UKH

The Scarpa Instinct VS fits my feet perfectly and I use them when edging is key. However, even after extensive use I find them pretty clumpy and insensitive, and sometimes revert to an old pair of Anasazis for more sensitivity.

So I would welcome suggestions for more sensitive (not necessarily super soft) shoes with a similar fit to the Scarpa Instinct VS. I much prefer velcro closure to laces. There is the Scarpa Instinct VSR of course, but I am interested to hear about other options too.

Thanks!

In reply to ericinbristol:

Instinct VSR seems like the obvious choice? I'm on my first pair of VSs and still in 'keeping for best' mode so don't have a ton of experience with them. I'm also getting on well with the SR slipper, mostly bouldering.

In reply to steveriley:

Agreed Steve - sorry, I edited my OP adding that but also asking for alternatives

In reply to ericinbristol:

I too found the Instinct VS clumpy. The new Boostic is a much better fit for me. It's stiff and vastly more sensitive than the Instinct.

Andy F

In reply to ericinbristol:

Ha, thought I'd misread your message until I saw the little 'edit' button
Interested in thoughts you get outside my Scarpa safe space, slightly bewildered by choice elsewhere!

In reply to ericinbristol: Mago is what I'd suggest.  The lacing makes it extremely flexible fit wise, and it's very soft outside the support under the big toe.

Decidedly not clumpy

In reply to steveriley:

Yep, sorry, I should have put 'Edit:' before the added text to make it clear.

If I find something other than the VSR I'll post about it

In reply to Andy Farnell:

Thanks. If the new Boostic is a much better fit for you than the Instinct VS, it's liable to be a much worse fit for me. But maybe not - I will try them on.

In reply to wbo2:

Thanks for the suggestion. I would have to overcome my dislike of lace up shoes - haven't worn lace up shoes for many years now.

In reply to ericinbristol:

Might be worth trying Drago’s? Very soft and sensitive shoe compared to the VS line. I find the fit pretty similar to the VS line.

In reply to ericinbristol:

If your big toe is the longest toe then the Boostics will probably fit very well. I went 0.5 Euro up from the Instinct VS and they are perfect for me.

Andy F

In reply to Andy Farnell:

The toe next to my big toe is the longest one (Morton's toe), so the Boostic sounds like the wrong shape for me unfortunately 

In reply to ericinbristol:

A friend in the same position as you recently bought both Solution Comps and Geniuses for more sensitive shoes and is getting on well with both.

In reply to Exile:

Excellent, many thanks. I will check them out. 

In reply to CMcBain:

Thanks, will check it out 

In reply to ericinbristol:

I have the solution comps.Stretched laterally in volume  in the forefoot made it much easier to get all my toes to the front.(I have Greek fooshape).The heel is soft and don't really fit my feet.in shape.Differen to the instinct heel imo Performance wise they feel like a la sportiva equivalent to the old Scarpa booster S.So very precise but very soft.Great shoes for somewhere like Kalymnos or the Red River gorge.

In reply to racodemisa:

Thanks. They are on my list of shoes to try on

In reply to ericinbristol:

Thought I would report back on my efforts to find a soft shoe to complement my Instinct VSs.

Instinct VSR: too similar to the VS to be worth getting.

Solution Comp, Skwama: fit felt wrong.

La Sportiva Theory: good fit but softer than I was looking for.

Drago: Great fit, amazing smearing and sensitivity, superior toe hooking/dragging (something I do a lot) with much stickier rubber on the top of the toes than the Instinct VS. Looking at them I didn't expect them to fit so well. On paper they are wrong for my feet. I have gone with these. Tried them on my garage wall last night and was happy.

Thanks to those who posted suggestions in the thread. 

In reply to ericinbristol:

I was in a similar position for a few years. I have wide feet and most shoes that put everything through the big toe seem to twist my feet in a way that doesn't help. Instincts are/were perfect. I wanted something softer and more sensitive than a VSR to use alongside the VS. I have had pairs of both Booster S and Magos, neither of which fitted as well as the Instincts although I found the Magos to be very good in specific circumstances (small pockets where I need to pull down on the toe very hard.) Eventually I decided to try a Drago, which I expected to be a poor fit due to the way Scarpa categorises the last on their website - but in fact they are great, and fast becoming my go-to shoe for most boulders. I take them out with a pair of VS, and the VSR have been relegated to home board or indoor use.

Before I discovered Instincts I used to wear 5.10s, lots of pairs of Anasazis and, later on, Teams and a model I forget the name of that was basically a velcro Dragon. These all fitted me ok but the Instinct was better when it arrived. All La Sportiva shoes have always been too narrow.

So Scarpa Dragos are definitely worth a try, but everyone's feet are different.

Edit: I didn't realise I was replying too late until now, but glad you seem to have come to the same conclusion and it has worked out

In reply to Si dH:

Ha! That's cool. Exactly the same fundamental story. Goes to show that we need to focus on fit and ignore most of the stuff on manufacturers' websites

In reply to ericinbristol:

Hi Eric. Do you think Dragos are as wide a fit as Instinct VS and VSR? If so, sounds like they'd suit me very well.

In reply to bpmclimb:

Hi Brian. Officially they aren't but in reality they are. I have wide forefeet and narrow heels and they suit me really well 

In reply to ericinbristol:

You can filter the Scarpa website by last- classic for the big toe longest, centre for well, centre- instinct, Vapour etc

In reply to mrjonathanr:

Yes thanks. However I found that misleading - things that shouldn't fit did and vice versa