How to Choose Rock Climbing Shoes

Made to climb everywhere you do—indoors and out—the men's Scarpa Arpia V climbing shoes pair comfy uppers with full-coverage sticky rubber. Dual straps make them easy to get out of between projects.
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Imported.
View all Scarpa Men's Climbing ShoesBest Use | Rock Climbing |
---|---|
Climbing Shoe Type | Moderate |
Last | Slip-lasted |
Upper | Microsuede microfiber |
Outsole | 3.5 mm Vibram XS Grip 2 rubber |
Footwear Closure | Strap |
Can Be Resoled | Yes |
Gender | Men's |
Weight (Pair) | 1 lb. 1.2 oz. |
Climbing Shoe Volume | High |
6.5 | 7 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 38 EU | 38.5 EU | 39 EU | 39.5 EU | 40 EU | 40.5 EU | 41 EU | 41.5 EU | 42 EU | 42.5 EU | 43 EU | 43.5 EU | 44 EU | 44.5 EU | 45 EU | 45.5 EU | 46 EU | 46.5 EU | 47 EU | 48 EU | 49 EU | 50 EU | |
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U.S. Men's | 6.5 | 7 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 5.5+ | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 7.5+ | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 9.5+ | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 11.5+ | 12 | 12.5 | 13 | 14 | 14.5 | 15 |
UK | 5.5 | 6 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
EU | 39 | 39.5 | 41 | 41.5 | 42 | 42.5 | 43.5 | 44 | 44.5 | 46 | 47 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Mondo | 24.5 | 25 | 26 | 26.5 | 27 | 27.5 | 28 | 28.5 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 24 | 24.5 | 25 | 25.5 | 26 | 26.5 | 27 | 27.5 | 28 | 28.5 | 29 | 29.5 | 30 | 30.5 | 31 | 32 | 32.5 | 33 |
Rock Shoes: Scarpa recommends you downsize 1/2 to 2 full sizes from street shoe size, though downsizing depends on shoe model, intended use and personal preference.
Mountaineering: Scarpa recommends you upsize 1/2 size or more depending on desired fit. Scarpa plastic mountaineering boots are based on the UK sizing scale.
Ski Boots: All Scarpa ski bootsare measured in Mondo sizing.Highlighted (or not) sizes share the same shell size; the liners are lasted for each 1/2 size. Some skiers may want to downsize up to 1 full Mondo size, depending upon personal preference.
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Wore them for 4 months as my second pair shoes, I would highly recommend if you’re looking to upgrade from your beginner shoes. Good Intro into performance shoes. Great all around climbing, they can smear when you need but also edge as well. Not the BEST at anything but they have the ability to do everything which I liked. I gym climb and climb outdoors and were pretty good for both, not the best outdoor shoe but they were good. I downsized 1 size and they fit perfect from the beginning but not everyone’s foot is the same so I would try them on if you can, break in wasn’t bad it took 2-3 sessions. A little pricey but I got them on sale, so if you find them at a lower price totally worth.
A rare shoe with a full sole of Vibram XS Grip 2 - most shoes with this rubber are split sole or may only have it in the heel for better hooking. This shoe having a full sole does a lot for support, and as a tall and therefore heavy climber, I really benefit from the combination of stiffness and grip here that's super hard to find in other shoes. These seem to run a bit longer than most Scarpa shoes. I ordered a 50 expecting a fit closer to my Instinct VS, then when it was too big (rarely happens at US 15/EU 50 street shoe size), I returned for the 49, which would have been a super comfortable fit at first but I know due to the materials it would deform and stretch out. I got these Arpia Vs in a 48, which is the smallest Scarpa shoe I've bought, and after a few slightly uncomfortable sessions, they are WAY more comfortable than my Instinct VS at 50, my Vapor Vs at 50, my Veloces at 49 and really any other climbing shoe I've owned. Never had a shoe I could downsize this much that also didn't have an egregious hot spot. The lined upper is excellent for comfort, and I'm a huge fan of the more medial side toe point that doesn't pull your big toe as tight into the middle of the foot as the Instincts and Vapor Vs do. I will say they are probably the most narrow Scarpa shoe I've owned, with the Vapor V taking second. I'm not upset by it, but as far as width goes, the other shoes in Scarpa's range fit me better there, but they all have problems and the Arpia V is the least problematic for me. I've seen a lot of complaints about the heel, and I understand most of them. I have a weird foot shape, fairly flat with a wide heel and wide toebox, so my heel fits in wonderfully, but if you have a low volume heel, the LV may be the better option or there may just be a better fitting shoe for you in general. The wonkier thing for me is that since this shoe doesn't have an elastic bootie or sock style upper closure, the upper kind of bags up on top of my foot. It's not a problem in that it doesn't affect performance, but this is the first shoe that's done this for me, and I wonder about certain things like the material getting caught on a screw when toe hooking/bicycling. One thing that's very strange to me (and perhaps this is where they saved on the cost of the Vibram XS Grip full-length sole) is how narrow and low the rubber patch is on the heel. Nearly every heel hook I've done with these felt unsupported and like I was just using my heel and not the rubber, whereas I normally feel supported in my Instincts and Veloces on the heels. Overall huge fan, and big thank you to Scarpa for making shoes that are comfortable and perform well in a size 50. It's extraordinarily tough to find a good shoe as a big climber with big feet, so I really appreciate it.
It’s a good shoe, secures to the foot very nicely and has very responsive sensitive rubber. The Rand is pretty good, the toe is a love it or hate it kind of thing. The toe has a good stiff point but it’s also quite rounded which has its benefits but not for me. I ended up returning these shoes mainly for the heel which is pretty narrow and left me with a lot of dead space, making it really hard to trust a heel hook since it left my foot slipping around a lot. Overall a better than average mid range shoe.
Really great shoe. It was my first pair of moderately downturned climbing shoes and they took a little getting used to. However, once they were broken in, they fit great! I usually wear a size 10.5 in street shoe sizes but got these in a 43 which should be around a 10. Downsizing half a size was a great idea for me. I have a pretty wide foot so the toe box fit great. Out of the box it was a little snug but not painful; just how it should be according to a lot of forums or videos I have seen in the past. The only reason these shoes are getting 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the fit around the heel. For me personally, I have a more narrow heel, so the heel of the Arpias was a little too big for me. It made heel hooking really tough since my heel would shift around in the shoe. This might not be the case for you. If you can try them on in person before ordering, definitely do! If the heel of these shoes fits you better than it did for me, they will be a perfect pair of climbing shoes. It took a couple sessions to break them in, but once they stretched, they couldn't have been any more comfortable. The more moderate downturn really made a difference in my climbing because now I am able to feel stable and secure on smaller foot holds. Something that I felt was holding me back from climbing harder grades. They helped me get over my fear of falling off of small holds. The downturn and stiffness was really able to help me feel like I can pull harder with my feet and keep tension on climbs a lot easier. Overall, I feel a lot better on the wall with these on.
This is the best climbing shoe I’ve worn in a long time.
beginner to intermediate climber - would recommend to anybody else around my level. very comfortable and no weird pressure points
I’ve had these for half a year now and I really enjoy these at the gym. Scarpa fits my feet the best by far (compared with Sportiva and Tenaya). They wear fairly quickly but the grip is nice and I rarely find myself in a situation where I don’t trust it. Street 47 and 46.5 in these so a fairly comfortable fit. Loose fitting heel which I personally don’t mind, but you may experience heel lift. I’d recommend sizing down one full size from street for the best performance. Favorite shoe so far.
Got these about 3 weeks ago, they’re perfectly formed to my feet and feel pretty good for downsizing 3 US sizes. Haven’t tried them outdoors yet, but indoor they’re great, and the rubber is great.