For steep climbing, bouldering, and gym climbing, the Shakra is a great option. They are easy to take on and off, provide comfort for hours, and perform at a high level in most styles of climbing. The Shakras are soft in the midsole, so they don't do great on dime-edges or super-technical slabs, but otherwise, these shoes are a good option for the all-arounder.go to full review

The Scarpa Arpia is a comfortable Velcro slipper with a slight downturn and a soft midsole. We liked these shoes for bouldering and gym climbing, where we kept our shoes on for a few hours during a session. Their easy-to-use Velcro strap and quick break-in period made the Arpias some of the more comfortable shoes we've tested, but they still managed to maintain a high level of performance due to their sticky soles and slightly aggressive shape.go to full review

We found these shoes to fit comfortably on all day endeavors, while still inspiring confidence in small footholds. We had a few hang-ups with the lacing system, but overall the downsides were small. We also appreciated that these shoes are made right here in California, only a few hours' drive away from the granite crucible where most of our testing occurred. Though they are not well-known or easy to find in retail stores, the Up Lace seemed like a great investment to us.go to full review

The La Sportiva Genius is purpose-built for the rigors of steep climbing, and in our testing it performed exceptionally well on this sort of terrain. We wore it while bouldering, sport climbing, and even ascending bouldery overhanging trad climbs, and loved the generous downturn and incredibly sensitive construction. On steep limestone, the shoe was responsive on toe and heel hooks. While edging and toeing in on steep conglomerate and sandstone, the Genius stuck well to miniscule footholds...." go to full review

“Kevlar” was the word that jumped to my mind the first time I handled Black Diamond’s new Solution Guide Harness—the outer fabric, dubbed Super Fabric by BD, felt like it would be damn-near bulletproof. It isn’t, to be sure; but after putting it through the wringer on real rock, my first impressions proved correct: this thing is pretty dang granite-proof, sandstone-proof, limestone-proof, etc. There’s no rock that’s going to tear or abrade this thing.  go to full review

This is actually the first Boreal shoe I’ve ever worn, and thus far I’ve quite enjoyed it. Built on the same last as the Boreal Satori, the Ninja shoe is exactly what you want out of a slipper—easy to put on while still snug and soft, with a nice contoured fit. The tongue’s elasticity allows for a quick break-in, and you don’t need to worry about throwing out your back while getting it on for the first few sessions.go to full review

I took the Tendon Master Pro 9.2 to Wyoming for some good old-fashioned summer-time sport climbing. Out of the “box,” the Master Pro never kinked or twisted in annoying ways, even when lowering through drop-ins and quick links. Even better, the bold and wide black middle marker is hard to miss.go to full review

The first few times while switching modes, I had to pay close attention to the diagrams on the device. Also, feeding rope while in brake-assist mode was initially clunky, and my partner rained vulgarities upon me after I short-roped her at the crux of a Boulder Canyon sport route on day one of testing. However, even though the Giga Jul has the longest learning curve of any tube-style device I’ve used, once I was up to speed I loved its multi-functionality. (Watch the online demo videos and..." go to full review

Working off the tried-and-true, radically downturned, single-strap-closure template, Unparallel has created a fleet gym/bouldering/sport-cave shoe with power and precision on its mind. “The Regulus really stood out at Wall of the Nineties in Clear Creek Canyon, Colorado, where decades of climbing have left the footholds glossy and polished,” said our tester, who plied the boots on the thin, gneissic edging of Ten-Digit Dialing (5.12c). “The (shoe) might as well have been Velcro the..." go to full review

The Mastia is an interesting shoe, more high-volume than Tenaya’s other offerings, with a rounded—almost blunted—toe that’s been sculpted for edging. It’s also a soft shoe, which means that lighter climbers will likely feel greater control and support—one tester, a petite woman, raved, “The Mastia was excellent on overhung limestone—you can’t get much more precise than that,” after using it on the smooth dolomite of Wild Iris and appreciating how fluently the shoe stood on micro-spikes and..." go to full review