Scarpa Vapor V Climbing Shoe

First off, I'm an avid climber. I climb outdoors in the summer and plastic during winter months about 3 to 5 times a week. I go through climbing shoes pretty quickly and I've tried quite a few. I wouldn't say that I'm a big Scarpa girl, but I've owned the Rockettes prior to getting the Vapor Vs. Those were my favorite shoes by far for bouldering and project climbs and they worked amazing. While both are made by the same company, the Vapor Vs is a total departure in design and performace from the Rockettes. The Rockettes were designed by Heinz Merriacher, the same guy that designed the La Sportiva Testarossas which is the most expensive (and arguably the best performing) shoe in the La Sportiva line. This meant for an all business no fun (less comfort) shoe, while the Vapor Vs are all about the comfort. These shoes are designed to be a comfortable all-arounder that performs well on plastic as well as real rock. The lorica and suede upper on these shoes are amazingly comfortable, by far the most comfortable on any shoe I've ever owned. The slight down turn is awesome for tiny foot holds and the xs grip 2 is super sticky that even a novice climber would not have an excuse but send her project.
Overall, I am very happy with these shoes. If I were to point out complaints about them, there would only be 2 things that I think could use improving. 1st is the rubbing on the back heel which may be caused by too much material on the back of the shoe; and 2) would be the sizing. I found that the sizing on the Vapor Vs were about a full size smaller than most shoes, hence I had to go for my actual shoe size and get these at a 7 U.S./38 EU. I wear a street shoe size 38- 38.5 and usually order climbing shoes tight. I wear a 5.10 anasazi LV at size 6.5, La Sportiva Miura women's vs at 36 EU, Cobras at 35.5, and the Rockettes at a size 37. The Vapor Vs fit differently from the Rockettes that I had to size up a full size from what I normally wear in Scarpa--38.

If I could give these 10 stars, I sure would... These shoes are ridiculously awesome! I had been looking around for a while to upgrade my shoes to something more aggressive for both bouldering and wall climbs. I finally settled on these- aggressive women's specific shoe, but not so aggressive that I want to burn them after one climb. I could not be happier! The toe on these is great- not only does it hook when you want it to, but as a super short climber I've found that they really help me get that little bit of extra reach in a move. The rubber so far is killer- it was a little slippery when first out of the box, but definitely not as bad as I was expecting!
Fit wise: Scarpa says on their sizing chart to downsize up to 2 sizes from your street shoe. I strongly disagree. I wear a size 7-7.5 street shoe and got the 38.5. Perfect fit- do they feel like walking barefoot on a sandy beach? No. But they offer the perfect blend of tightness and semi-comfort/uncomfort to slay routes. Plus in being lined, I'm not worried about them stretching out. My boyfriend has the men's version, and has been climbing hard in them for 3-4 months and they have not stretched even the tiniest bit. Furthermore, I love the actual fit of these because they have a narrow heel, and I have a skinnier foot.
Overall, I would hands down recommend these to any advanced climber looking for a bomber pair of shoes to slay some good routes!

I bought these shoes as a replacement for my Sportiva Katanas which ended up only lasting about 10 months. I was set to get another pair of Sportiva's and then saw these shoes in a gear shop. They are slightly more aggressive in styling, however you can't physically tell. They are comfortable to wear for long sessions after the break in period, which lasted for me just shy of two weeks, bouldering or leading 3 times a week. They handle small edges wonderfully. My footwork feels more confident because I can trust the shoes ability. The heel also is slightly more fitting than the Katana's, at least for me. All around great shoe. Would definitely fit before you buy. I wore a 38 Katana and in this shoe I'm a size and a half bigger and it's still a snug fit. Scarpa is my new go to shoe!

Well, almost perfect. My size 41's are equivalent to my size 39 La Sportiva Katanas (street size 9). They hurt in all the same places, plus the Scarpas rub a little in the achilles, though no blisters yet. I was hoping to get something that doesn't hurt quite so bad this time, but pain aside, these are awesome shoes. Great narrow fit. Downturn is just right. Cuter than most. Super happy with their performance so far.