Best 4th of July Climbing shoe Deals
Climbing shoes are the most important part of any climber’s kit. But they’re also expensive. That’s why we’ve scoured the Internet in search of the best July 4 climbing shoe deals. Some of the 13 shoes listed below are for beginners, others are for experts. Some are for trad climbers, others are for boulderer and sport climbers and gym climbers. All are on sale and appear in alphabetical order.
Never bought climbing shoes before? Check out our beginner’s guide to climbing shoes.
13 Climbing Shoe deals
1. Black Diamond Shadow
Price: $94.98 (was $189.95) 50% off
Our review: The Shadow is designed for rock so steep it casts shadows. Take this at face value: These light (16 ounces for size 10), super-soft, super-grabby, downturned bad boys are a specialist’s shoe that excels at the way-beyond-vertical. My first impression, and one that’s remained while testing in the gym, on the overhanging gneiss of Clear Creek, and on the sandstone conglomerate of Castlewood Canyon, is that the Shadows are fun—they have a light, sporty, precise feel with mad power and big-toe precision thanks to the aggressive last and bilateral tension rands. Read the full review.
Buy directly from Black Diamond: High volume
Buy directly from Black Diamond: Low volume
2. La Sportiva Cobra Eco
Price: $104.30 (was $149) 30% off
Our Review: Winner of the 2019 Editor’s Choice Award. I have a big soft spot for the Cobra, so it was nice to see these serpentine senders get a reissue as the Cobra Eco, made from 85 percent recycled material, including on the uppers and webbing—and also via the FriXion ECO sole fashioned from repurposed rubber. I’ve found the new Cobra to, like its predecessor, be an amazing all-arounder, one I’ve used confidently on thin granite multi-pitch, overhanging limestone sport, gym bouldering, and mixed trad. The shoes have a high-volume feel, great for the swollen-feet climbing of summer, and just enough bite via the toebox-only 0.8mm LaspoFlex midsole to keep you steady down to dime-sized edges. The sole is thin—only 3mm—so you get solid smearing out of the box, with great sensitivity. Read the full review.
3. La Sportiva Genius
Price: 159.73 (was $219)—27% off
Our review: “Snug but comfortable, with an aggressive downturn, and incredible performance on anything from vert to super-steep,” our testers loved the Genius. The idea behind La Sportiva’s No-Edge is that climbing shoes that are at their broken-in sweet spot are actually blunt at the toe, instead of having a sharp, precise edge. This design skips the breaking-in period so you get a brand-new shoe that is ready to crush. The Genius has the same cushy mesh sock as the Solution, which lets you really crank on the laces to get a “freaking perfect fit,” and testers lauded the offset laces and extra rubber wrapped up over the front of the shoe to make the Genius really ideal for toe hooking and even foot jamming. The outside rubber also extends pretty far back, making back-stepping and drop-knees even easier. Ding: The high price, but this is definitely one of the best high-performance rock shoes on the market. Read the full review.
4. La Sportiva Katana Lace
Price: $153.30 (was $219) 30% off
Our Review: The new Katana Lace is an edging and micro-edging beast that is notably stiffer and pointier than its predecessor (it will especially suit climbers with long, narrow feet), and that is killer for pockets, pods, and thin cracks. Its construction feels beefed up, pointing to the shoe holding its precision and withstanding resoles longer than the old version. This is a high-end, niche shoe for thin face climbing, technical slabs with micro holds (not smeary slabs), cracks up to hands or fists, and all-day trad/multi-pitch. Even if you size big for comfort, the Katana Lace will still be stiff enough to offer traction on small face holds. This is not an ideal bouldering or gym shoe. Read the full review.
Buy Women’s at Steep and Cheap
5. La Sportiva Miura
Price: $132.30 (was $189) 30% off
Our review: The fact that the Miura has been on the market for two decades is no surprise to anyone who’s worn them. The Miuras are tried-and-true all-around climbing shoes. Precise thanks to an asymmetric last and a chiseled toe, these moderately downturned shoes perform on boulders and big walls alike. “They are comfortable enough to wear all day on a big climb, yet maintain great precision,” said one tester. “I can stand on the thinnest of dime edges,” said another. Edging precision comes in part from 4mm of Vibram XS Grip 2 rubber and La Sportiva’s “powerhinge technology,” which confines stretching to the heel and keeps toe contact with the rock. Read the full Review.
6. La Sportiva Skwama Vegan
Price: $149.25 (was $199) 25% off
Our review: Good news! The La Sportiva Skwama Vegan has all the features of the OG model but with none of the animal-sourced materials: the P3 rand system adds support and longevity to the downturned shape; the split sole construction softens the midsole while channeling weight into the big toe; the patterned swath of toe rubber performs well on toehooks and jams; and the justifiably popular S-Heel is at once sensitive and comfortable when side-heeling on sharp edges.
Though the Skwama is softer than the Solution line (both iterations), and therefore doesn’t edge quite as masterfully, it’s still a highly versatile shoe that performs well on everything from vertical basalt sport climbs to technical limestone cave boulders to marathon gym training sessions. I sized up a half size, which meant they were comfortable on day one. This worried me, since the leather version would have stretched out and been too large once broken in, but after two months of heavy use, my Skwama Vegan’s feel just as high precision as they did out of the box. In sum: A high-performance slipper-velcro hybrid that’s excellent for just about everything—and animal friendly to boot.
7. La sportiva Solution Comp
Price: $156.75 (was $209) 25% off
Our Review: The winner of our 2020 Editor’s Choice award, the Solution Comp is, as the name suggests, a gym-focused retooling of the über-classic Solution that also just so happens to excel outside.
Softer and more sensitive than its relatively stiff predecessor (Beth Rodden, remember, wore Solutions when she sent Meltdown, an ultra-technical 5.14c edge-fest in Yosemite), the Solution Comp marries the toe sensitivity of today’s sock-like bouldering shoes while retaining the stiff, aggressive structure (a function of its P3 platform) for which the OG Solution is famous. The Comp has a larger toe-scumming patch and a narrower, more traditional heel—updates that pair perfectly with the OG shoe’s tried-and-true features, including the pointy, precise toe box, the downturned P3 platform for mega “bite” on steeps and micros, and the Fast Lacing System.
In Sum: If you’re looking for a bouldering shoe that can do it all—from edging t0 smearing, heeling and toe-hooking, toeing in on steeps and balancing up granite faces—the Solution Comp might be your shoe. And if you want something a bit stiffer, try out the original Solution: it’s one of the best (and most versatile) climbing shoes EVER made.
8. La Sportiva Testarossa
Price: $164.25 (was $219) 25% off
Our review: The Testarossas have long had a cult following, so it was no surprise that our testers greeted the 2019 update with both excitement and trepidation—“Hey, don’t mess with perfection!” They need not have feared, because the new version makes a good thing even better, namely in the form of the more built-up heelcup with perforated, bright-red rubber. One tester compared both versions on an aggressive heel-hooking crux on his overhanging project: “On Big Poppa, the new heel made the crux much easier,” he raved. “Way more responsive, sensitive, and reliable.” They also toed down on the climb’s micro-divots and drop-knee nubbins like a bawse. To consider is that the retooled heel slightly changes fit, giving the shoes a narrower-feeling last but also driving greater power into the stiffened toebox to help the shoe “laser in” on small holds. In fact, the “ninja-ballerina shoe dipped in rubber” precision can be frightening, and you may feel unworthy of the Testarossas. Time to up your footwork game! Read the full review.
9. La Sportiva TC Pro
Price: $153.30 (was $219) 30% off
Our review: A stiff, all-around rock shoe ideal for all-day wear, long routes, face climbing and cracks, and even El Cap, the new TC Pro is the same granite boss as the original model, including its last and flat, stiff outsole (4 mm Vibram XS Edge). You can expect identical (read: outstanding) performance on face holds. Plus, its new ECO leather upper—which, like the first generation, molds to one’s feet—is made without heavy metals during tanning. And the shoe boasts added durability vís-a-vís small, yet meaningful, improvements. Read the full review.
10. La Sportiva Theory
Price: $149.25 ($199) 25% off
Our review: Designed for use in the gym, the Theory has wicked versatility, with reliable performance on toe-in-and-grab monster overhangs, funkedelic coordination slabs, and vertical crimp ladders. Read the full review.
Buy Women’s Theory at Backcountry
11. Scarpa Force V
Price: $117.83 (was $169) 30% off
We haven’t tested these yet. But Scarpa says: “Bringing high-performance features to a flat, less aggressive last, the redesigned Force V features a softer, more compact construction that strikes the perfect balance between all-day comfort and climbing performance.”
12. Scarpa Reflex V
Price: $47.58 (Was $118.95) 60% off
We haven’t tested these yet, but Scarpa says: “Featuring a highly breathable, stretch-knit upper combined with a microfiber footbed wrapping the big toe, the Reflex V has been designed with comfort, performance, and affordability in mind. With a flat and neutral shape, the Reflex V has been constructed to meet the needs of modern indoor climbers.”
13. Scarpa Quantic
Price: $91.83 (was $185) 50% off
Our review: The Quantic is an interesting new shoe: a medium/high-end all-arounder that does everything laudably well, is comfy and light (13.4 ounces, size 40.5), and given its softness (epic smearing!) does almost better in the gym than on rock. We had samples out with a host of testers, who sent up to 5.13 and V9 in them. Most everyone raved about comfort: Like Scarpa’s training/gym session shoe, the Veloce, the last is relaxed—but pointier and more precise, with a mild toe-bite for jibs. They are sensitive and excel on slightly overhanging terrain; however, for vert or slabby micro-edging in, say, Eldo, Rumney, or Squamish, our tester Steve recommends “something stiffer,” a sentiment seconded by two taller/larger testers. As their designer, Heinz Mariacher, says, “My intention was to offer a multi-purpose performance shoe, a mix of lightness, sensitivity, and good precision,” representing a step up into more advanced footwear for newer or intermediate climbers. Read the full review.
Buy Men’s at REI
Buy Women’s at REI
Related:
- Our Favorite Bouldering Shoes
- Our Favorite Sport Climbing Shoes
- A Beginner’s Guide to Climbing Shoes
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