Great approach shoe - Scarpa Vapor V Climbing Shoe - Womens

These were exactly what I was looking for in an approach shoe. I needed a shoe with a heel that wouldn't be destroyed when I try to put my foot in without unlacing the whole thing. The flexible heel has been great for this. I am more comfortable belaying with my whole foot in and loosely lacing them but right after I get off a climb I can put them on with the heel down and once I regain feeling in my feet I can get them on while my partner ties in. The tab on the back helps with this and is great to clip onto your harness if you plan on topping out a top rope route and walking down.

I was also really impressed by the traction on rock getting to and from the crag. I have some la sportiva trail running shoes with vibram rubber but the rubber on these is superior to those. I never use to feel stable when scrambling up or down a rocky trail but these have been amazing! They were a bit squeaky on indoor hard floors at first but this went away within a couple of wears.

Last but not least, don't doubt the canvas. I chose these over the cruzer because they looked a bit more durable and was apprehensive about both but the canvas feels solid and should hold up to quite a bit of abuse.

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.