Scarpa Instinct VS WMN Women's Climbing shoes-34

Bought in 1 EU size down. Compared with La Sportiva Solution Women's that I have with 1.5 EU size down which I wear comfortably after 2 sessions, this pair is very much harder to break-in, and the toe box is narrower. I still feel pain in the big toe knuckles after 5 sessions of bouldering. Yet a good pair of climbing shoes with sticky rubber.

Best shoe I've ever owned

I have small heels, and have struggled for years to find a shoe that actually fits my narrow/small heels. In the past, I have never been able to securely heel hook anything because the heel slides out of even very aggressive shoes. But these shoes changed that completely and I am able to heel hook securely. I know that there are also men who also enjoy the women's version of this shoe because of the smaller heel; honestly if there was a version that had even smaller heels I would definitely buy that but for now these are as perfect as shoes can get for me. I have gone through two pairs already and these are the only shoes I will continue buying. There is one area where my second toe pushes against the top a bit hard and that tends to wear out more quickly, but other ... MoreI have small heels, and have struggled for years to find a shoe that actually fits my narrow/small heels. In the past, I have never been able to securely heel hook anything because the heel slides out of even very aggressive shoes. But these shoes changed that completely and I am able to heel hook securely. I know that there are also men who also enjoy the women's version of this shoe because of the smaller heel; honestly if there was a version that had even smaller heels I would definitely buy that but for now these are as perfect as shoes can get for me. I have gone through two pairs already and these are the only shoes I will continue buying. There is one area where my second toe pushes against the top a bit hard and that tends to wear out more quickly, but other than that this is a shoe that I can wear for 3-hour long sessions at the gym and hard projects and never feel like I have to take it off.

Excellent Performance

They are tighter than the regular Instinct VS due to the narrower profile. The performance is equally astounding. Been using the VS/VSR for half a decade now. The women’s version has a prettier color. I’d say go half a size up from the male version. I ordered the same as the male and it’s a much tighter fit. Not unbearable, but would prefer a bit more space.

Good Curve for and Aggressive Shoe

I've had these shoes for nearly a year now, and may attribute the lack of wear and tear to my lower climbing frequency (I climb about once per week during the spring through autumn and take winters off.) But they've still held up remarkably well against outdoor boulders and indoor routes alike. They're fantastic for overhung routes and for when I need something a little more intense.I definitely recommend adding 0.5-1 size to your usual shoe size. I usually wear a 36 in regular shoes, and decided on size 36.5 for these Instincts, but sometimes wonder if I should've gotten size 37 (even though it may have resulted in too much room in the heel, as the heel cup in size 36.5 already holds a little bit of air).My toes ended up slightly stacked on top of each other, ... MoreI've had these shoes for nearly a year now, and may attribute the lack of wear and tear to my lower climbing frequency (I climb about once per week during the spring through autumn and take winters off.) But they've still held up remarkably well against outdoor boulders and indoor routes alike. They're fantastic for overhung routes and for when I need something a little more intense.I definitely recommend adding 0.5-1 size to your usual shoe size. I usually wear a 36 in regular shoes, and decided on size 36.5 for these Instincts, but sometimes wonder if I should've gotten size 37 (even though it may have resulted in too much room in the heel, as the heel cup in size 36.5 already holds a little bit of air).My toes ended up slightly stacked on top of each other, but it's not too bad (considering my three middle toes are the same length and most other shoes force those three to stack even worse).

Good climbing shoe, long break in period

I got the instincts recently in both the men’s and women’s versions (I wanted the men’s for outdoors because they have the harder XS Edge rubber and the women’s for indoor because of the softer XS Grip 2 rubber).I wear a size 8 (41) street shoe and got the men’s in 41 and the women’s in 41.5 since they’re lower volume (and in case anyone is interested in sizing between men’s and women’s, that half size difference seems to make them fit very similarly). The fit is pretty good, though definitely snug, and there is some pain through the break in period.So far, they seem like a good shoe, but the break in period is long. After probably 5-7 indoor climbing days, I still get pain on my big toes and have to tape them to be able to wear the shoes with reasonable comfort. ... MoreI got the instincts recently in both the men’s and women’s versions (I wanted the men’s for outdoors because they have the harder XS Edge rubber and the women’s for indoor because of the softer XS Grip 2 rubber).I wear a size 8 (41) street shoe and got the men’s in 41 and the women’s in 41.5 since they’re lower volume (and in case anyone is interested in sizing between men’s and women’s, that half size difference seems to make them fit very similarly). The fit is pretty good, though definitely snug, and there is some pain through the break in period.So far, they seem like a good shoe, but the break in period is long. After probably 5-7 indoor climbing days, I still get pain on my big toes and have to tape them to be able to wear the shoes with reasonable comfort. From the reviews I’ve read online, apparently it will get better, but some people said it takes as many as 20 wears to get a true break in.Other than that, I find I get pretty good performance from the shoe. Good edging and pretty good grip (probably slightly better with the women’s version), thought my feet feel a little clumsy as I wait for the shoes to break in more. Smearing isn’t great, but I suppose that’s expected in a shoe that is a bit more aggressive.Overall, I’m pretty happy with the shoe, and hoping they break in a bit better.

Great first moderate shoe!

I love these shoes! For reference, I wear a women's tennis shoe size of about 7, and I do mostly indoor gym climbing in the US.I normally fit 5.5 in other moderate/aggressive climbing shoes, but this shoe seems to run a 1/2 size small, so the 6's in these fit well. They are a great step up from my LaSportiva Tarantulace shoes (also size 6, but stretched out). The moderate downturn and tighter fit make a huge difference!I also tried on the Skwama, Vapor V, and Miura, but this shoe was the only one that fit my narrow flat feet. This shoe had the least amount of "bunched up" of fabric under the velcro strap, so they hug my flat feet better. This shoe also had the tightest-fitting heel; however, it is still just a tad large (I can squish the sides by about 1/4 inch ... MoreI love these shoes! For reference, I wear a women's tennis shoe size of about 7, and I do mostly indoor gym climbing in the US.I normally fit 5.5 in other moderate/aggressive climbing shoes, but this shoe seems to run a 1/2 size small, so the 6's in these fit well. They are a great step up from my LaSportiva Tarantulace shoes (also size 6, but stretched out). The moderate downturn and tighter fit make a huge difference!I also tried on the Skwama, Vapor V, and Miura, but this shoe was the only one that fit my narrow flat feet. This shoe had the least amount of "bunched up" of fabric under the velcro strap, so they hug my flat feet better. This shoe also had the tightest-fitting heel; however, it is still just a tad large (I can squish the sides by about 1/4 inch on each side), but I only notice it being a problem when I try to heel hook on small ledges. These also tend to pull on the achilles (good luck finding a shoe that doesn't!), so I stick a piece of athletic tape over the tendon.Overall, I would highly recommend these shoes. They have a comfortable toe box, good ankle mobility, grippy rubber on the toe for toe hooks (great for crack climbing as well), and stiff rubber along the back of the heel for heel hooks. I have also been able to wear these for 2-3 hours at the gym without having to take them off, although they do take about 30 minutes to break in each time I go to the gym.I have had no issues with the durability of the material after climbing with them for 100+ hours.

Great overall bouldering shoe

This is my favorite shoe to climb in. I got about a year and a half of use out of my previous pair of Instincts before noticing that the rubber was getting too worn, so I got a new pair and sized down half a size. The break-in process was relatively quick, only a couple sessions! I think these are great overall bouldering shoes, but I especially love them for any type of overhanging problems involving heel and toe hooks - the rubber and grip is unmatched.

Sick bouldering shoes

Huge upgrade from my five tens. Used them a dozen times now and I couldn’t have picked out a better pair. I climb mainly indoors, strict bouldering, it’s definitely gets better after 5 climbing sessions. I have very minimal arch so it took some getting used to. Very sensitive to the holds, love the traction. I’ve been missing out this whole time. Didn’t know it could get better!!!!

Size up a full size

I loved my Vapor V’s, and I ended up loving these Instinct VS’s too. I am a U.S. women’s 6 in street shoe size ( such as Vans, Nike, Under Armour, etc.) and bought these in one full size up, which is a 38.5. This is the exact same size I have the Vapor V’s in. As some others mentioned, the heel area is slightly wider than the Vapor V’s (as you can see in my photo). This didn’t affect me personally, but everyone’s feet are different.I require a wider toe box because I have bunions, so I was worried at first because the toe box felt very stiff and too narrow, but turned out to stretch out enough that it wasn’t a problem. At rest, my toes are curled just the right amount to be able to stick onto the tiniest holds when climbing.For me, there was little to no ... MoreI loved my Vapor V’s, and I ended up loving these Instinct VS’s too. I am a U.S. women’s 6 in street shoe size ( such as Vans, Nike, Under Armour, etc.) and bought these in one full size up, which is a 38.5. This is the exact same size I have the Vapor V’s in. As some others mentioned, the heel area is slightly wider than the Vapor V’s (as you can see in my photo). This didn’t affect me personally, but everyone’s feet are different.I require a wider toe box because I have bunions, so I was worried at first because the toe box felt very stiff and too narrow, but turned out to stretch out enough that it wasn’t a problem. At rest, my toes are curled just the right amount to be able to stick onto the tiniest holds when climbing.For me, there was little to no break-in period. I was able to climb for 2-3 hrs my first time wearing them, and I was impressed that I was able to complete routes with them that I didn’t think I could before. At first, I was wary because they were slightly slippery at first, but that comes with every new pair typically. They started to feel stickier after several climbs.

Weird Got From Heal to Toe

I climbed in these once and really disliked them. I had the Vapor Vs and I loved them so thought I'd try these instead. The toe box is super tight while the heel is incredibly big. My feet were squished in the toe and had gaps in the heel. They were quite uncomfortable to climb in and the heel was super clunky.