EVOLV Phantom Rock Climbing Shoe for Bouldering & Sport Climbing

I went true to size and they were initially very tight on my feet. After a little break-in period they were a great fit and actually became pretty comfortable to wear. Very aggressive shoe, great for overhangs and bouldering. I actually like them for some sport climbing too. I imagine they’re even better on real rock but I’ve used them exclusively indoor for now.

Great shoes for bouldering and small foot holds

They are stiffer than my old Sportiva Solutions, but more comfortable than my 5.10 Dragons (before Adidas bought them) . Since I had never tried Evolv, I decided to give them a shot and I am pleased. I use them mostly for indoor because I'm in Florida, but I generally climb enough to eat through the toes of a quality shoe in about a year and change. I followed the directions for fit and they fit perfectly.

I've many climbing shoes, but after I got these, I'll never get anything different than this model.

I am too upset and disappointed, I bought these shoes for a gift and upon receiving them I noticed that the box was in very bad condition so I decided to open it to see the shoes only to realize that they were second hand! Additionally, the box had body hair inside. Disgusting.

Best shoe I’ve ever worn, half size down from the Evolv X1s. Fits amazing, worth the money.

Last Update 11/2022. Just commenting on wear/longevity. I've got more than 120 climbing days on mine now and still not needing a resole, they don't smell either which I'm even more surprised about. I've read a few reviews of defects and delaminating but it seems to happen pretty quick if they are going to do it. I'm definitely surprised at how well these are wearing, I'm getting a bit thin on areas I use the most but still in great shape.Updating 02/2022. Have put these through the ringer, they are my favorite shoe ever for sport and bouldering, full stop. There's better shoes for trad but I have not used a better shoe otherwise. I still stand by sizing up one full size, they soften but don't quite break in the same as shoes with more leather or fabric. I would give them a good 10 - 12 hours of climbing before anything comparable to break-in should be expected. But they are simply amazing for what they're made for, they actually do smear better than I was expecting, but for edging and small holds that you may not have trusted before, they are killer. At a gym, even the beveled edges between plywood on certain wall types become confidently in play for footwork.Original:Will update review as I use these more, but wanted to comment on the sizing. I thought these might be sized more like other brands compared to evolv's normal crazy small sizing, they are not. If you have shamans, acros, or oracles, etc., just size these the same. I tried 1/2 size up first, it took me about 5 minutes to get one foot in and I almost couldn't get the shoe back off, not even joking for a few minutes I thought I might have to cut it off my foot. Swapped for 1 size up and they are still brutally tight, and I have used aggressive shoes for years now, at 1 size up, these are just bearable out of the box, that about all I can say. Unless you have very arched feet, I can't imagine less than 1/2 size up being usable, let alone street shoe size. I can say without a doubt there is no chance I could get my foot in a 9.5 of these, my foot is literally about 3/4 inch longer than the entire +1 10.5 size shoe, but my feet are relatively flat so that may be a factor.Otherwise they are basically a shaman with a much better heel and a much better lacing system. I've always like lace better and these are basically velcro with the benefit of full lacing. Adjusting the straps is a bit tedious, but once you get it, they snug up perfectly. The heel is much better than shamans IMO, plenty deep but more narrow which eliminates dead space. If you have a wide heel, this may not work. Also, it doesn't cut in my ankle like many other shoes, anasazi's and most sportivas for example.I do not think these shoes are particularly sensitive, they have the typical thick evolv sole, which means you can stand on basically anything, but can't feel a whole lot. Not a beginner shoe by any means, smearing isn't going to be a lot of fun either, but for edging and steep overhanging, heel hooking, toe hooking, these are absolutely killer. You get a huge amount of power transfer with the shape and the tightness and stiffness.My other one area of concern is the heel straps don't feel super strong, and as hard as these are to get on, that may be a problem. I've been trying to get them on without the straps at all to hopefully save them so we'll see how it goes over time.Will update as I wear them more. So far they're what I was expecting, except the size is just typical evolv which means go up, not down. They're also almost entirely rubber so I'm interested in seeing how and where they soften over time, definitely the most rubber of any shoe I've ever seen, there's almost no visible fabric anywhere.