on the toe, and the rubber is to soft, my feet slip off every time, I would not suggest buying any of Evolv's Shoes, they all fall apart and stink up!

I got these shoes because they were cheap, comfortable when I tried them on in the store, and were easy to take on and off.

I got these when I first started climbing and they were great. They didn't hold me back on any of the easier climbs, the rubber never gave me issues.

I've only used them indoors. I've been using them for the past 4 months without any issues.

Now that I'm getting onto some more difficult routes, I'm notices some pretty severe hotspots in the toe box because of how thin the rubber is around the bottom of the shoe near the toes. I notice these hotspots now because before I was always using the sides of the shoes, never just the toes straight on. I also notice that my feet seem to slide forward a bit and crush my toes into the front of the shoe a bit, making me have to pull them forward to put my heel back into the back of the shoe.

(I'm writing this on my girlfriend's account) My girlfriend has some La Sportivas which have a MUCH stiffer toe and seem like they would hold up better with the toes straight into the wall on a hold that only supports you if you use it with the toes straight forward.

Honestly, I wish I had bought another shoe at this point. I was hoping these shoes would last me a while as I progressed to the more difficult routes. I'm not sure if I advanced faster than I anticipated and now have different needs, or if this shoe is just of lesser quality. As I've said, I've only been climbing 4 months so take my review with a grain of salt.

Other reviewers have said that these shoes get RANK! I could smell these shoes as soon as I entered the room. I've learned to wear socks when using these shoes, treat my feet with tea tree oil and foot powder, and the smell never has a chance to saturate the shoe.

Once they got really smelly, I washed them with some laundry detergent and started to use the tea tree treatment on my feet and the odor is now a complete non issue.

If you are a beginner, these shoes will serve you well as you learn to climb.

If you have been climbing a short while and are looking for a different shoe, look elsewhere. These shoes may serve as a backup pair, but at this point I wouldn't want them as my primary shoe.

These shoes are pretty solid for climbing. I climb mostly in gyms and the velcro is convenient to give my feet a break. I've also climbed some multi pitch outdoor stuff and they worked well for that. They sort of bend my big toe in a little bit more than I'd like, but that probably would have been fixed by buying a bigger size (I bought them when I first started climbing so I didn't totally know what I was doing). My only complaint is that they very quickly started smelling horrible. We're not talking like a little bit of foot-funk that your running shoes get after a while. We're talking about the full on stench of death. It's sort of interesting since the smell varies with time. Sometimes it smells like putrid mold. Sometimes it smells sort of like rotting flesh. The important point is that they never smell good. They smell so bad that if I put them in a bag, they'll stink up the bag for a long time. I've found leaving them outside helps a bit with the odor, but only slightly. I've washed them, which lessened the smell only until the next time I wore them. Now I'll say that usually I have no problem with funky smells and can just deal with it, but the bigger problem is that the odor just drives people away. You're gonna have trouble having friends if you have these shoes. Yeah, basically they just smell bad.

If you are just starting out these are a great entry level shoe at a good price point. They are decent at edging, comfortable, and affordable.

Like all others have said they smell something awful after a relatively short time period. They aren't great to toe off of and the rubber isn't very sticky. For a little more money I'd recommend the 5.10 Rougue but if you're just getting started this is a great first timer's shoe.

Some reviews have mentioned they stretch out too much. I've found that if you clean the inside with rubbing alcohol (really soak them well with a wash cloth) it helps control the smell and help them shrink back up a little bit.

Personally I climb in 5.10 Rouge's and Anastazi's now. However these were my first pair and they were great until I started climbing harder routes.

I've been climbing for 3 years and this was the first pair of shoes I got. I mainly use it for indoor bouldering and occasional top rope and overall its a great beginner shoe. It has good value is entry level for all your heel hooks, toe hooks, and smearing. However, on tiny foot chips, its a bit hard to stick to the wall. I've used them for 3 yrs and finally get a new pair. The rubber isn't as good as it was fresh out of the box and one con is that it stinks. The smell alone is driving me to get a new pair. Overall, good pair of shoes, durable, and good value.

These shoes climb great. Much better than shoes I've had in the past, and they seem to be holding up well. My big complaint is that these things hold a smell worse than anything I've ever had. I had another person that owned the shoes warn me about the stink, but since I've never had any problems with foot smell, I didn't think anything of it.
After only a few months of climbing, these smell bad enough that I'm not allowed to bring them in the house. I'm buying new shoes now based solely on the smell of these. I wish they didn't have this problem, because they climb and feel great.

If this is your first pair of shoes, then you will probably be satisfied. These shoes do basically everything ok, but nothing super well. my pair were from a few years ago, and after about 6 months they smelled so bad when i brought them to the gym employees started looking for a dead rodent because of what they smelled,... it was just my shoes, but I've heard they have largely changed this problem (I did not have this issue with any of my other 8-10 pairs of shoes).Expect regular beginner shoes, and your get what you expected.

This was my first pair of climbing shoes They were fairly decent shoes but because I was just starting out and my footwork was sub par the edges wore pretty quickly. I do like how easy it is to get them on and off. Nobody likes hanging out in their shoes longer than they have to. I would say that overall these shoes were pretty good.

I love the way these shoes fit and they seem durable enough. But despite letting them dry after climbing and never having had stinky feet, these shoes are out of hand stinky after only 2 months. And they haven't even been worn in summer weather yet. I love them, but I shouldn't have ignored all the negative reviews about the smell. It's intense!

I like these shoes for use at the gym and a little bit of outdoor before they get broken in. I really can't use them for technical climbing, but they do well as my back up pair of shoes. Evolve's foot mold never stays on my heel while hooking anything small, but these shoes are comparatively cheap, comfortable, and durable.

These shoes are fine for the first 20 minutes of climbing and then they loosen up too much. Even after readjusting and tightening the straps they continue to get loose.

I have owned these for awhile and they were fine when I first bought them but they broke in way too fast.