There isn’t one shoe that can do all of the things you are looking for, trying out one specific shoe can definitely give you more precise experience. Sometimes it’s actually best to find a shoe that is really good at two or three things so you know what you are getting into.
If you are looking for a shoe that can be expert in specific areas, especially if you are going on climbs that only require a couple of different skills.
You may be a really experienced climber and looking for the best possible climbing shoe to add to your collection. However, the Evolv Addict is a great addition because it gives unique features that, for the most part, you can only get from the type of shoe that the Addict is with Evolv Addict Review.
In Depth Guide of the Evolv Addict Climbing Shoe
Evolv Addict Review Climbing Shoe Score
Sensitivity – 7 out of 10
Pockets – 5 out of 10
Cracks – 9 out of 10
Edging – 4 out of 10
How Well Does the Evolv Addict Climbing Shoe Actually Perform?
Not a Good Edging Shoe
The softness of the Evolv Addict is a huge reason that the shoe is not so great at edging. You’ll need a shoe that has really tough rubber so that it can support your foot without having to use so much of your own strength.
Also, there is basically no downturn. An aggressively downturned shoe is great for edging because it forces your foot to curve and put as much power towards your big toe as possible. Your big toe is the part of your foot that is best going to be able to hold onto those smaller edges that your smaller toes or the side of your feet just can’t get a grip on.
If the majority of your weight and balance is directed towards one part of your foot, you will be able to get a better feel how to get the best purchase on those smaller edges.
Size Way Down
You are definitely going to have to size way down to get this shoe to give you any kind of edging support. Usually the recommended sizing is either a half a size down or up, or a whole size up or down.
With this climbing shoe, you will probably need to size down a whole or two whole sizes.
Then again, if you end up downsizing that much, you may lose the comfort that this shoe provides. But if you are a beginner climber and not wanting to level up and get a much more technical shoe that won’t be comfortable, this may be a really good alternative.
Very Little Rubber
The climbing shoe also doesn’t have much rubber coverage. The part where the softer material meets the rubber is very low down. When you jam your foot onto small ledges, the soft material that covers your foot will be very close to the rough rock face.
Crack Climbing
If you have a more narrow foot, crack climbing shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Even though the places where the upper meets the rubber is pretty low down, if you have a more narrow shoe, your foot should be adequately covered enough to be protected by the tougher rubber.
Also, since the shoe has almost no downturn, that flatness of it really helps with weight distribution, which is necessary for crack climbing.
Pockets
Unless you size this shoes way down like you have to do if you want any sort of edging ability, it probably won’t be much help in pockets.
They are actually pretty pointy shoes, but pointy shoes are a little useless if you can’t effectively pull on those pockets that your pointy shoe fits so well in.
Obviously your shoe isn’t going to be completely unable to put your shoe into pockets. You will definitely be able to climb in pockets, it just will be pretty uncomfortable and it will be tough to do those technical climbs.
Sensitivity
Since this shoe is so soft, it’s sensitivity is pretty high. You’ll be able to smear on these edgeless surfaces and you should be able to feel those tough to find edges.
However, since the shoe has such little support, it’s going to be hard to really utilize those hard to feel edges to any degree.
Your best bet, again, is to severely downsize and force a ton of support.
Is the Evolv Addict Climbing Shoe Comfortable?
Comfort for Normal Feet
If you’ve got narrow, low profile feet, this climbing should be able to give a ton of comfort no problem. And since they don’t have a closure system and are just designed to be able to slip and slip off without using any velcro or laces, the comfort level is pretty high.
Since they do have such a low profile themselves, if you have a larger or more awkwardly shaped foot, these are probably going to be a little harder to actually put on. They are meant to be pretty snug since they have to fit you right away since there is no closure system that you can adjust.
This presents a little bit of a problem when sizing if your foot is too wide or awkwardly shaped. You may have to spend a good amount of time trying to find the right size because of this flaw.
No Laces to Smash Your Foot Down
There aren’t any laces or velcro straps to smash down your foot when you are climbing since these shoes don’t have a closure system. This is a pretty nice plus because it allows you to fit your shoe much better into cracks, and even though it’s not the most supportive shoe in a pocket, you can still fit it in to most really well.
Also, if you have laces or velcro, you always have to worry about the laces or velcro straps wearing down as it constantly brushes up against the rock face. Yes, since you don’t have laces or velcro to wear down before the actual shoe, but laces and velcro will definitely wear down before the base of the shoe.
On longer climbs, as long you don’t do too much strenuous performance, you should be able to climb for long periods of time without being too uncomfortable.
If you want to up the snugness and also the comfort level, some climbers actually wear socks with the Evolv Addict.
Does the Evolv Addict Climbing Shoe Have Good Fit?
Super Fit
The Evolv Addict has a ton of features that make this shoe fit your feet really well. Firstly, there is no closure system, whether velcro or laces. This makes sure you can just slip on this climbing shoe and start climbing without having to fiddle with either kind of system.
It’s super soft and it’s built to be small, so as long as you start off with the correct size, you should feel it slip anywhere in the heel, toe box, and there shouldn’t be any dead spots where you might feel either uncomfortable or unstable.
Wide Feet People Beware
However, even with this automatic closure system, wide and awkwardly shaped footed people may have a tough time fitting into this shoe initially. It has a pretty low profile and because of this you’ll have a time of it gettin this shoe on. The tabs at the back of the shoe definitely help when it’s really hard to get it on. They are pretty high up and the loops are pretty wide so you will probably be able to fit in at least two fingers to be able to add strength to your pull.
However, once you get a good idea of what size of shoe you need to fit your irregular foot you should be just as good of a fit as your more narrow footed friends.
Also, after tugging this climbing shoe on a good number of times, you will definitely get used to the strength and wiggle movement you need to make to get this shoe on.
Does the Evolv Addict Climbing Shoe Have Good Value?
Great Value for a Cheap and Unique Shoe
Though this climbing shoe doesn’ have the kind of support you really need to do some of the more technical climbs, it has a lot of unique features going for it that makes it worth the purchase.
Easy on and Off
This feature may not seem like a huge deal. You are going to be on your climb for hours, so why do you need to worry about the small amount of time it takes to take your shoe off and put it back again? However, these small actions really contribute to the overall enjoyment and ease of your climb. If you cut down your hassle by even a small amount, that’s just more time to focus on what you really want to be tuned in to. Your Climb.
Super Soft
This may seem like a downside, and if you are going a really technical climb, it definitely is. However, if you are going on a sport climb which is going to be a lot shorter and the whole point is to be as efficient as possible, you are going to want a soft, comfortable shoe that won’t give you immediate discomfort on your climb.
Super Low Price
Finding a climbing shoe in the low hundreds is tough enough, but the Addict is priced right at around $100. This is super value when you add this to its comfort and its ease of use.
Pros and Cons of the Evolv Addict Climbing Shoe
Pros
- Better fit
- Great for crack climbing
Cons
- Soft
- Edging
How does the Evolv Addict Climbing Shoe Compare?
Addict VS Moccasym
The Moccasym is really bad for edging. It’s true that the Addicts material meets its rubber at a really low point, but the Moccasym brings the material down even further. You are just as likely to have the rock face uncomfortably pressed up against the rock as you are to have its rubber doing the same thing.
You’re going to have to size both of these shoes way down to get any kind of support to edge. But if you get the Moccasym, you will have to size them down even more than the Addict.
This will possibly take away from the overall comfort that is sort of the point of the both of these shoes, but you might be able to find a pretty good balance between the two extremes.
Addict VS Katana Lace
The La Sportiva Katana Lace and the Addict have almost the exact same level of sensitivity. However, the support level in the Addict won’t be anywhere near the Katana. The Addict is really meant for quick, simple climbs, so you don’t really need all that support.
Another area that the Katana and the Addict have similar performance in is in their crack climbing ability. They both don’t have very aggressive downturns, so you will get a good bit of support from the flatter design.
If your shoe is aggressively downturned, jamming your foot into a crack won’t give you a lot of stability. This may seem strange since downturned climbing shoes are supposed to give support, they end up forcing a lot of stability only towards your big toe instead towards the rest of your shoe. You won’t typically be using only your big toe when crack climbing.
What’s the Verdict on Evolv Addict Climbing Shoe?
Classic Design, Simple Performance
The Addict has a really old school style that only calls for you to slip on your shoe and go. The more recent designs feature a lot of innovative techniques and add ons, but for ease of use you can’t beat the Addict’s style.
Comfort can’t be beat when you’re wearing these climbing shoes. They don’t have the best support but they definitely will help you on short sport climbs, and long less technical climbs.