UKH

Just looking for a little personal expereience here, I'm currently wearing the Chimera's but would like to try the Boosters. Unfortunately none of the local retailers actually have them in stock to try for size and I have read conflicting information about their sizing.

Some reviews say a half size up and annoyingly some say a half size down  (doh !). Logic would dictate straight down the middle but I would prefer not to have to pay three sets of return postage to get the right size

If you have tried both then your knowledge would be most helpful.

In reply to GravitySucks:

I have the boosters. I like them for bouldering and indoor. My measured foot length is 268mm, I have them in UK 8.5. They are tight and glove like with toes a littled curled. I don't think they'd work if they weren't. I can wear them for an hour no problem. 

In reply to GravitySucks:

I've found with Scarpa (and other brands) that the shape can vary wildly between styles. I really wanted a pair of Techno, for no particular reason other than I liked the colour, but they just didn't suit me, so I ended up with Velocity V instead.

I'd order all 3 sizes and return the 2 (or 3!) that don't fit.

In reply to GravitySucks:

There's definitely online shops where you can order 3 pairs and get free delivery and free returns. 

My experience is that the same size will work fine but bear in mind the Booster is narrower than the Chimera which may be where the uncertainty is coming from. 

In reply to LastBoyScout:

They're deliberately built with different lasts and toeboxes to fit different feet. Most manufacturers have a graphic demonstrating which shoe is on which last etc. Here is the one from Scarpa.

In reply to MischaHY:

And for different purposes, so a high performance one will have a different last to an all-day/entry level shoe.

Sorry, I didn't word my reply very well.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

No worries I suspected as much but wanted to make sure you were aware of the fit charts as they're so useful! 

Scarpa Generator looks it will be the new comfort/big day hero on the scene, btw. Worth keeping an eye out for. I was very impressed with the preview version I saw. 

In reply to GravitySucks:

I don't know about those models but in the two models of Scarpa shoes I reviewed last year my comments on fit were: 

"On sizing, I've been using both models in size 42, which is my normal shoe size in trainers and approach shoes, and the size of various Scarpa walking and mountaineering boots I've had going back to the early 90s. That's a snug but not tight fit on me. For all-day wear, your size in trainers is probably a good starting point."

https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/footwear/climbing_shoes/scarpa_quantic_and_...

In reply to MischaHY:

This ^^

To the OP:
If you look  through the Scarpa site it explains about last and width etc, just click the individual shoe for detail. You can also use simple filters - those 2 shoes are quite asymmetric, which they term classic. Try filtering for classic last:

https://www.scarpa.co.uk/climbing-shoes/?pp=all-1&by=price-asc&attr... 

In reply to TobyA:

Just to contrast this slightly in Instincts (S and Lace) I wear one size down for trad/sport climbing/harder multis and 1.5 sizes down for bouldering and harder routes. It's fairly foot shape dependent so worth being aware of this and trying multiple sizes.  

In reply to MischaHY:

https://world.scarpa.com/page/climbing-collection-structure

Does anyone else reckon the scarpa guide is way off? I know that foot shape is probably a more important factor in many ways than width (if your toes don't fit the shape of the toebox then the width won't matter anyway), but they have the Vapour V listed as "narrow": even holding them up in a shop against the Instinct range, I'd say they're wider (and they certainly fit my fat feet more comfortably!). I'd also class the Arpia as a wide shoe. There are also weird anomalies like the Drago - on paper (narrow with 'classic' toe shape) it just shouldn't suit me (wide feet, fairly square toes), but because it's so soft, I actually find them remarkably comfortable! I find that the La Sportiva fit guide (if you can find it hidden away on their website) is reasonably accurate, but the Scarpa one just doesn't match up to my experience!

Anyway, sorry to derail the topic slightly there! I suppose what I'm saying is that there's no substitute for trying them on, even if you have to pay a bit more for postage!

In reply to JRS81:

A bit possibly, a couple of pairs of the previous Vapours are my 'comfortable shoes' (not tried the current) both admittedly resoled. Certainly more accommodating than the Instinct VS and SR in the same sizes. Some of that is the fastening and general worn-in-ness, but on particularly 'fat feet' days it can be a challenge getting the VS on.

Quite like the look of the new Vapour S but noticed they were similarly labelled 'narrow'. Has anyone used these yet?

In reply to JRS81: I think it's important to separate narrow from low volume, but then you need a toe box shape that fits as well.  I loved the Mk2 green vapours, the new ones, don't fit my moderately wide feet as well as instincts. 

Steve - I got a pair of the Instinct slippers and thanks to the big change in the toe box (it's flexible and stretches to fit a lot and well) I found these really comfortable very fast even tho' as a slipper they're a p.i.t.a. to get on/off.  I'm not tempted to test the Vapour slipper

I'm downsizing intincts down 1 -1,5 from streetsize 42

In reply to GravitySucks:

I've worn both, I went for the same size but really regretted the purchase, the heel on the Booster was the baggiest things ever. Completely different shape of shoe, I'll now never buy a shoe without trying it on first. The Booster is a brilliant shoe however that heel was the worst for me on any scarpa i've ever worn and I've worn loads of them. My advice would be find a retailer that stocks them to try or don't buy them.

In reply to GravitySucks:

How tight do you like to wear your shoes? It makes a massive difference to fitting in my experience 

If you actually wear shoes in a comfy ISH size then having the perfect shape matters more where as if you wear them really tight then you can buy pretty much any of the technical Scarpa shoes in the same size and they will fit in the end after the break in period

Booster s seem to be a tiny bit harder to break in compared to the new chimera but similar to the old yellow chimera, I thought they were a slightly smaller size and also a bit narrower in the toe box with more tension over the top of the toes which was a slight problem for me 

Didn't mind the heel but much prefer the drago or furia heel

In reply to GravitySucks:

Not that you have done this but a bit of a PSA: scarpa shoes are made using euro-size lasts so try them on using euro sizes as the measure for something more meaningful - the conversion to UK is a bit ropey, especially around 8.5/9 IIRC.

In reply to GravitySucks:

I'm a 44.5 in street shoe. Wear 43.5 Vapors (I like them even though they're not the ideal shape for my foot) and 44 in Boostics/Boosters. 

Depends how tight you like your shoes though. I'd go half a size down from SS but you might like pain more than me?