How to Choose Rock Climbing Shoes

For boulder problems and sport routes that require precise footwork on micro features, the evolv Shaman Lace LV climbing shoes excel with their asymmetric lacing system that ensures a secure fit.
Imported.
View all evolv Women's Climbing ShoesBest Use | Rock Climbing |
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Climbing Shoe Type | Aggressive |
Last | Slip-lasted |
Upper | Synthetic lux microsuede |
Lining | Synthetic suede (toe box and heel only) |
Outsole | 4.2 mm TRAX high-friction rubber |
Footwear Closure | Lace-up |
Can Be Resoled | Yes |
Gender | Women's |
Weight (Pair) | 1 lb. 4.5 oz. |
Climbing Shoe Volume | Low |
5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 | 13 | 5 Womens/4 Mens | 5.5 Womens/4.5 Mens | 6 Womens/5 Mens | 6.5 Womens/5.5 Mens | 7 Womens/6 Mens | 7.5 Womens/6.5 Mens | 8 Womens/7 Mens | 8.5 Womens/7.5 Mens | 9 Womens/8 Mens | 9.5 Womens/8.5 Mens | 10 Womens/9 Mens | 10.5 Womens/9.5 Mens | 11 Womens/10 Mens | 11.5 Womens/10.5 Mens | 12 Womens/11 Mens | 12.5 Womens/11.5 Mens | 13 Womens/12 Mens | 13.5 Womens/12.5 Mens | |
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U.S. Women's | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 | 13 | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 | 13 | 13.5 |
U.S. Men's | 4 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 4 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 |
EU | 35.5 | 36 | 37 | 37.5 | 38 | 39 | 39.5 | 40 | 41 | 41.5 | 42 | 42.5 | 43 | 44 | 44.5 | 45 | 46 | 35.5 | 36 | 37 | 37.5 | 38 | 39 | 39.5 | 40 | 41 | 41.5 | 42 | 42.5 | 43 | 44 | 44.5 | 45 | 46 | 46.5 |
Evolv shoes are not designed to be downsized.
Evolv sizing uses three categories of fit: Max Performance, Performance, and Comfort.
Max Performance : Choose street shoe size. Ultra-snug fit to deliver the maximum possible performance.
Performance : Choose street shoe size and add .5 to 1.0 size. Snug fit for longer sessions.
Comfort : Choose street shoe size and add 1.0 to 1.5 sizes. Comfortable fit for multi-pitch or entry level.
VOLUME
All Evolv climbing shoes come in Low Volume and Medium Volume models.
Low Volume : Designed for a maximum performance fit and lower volume foot shapes.
Medium Volume : Designed for a performance fit and average volume foot shapes.
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The Shaman lace up LV has been my absolute favorite shoe since it came out. The flexibility in the midsole, along with the downturn and edging ability make it such a great shoe for all types of terrain. The Shaman Lace LV fit my foot perfectly (1/2 size up from street size) straight out of the box and I was instantly comfortable trying hard wearing them. They are also amazingly comfortable for an aggressive shoe. Highly recommend trying these, especially if you enjoy small crimps and overhang!
I went with the sizing recommendations online (I'm a USW 7 street, 7.5 running, and bought these in 7.5). They are very aggressively sized and I could have definitely gone with an 8 if I wanted a more comfy fit (maybe even 8.5 for all-day comfort at the expense of performance). That said, I wanted a performance bouldering shoe and that's what I got. They are pretty stiff, so for me a good compliment to my softer shoes. They stay on my small heel for very aggressive heel hooking without digging into my achilles and are bomber for technical toe hooks.
Love this shoe, can't wear anything else. The shape of the toe is just perfect for hooking onto little tiny footholds and the heel is nice and fitted. I do experience some issues with toe hooking because of the lack of rubber over the laces but there really isn't anything evolv can do about that. I've tried the regular shamans and the shaman pros but the extra nuanced fit I can get with the lace ups make it my favorite shoe. Plus the color scheme is nice to look at :) In terms of wear my shoe laces are fraying, but my shoes are already worn down to the rand (?? Is that the word) so that's fine.
*haven't climbed in these yet* because the size I ordered is way to small, so I can't speak to their performance--I'm sure they are great based on how awesome my other evolv's are. However, the general sizing across evolv seems pretty inconsistent (this is mostly difficult when ordering online obviously). In general they run very small even though marketing suggests they are comparable to your street size, when they clearly are not. I wear a women's street shoe size 8 and my other evolv shoes (the Shakra) are size women's 9/EU 40 and they are pretty snug but comfortable. The size chart for these Shaman's compare women's 9 to EU 41, and I ordered that size anyway assuming they would also run pretty small. They were way too small, way tighter than my other evolv shoes and I couldn't imagine even wanting to break them in because they were too uncomfortable even for someone looking for a snug "performance fit." If I ordered again I would probably go for a women's 10. Not saying that I don't recommend these, this is solely just a note on sizing.
I love these shoes - the rubber is solid and sturdy, super sticky. The heel fits really well and stays in place (I have a pretty narrow heel and have struggled with previous shoes). Great for toe and heel hooks. But they are impossible small. I highly recommend trying them on in person - I ended up going up two full sizes and they’re still the absolute tightest fit for sport climbing.
I really liked these shoes but they run pretty small so I did have to return them. Unfortunately since they’re not sold in the store I had to buy them online and couldn’t try them on prior to purchasing. For reference I wear a 38 in La Sportiva and 38.5 in Scarpa. It is worth mentioning that I broke my foot and it healed weird so it can effect the sizing of some shoes.