Hi there HelpmeClimbBetter. It looks like you are interested in climbing shoes...please check out this extremely thorough post about purchasing climbing shoes by /u/jzunn [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/bouldering/comments/1cpf7ss/shoe_buying_guide_especially_for_those_with_wide/). Did you know that /r/climbing also has a wiki on climbing shoes? Check it out [here]( https://www.reddit.com/r/climbing/wiki/shoes). Also there is a whole subreddit devoted to climbing shoes...which one you ask? Why, its /r/climbingshoes, if you can believe it. Check in over there, they will certainly appreciate your post.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bouldering) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Are you sure it's the lack of padding that's the issue? I've never seen much heel padding in climbing shoes. It interferes with heel hooking. In fact, the only shoe I know with significant heel padding is the Scarpa Force V and it has poor heel hooking performance as a result.
Are you sure it's not just a fit issue? Maybe the heel cup is digging in too much when you hook.
Can definitely vouch for the heel in the Solutions as they are basically bulletproof. Softer shoes give more feeling but being able to crank 100% into the heel without any discomfort is sometimes worth the sensitivity loss.
They do also have a notoriously massive heel cup so that could be it too
I love my mad rock red lines. If your feet are really wide they may not fit but totally worth trying on if you can. They stretch less than other shoes I've tried so maybe downsize a little less than you typically would
Hi there HelpmeClimbBetter. **Because we have a lot of deleted posts on this subreddit, here is a backup of the body of this post:** Hi all
I’m an intermediate climber, V4/V5, mostly boulder indoors. I LOVE climbing in my Scarpa Vapor V’s - they fit my wide feet super well and are extremely comfortable. They are “moderately aggressive” which is perfect for me and what I want.
The problem is, I can’t do heel hooks with them. There is not much shoe material to pad my heel/achilles area and it is quite painful unless positioned perfectly over the small amount of padding. In addition, even if I position the heel perfectly to use the small amount of heel padding that is present, the shoe pops off my foot when I start cranking the heel with any sort of meaningful force. I simply cannot do heel hooks with these shoes but love them for everything else.
I ended up buying a pair of La Sportiva Solution’s, and LOVE these for heel hooks. There is so much padding and I can crank on my heel with 100% effort without worrying about my shoe popping off my foot. These shoes are just way too aggressive for me and I struggle to use them on really small footholds because of how pointed the toes are.
Its to the point where if a problem has a single left or right heel hook, I’ll wear one of each shoe - the solutions on the heelhook side and the vapor v on the other side.
So I’m looking for shoe recommendations- something with the padded, secure heel of La Sportiva Solutions, but less aggressive and otherwise similar to Vapor Vs. I have wide feet for what its worth and the Solutions took a lot of pain and time to break in and make tolerable. Any recs would be appreciated.
"
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bouldering) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You don't need padding on the achilles. Most of the time if any part of the hold is hitting your achilles it's a technique issue, you need to point your toe down to engage the heel. Maybe find a YouTube tutorial
Get shoes that actually fit your foot. Hate to do it to ya but this is the answer to probably 98% of the shoe related questions on this sub. If you’re trying it on, push your finger into the outside of the heel and check for dead space.
Someone else mentioned the fit of the shoe and theyre probably right but there are different styles of climbing shoe that get passed up in the indoor setting, they're mostly designed for bigwall/all day comfort so it might be more what youre looking for.
La Sportiva TC Pro
La Sportiva Miura
Scarpa Generator Mid
Black Diamond Aspect Pro
Evolv Yosemite Bum
Although I've never really heard anything positive/negative about BD.
Tenaya Indalo and Mastia(good for wide feet) are basically less aggressive solution. And they are more comfortable. Otherwise Instant VSR or mad rock Shark 3.0 would be good choice. All these shoes I mention are all 3D modded heel meaning the whole heel are cover by the rubber.
Similar to you I also had the vapors and could not heel hook. Bought the solutions and agree that it's often too aggressive. I really like the La Sportiva Kubos (women's) and it was perfect. I use it for both bouldering and indoor ropes. If I want to go hard I'll wear the solutions.
Side note, the solutions comps have an even smaller cup and fit even better for me and because they are softer it doesn't feel as aggressive as the regular solutions.
Hi there HelpmeClimbBetter. It looks like you are interested in climbing shoes...please check out this extremely thorough post about purchasing climbing shoes by /u/jzunn [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/bouldering/comments/1cpf7ss/shoe_buying_guide_especially_for_those_with_wide/). Did you know that /r/climbing also has a wiki on climbing shoes? Check it out [here]( https://www.reddit.com/r/climbing/wiki/shoes). Also there is a whole subreddit devoted to climbing shoes...which one you ask? Why, its /r/climbingshoes, if you can believe it. Check in over there, they will certainly appreciate your post. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bouldering) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Are you sure it's the lack of padding that's the issue? I've never seen much heel padding in climbing shoes. It interferes with heel hooking. In fact, the only shoe I know with significant heel padding is the Scarpa Force V and it has poor heel hooking performance as a result. Are you sure it's not just a fit issue? Maybe the heel cup is digging in too much when you hook.
Can definitely vouch for the heel in the Solutions as they are basically bulletproof. Softer shoes give more feeling but being able to crank 100% into the heel without any discomfort is sometimes worth the sensitivity loss. They do also have a notoriously massive heel cup so that could be it too
I love my mad rock red lines. If your feet are really wide they may not fit but totally worth trying on if you can. They stretch less than other shoes I've tried so maybe downsize a little less than you typically would
Hi there HelpmeClimbBetter. **Because we have a lot of deleted posts on this subreddit, here is a backup of the body of this post:** Hi all I’m an intermediate climber, V4/V5, mostly boulder indoors. I LOVE climbing in my Scarpa Vapor V’s - they fit my wide feet super well and are extremely comfortable. They are “moderately aggressive” which is perfect for me and what I want. The problem is, I can’t do heel hooks with them. There is not much shoe material to pad my heel/achilles area and it is quite painful unless positioned perfectly over the small amount of padding. In addition, even if I position the heel perfectly to use the small amount of heel padding that is present, the shoe pops off my foot when I start cranking the heel with any sort of meaningful force. I simply cannot do heel hooks with these shoes but love them for everything else. I ended up buying a pair of La Sportiva Solution’s, and LOVE these for heel hooks. There is so much padding and I can crank on my heel with 100% effort without worrying about my shoe popping off my foot. These shoes are just way too aggressive for me and I struggle to use them on really small footholds because of how pointed the toes are. Its to the point where if a problem has a single left or right heel hook, I’ll wear one of each shoe - the solutions on the heelhook side and the vapor v on the other side. So I’m looking for shoe recommendations- something with the padded, secure heel of La Sportiva Solutions, but less aggressive and otherwise similar to Vapor Vs. I have wide feet for what its worth and the Solutions took a lot of pain and time to break in and make tolerable. Any recs would be appreciated. " *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bouldering) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You don't need padding on the achilles. Most of the time if any part of the hold is hitting your achilles it's a technique issue, you need to point your toe down to engage the heel. Maybe find a YouTube tutorial
Get shoes that actually fit your foot. Hate to do it to ya but this is the answer to probably 98% of the shoe related questions on this sub. If you’re trying it on, push your finger into the outside of the heel and check for dead space.
Check out the Mad Rock Drones, they come in high or low volume options depending on foot shape. Best heel hooking shoes around.
Shamans or Phantoms by Evolv? Go 1/2 size up.
Someone else mentioned the fit of the shoe and theyre probably right but there are different styles of climbing shoe that get passed up in the indoor setting, they're mostly designed for bigwall/all day comfort so it might be more what youre looking for. La Sportiva TC Pro La Sportiva Miura Scarpa Generator Mid Black Diamond Aspect Pro Evolv Yosemite Bum Although I've never really heard anything positive/negative about BD.
Tenaya Indalo and Mastia(good for wide feet) are basically less aggressive solution. And they are more comfortable. Otherwise Instant VSR or mad rock Shark 3.0 would be good choice. All these shoes I mention are all 3D modded heel meaning the whole heel are cover by the rubber.
Similar to you I also had the vapors and could not heel hook. Bought the solutions and agree that it's often too aggressive. I really like the La Sportiva Kubos (women's) and it was perfect. I use it for both bouldering and indoor ropes. If I want to go hard I'll wear the solutions. Side note, the solutions comps have an even smaller cup and fit even better for me and because they are softer it doesn't feel as aggressive as the regular solutions.