Evolv Women’s Elektra VTR Climbing Shoe,Violet,7 M US

I know people who still climb in this shoe that are “seasoned climbers,” but I feel this is a GREAT beginner shoe.

These were my first pair of purchased climbing shoes. I mainly climb outside but I am hoping to get more indoor time in the near future.

These are great beginner/intermediate shoes. Relatively sticky, not as responsive as a more expensive, more aggressive shoe, but overall a great shoe for the price! I use them for bouldering and will be buying a more aggressive shoe when the time comes. I bought an 8.5 because that’s my shoe size and they fit as I expected (tight, slightly uncomfortable, slight toe curl) I could have probably gone down to an 8 though as there’s a little bit more room than I would have liked. If you’re a new climber I’d just buy your size and remember that climbing shoes are not supposed to be comfortable! They’re SUPPOSED to feel “way too small”.

I love these shoes–this was my second pair of the same style. They’re great for indoor rock climbing at a variety of skill levels and they last awhile before the toes blow out with frequent use. If I was climbing really aggressively, I might want a pointier toe and maybe some texture on the heel for heel-hooking, but I could still get up 11a’s in the gym without feeling like my shoes were holding me back. The velcro is great for easy on/off, and the purple is stylish. I always see several ladies in the gym with these; they’re great for this price point.

I just got these shoes a few weeks ago and have been climbing (indoor) a number of times since. I’m relatively new to climbing, but I started with vigor. These shoes are comfortable and make it relatively easy to stand on barely-there footholds. I love the Velcro straps. They make it *so* easy to get in and out of the shoes between climbs, though they’re comfortable enough to keep them on for a while.

My first inclination was to buy a size smaller than my street shoe, but after reading reviews, I decided to buy my regular street shoe size. I am so happy I did because any smaller and my feet wouldn’t have been able to fit. Climbing shoes are supposed to be tight, and that’s what these are. I wear a very common size 8 womens, and these are tight. Also, they DO NOT stretch much at all, so don’t count on that. I have to take my shoes off any time I’m not actually climbing. If I leave my shoes on when I belay, my feet hurt too much to climb.

For my first pair of climbing shoes, these have been pretty great. I normally wear a size 9 to 9.5 in street shoes, but because of renting a pair of Evolv shoes at the gym for a few weeks before buying my own, I knew that Evolv sizes run kind of big. Although the shoes are supposed to fit very snug, I still went with a size 10. When I first got them, they felt almost too snug, but I kept them anyway. They have definitely stretched out a bit after about 9 months of 3 times a week climbing.

*****It arrived earlier than I expected. As soon as I realized what it was, excitement overwhelmed me; however, it was too tight for me. Although it was possible to put my left foot, not for the right one, because my right foot is a half size bigger than my left one, and it was right after working out which made my feet swollen. Anyway, next day I tried again and it really tightly fit. For climbing shoe, smaller is better than bigger. I decide to wear them and surprisingly it actually fit my feet. At first, it hurt, but later, its size became mine. I like that there was no string for tie shoes and its color. Also compared to other shoes, I love the price, seventy nine dollars some cents. Although not sure on arch, toe box and heel are totally good enough for both climbing and bouldering. If you are just a beginner, it might be better than any other and I witnessed my friend who also got this one like it.

This is my first climbing shoe. They’re are handmade, so each pair is different than another. You may have to try on a few pairs before you get the right fit, and even then, the shoes have to be broken in. I wear a size 6 normally, but had to go to a 6.5 for this climbing shoe. Most people go a half or whole size down, but it was too uncomfortable for me. I found that the back of the shoe rubs against my heel, so I initially tucked my pant leg under my foot. Otherwise, they’re great. The velcro straps are very efficient. In regards to other complaints – no bad smell (I don’t wear socks when I climb) and no problems with the shoe arch.

I am a Ladies 9, and ordered both 8.5 and 9. Wound up returning the 8.5 as they were unbearably tight. I’ve now gotten 3 climbs in with the 9s, and they’re uncomfortably tight, and have not stretched. I cannot stand or walk in them between climbs, so I let the heel out or take them off when belaying. I’ve noticed that no one else does this, so I wonder if I should have gone a half size up so I could wear socks and not be in pain.