The Scarpa Vapor V is an upper-middle end climbing shoe available in both women’s (light blue) and men’s (yellow) versions. Aside from slight differences in fit and size, the shoes perform very similarly from what I have seen.

The Bottom Line

(4.5 / 5)

The Scarpa Vapor Vs are an excellent pair of shoes that I (as someone who climbs 2-3 times per week) can’t see any reason to upgrade any time soon. They support being re-soled fairly well, but watch out for the small size of the rubber patch over the top of the toe.

• Good level of aggression for overhanging routes
• Precise rubber soles with great grip but good firmness for small holds
• Comparably-priced for what they are
• Slightly lacking rubber over the toe
• Quite long, flappy velcro!

Purchasing

The Scarpa Vapor Vs are pretty well ubiquitous in climbing shoe sections, that I have seen anyway. They retail at an RRP of £155 from Scarpa, but you can usually get them for at or a little bit over £100 (e.g. from Bananafingers or Amazon). Be aware that sizes are often different, so try before you buy – and supporting real, physical shops is always nice too!

General Use

In general use, the Scarpa Vapor V is an excellent climbing shoe. Grippy and soft on slabs and when smearing, but with the right amount of stiffness to hold on to tiny footholds and the required aggression for overhanging routes. They work well both in the gym and at the crag, and, because they have less downturn than some high-end shoes, wearing them for long periods of time is no less comfortable than it needs to be.

I will go into their performance on different types of route more below, but now seems like a good time to talk about their (few) drawbacks.

First, a really minor one: the velcro straps that fasten the shoe are really long, extending a full inch beyond the end of the velcro underneath (on my feet anyway – if you have wider feet this will be less noticeable). This has very little impact on performance, but does mean that the ends of the straps flap about and, very occasionally, get caught.

Secondly, and slightly more importantly, the rubber over the top of the toe box on these shoes is quite small, covering only the inside (big toe side). In the last nearly two years of use I’ve put on these shoes, this becomes noticeable: the rest of the toe box, where it’s not protected by the rubber, has got damaged by all the toe-hooking. Again, nothing major – but if your climbing style is heavy on toe hooks, it might be something to watch out for.

Slabs & Small Footholds

From the factory, the Scarpa Vapor Vs come which a fairly crisp edge on their Vibram XS Edge soles, which make a good match for even the smallest holds on slabs. In almost all but the most extreme cases, the limitation of slab climbing with these is in your own balance, and not the shoe’s ability. That being said, as with any shoe, the edges do dull with use and mine were ready for re-soling after about a year and a quarter. Unlike some shoes I have used, they have a good edge all the way round the head of the foot, so using the outside of your foot on small holds is no problem. The soles aren’t the stiffest (which is a good thing for grip), but does mean that, especially when using the outside of your foot, you may find that small holds become more of a smear with the whole sole rather than a precise edge.

Overhang

Given the only moderate aggression (how downturned the toes are) of these shoes, they aren’t the magnets for overhanging holds that, say, the La Sportiva Solutions are – but, in my view, they strike a great balance. In my nearly two years climbing with these shoes, I’ve never felt that the shoes were the limiting factor in a climb. The aggression you get from them does well on overhangs and really helps get into the smaller holds. The only issue here, which I mentioned above, is that the top of the toe-box doesn’t have very much rubber – with enough toe-hooking, the microfibres upper will wear through.

Care and Resoling

As with any climbing shoe, they will wear over time. At first, this is a good thing: it makes them first your feet better and they become more comfortable. During this phase, care of the shoes is really simple: the only thing I made sure was to store them in a way that stopped them getting smelly (the enemy of all climbing shoes). My favourite way to do this is using Boot Bananas, which absorb moisture and neutralise smell. For the price, they’re absolutely worth it – and, in my experience, last much longer than the advertised 6 months.

After the happy wearing-in period, the wear does start to become damage. The edges of the sole will start to round over and, eventually, the toes will start to develop holes. This is normal with any well-used climbing shoe and, if you catch it in time, is entirely fixable. When the edge starts to dull its a sign that your shoes need re-soling – don’t wait until the tubber ‘rand’, which is the protective rubber round the edge of the shoe, starts to wear as that will have to be replaced too if work out, which adds a bit to the price. I sent my Scarpa Vapor Vs to Torquil in Llanberis – we’ve got a whole post on resoling coming soon!

Summary

In summary, then, if you’ve been climbing for a bit and are looking for your first ‘nice’ climbing shoes, or you’re a more seasoned climber looking for an upgrade, the Vapor Vs are a really great option – their price to value ratio is, in my opinion, excellent, especially when bought from climbing centres, who often offer discounts.