Evolv Pontas Climbing Shoe - 2009 BCS

First off, these shoes are great.If you like the Defys, you'll love the Pontas-- if you're looking for something a good bit more agressive and a tad more "precise".I tend to look at my Defys as a comfortable, broken in pair of training shoes, and the Pontas as a performance pair of racing flats.The Pontas are essentially a performance minded big brother to the more relaxed Defys.I recommend getting both: wear the Defys on long Sunday mornings at the gym, and the Pontas to harder group trips to new outdoor spots (once you've spent a few weeks breaking them in on plastic, of course).DON'T size up/down/etc when going from Defys (this conversation seems to come up quite often). Going from a broken in pair of Defys to new Pontas is not going to be the most comfortable thing in the world. This has nothing to do with the sizing, and more to do with the fact that the last thing you climbed in were essentially snug Christmas slippers.If your Defys feel PERFECT (as an old pair of well fitted Defys will), then go with the same size in Pontas. Once they're broken in, you'll get the same sensitivity with an added aggressive edge you won't confuse with "too tight".That said, these things are terrific. The teeniest nicks in rock become ledges; smearing is fantastic.Note: this style of shoe (pointy, asymmetrical, big-toe emphasizing) either fits or doesn't; if you love the Optimus (round box) style, you'll probably feel weird and cramped in these (but you most likely already know that).Ok, on to the smell thing.For whatever reason, Evolv (and other synthetic, i guess) climbing shoes will start to stink really badly after awhile. At first i thought it was just guys, but my girlfriend-- who honestly never has BO and barely sweats even after hours of running/riding/climbing/whatever on the hottest days-- took her Evolvs off the other night at the gym.I was genuinely offended!To fix this, i recommend this simple solution (which works brilliantly every time):1) Spray (liberally) the inside of each shoe with Odor Eaters spray (it's cheap and can be found at any drug store).2) Pour a bunch of baking soda in each shoe and shake everything around until it's coated.3) Put them in a plastic grocery bag (sorry, California), tie it tight and place it in your freezer overnight.4) Take them out the next day, remove them from the bag and let them sit for a few hours (i let them sit while i'm at work).5) Dump the powder out into your trash or whatever (warning: it's going to smell a bunch), then wipe the excess baking soda off with a paper towel or whatever (smacking the shoes-- open end down-- into the trash works too).6) Spray with another hit of oder eaters and you're done. They'll smell great. Do this once a month or whatever (depending on how often you climb).

I got a pair of these on sale to have something for sport/bouldering, especially for limestone cragging. They get the job done well- great edging, work well on small pockets, rubber sticks as well as anything else Ive used. I've put in maybe 25 sport pitches plus one day in the gym on them, so a bit early to say on durability and overall quality. So far, I've found them to be a good choice for a dedicated sport/bouldering shoe.

Fits right, little stretch with the synthetic uppers, sticky rubber, good mix of stiffness and flexibility, I got these to replace my La Sportiva Katana's and have not been disappointed. Love these for techy trad and steep sport. My only regret is the SUPER sticky rubber seems to wear out a little faster than some other shoes.

Let's start by saying the evolve pontas performance is pretty good, the rubber sticks well and the agressive shape's pretty good for bouldering roof problems.

The shoe needs a little breaking in, the first sessions really suck but after that the shoe starts to fit to the foot real nice. They do need to warm up, they become a bit softer and wider after the first few routes / boulders.

BUT.. the real big set back is the durability of the rubber on top of the shoes. After only 3 months of bouldering and climbing mine already have a hole on top of the big toe! For me that's not acceptable. Normally my shoes can last up to 6 months of medium intensive (2/3 times a week bouldering and climbing) usage. The evolve pontas couldn't even last half of the averagel life span of my climbing shoes.
Several fellow climbers have confirmed having the same kind of trouble with the pontas.

The conclusion is even though I enjoyed the evolve pontas peformance for a short while, I feel ripped off in the end and will never by any Evole product again. Sorry to say.

Also they smell yeah, but that's a minor discomfort compared to their short life span

I have a fairly wide toe box and high arches. I went a half size down from my street shoe and am having problems. Because it is synthetic there is very little stretch. It is so tight in the toe box I can barely stand it and it still has a baggy heel. It seems to me that those with a wide toe box should find another shoe. Those with a narrow toe box going a half size down should be sufficient.
The rubber is good but it's definitely not as good as 5.10 rubber. The show is very durable and well constructed. Very easy to put on and take off. It performs much better outdoors than in a gym.

These are by far my favorite pair of climbing shoes I own. I've had a few pairs, and will continue to at least have one pair of Pontas' in my shoe arsenal. The fit is great, and they are super precise when sized right. I wear mine 2 sizes down, and find them to work perfectly for almost anything. The heel for me is a hair baggy, because I have a small heel, but this disappears when I throw down a heel hook. Steep bouldering, sport climbing, and a bit of trad climbing (DON'T JAM IN THESE! YOU WILL BE SORRY IF YOU DOWNSIZED A LOT!) These shoes will not let me down! I do find the rubber does wear a little fast, but I get a solid 8-10 months out of a pair, climbing consistently a few times a week.

I wore through a pair of the Defys (size 10) in about 4 months of heavy abuse and moved on to a pair of the Pontas (size 9). They fit much better with the size down and climb much better, but I think that can partially be attributed to the lack of mesh padding on top of the foot in the Pontas. Anyways, the toe rubber is splitting on one of the shoes after just 8 uses (6 indoor, 2 outdoor). Do I have bad footwork? Definitely. But my footwork is slightly better than when I climbed in the Defys and they took 50+ wears to get the same type of splitting in the toe.

These are my go to shoes. Like with other evolves, if its your first pair you want to go with your street size shoe. However, as your feet get use to wearing tight shoes you are going to drop sizes I am wearing a 9 now and my street shoe is a 10.5.

For my foot Evolv's shoes just fit great. The knuckle of my big toe screams in most other shoes. For some reason in Evolv's especially the Pontas they feel fine. Even with the extra toe rand on these bad boys which grab under holds great.

The heel is deep and you really have to pull to get the shoe on but they fit great. Heel sinks in and when on the rock there is no dead space. Great for heel hooks! I recommend these as your all around shoe. Bouldering or lead climbing you can't go wrong.

These are really great performance orientated shoes. They edge well and the sticky rubber is top notch. I have taken it sport climbing as well as bouldering and in the gym and it has handled all of that exceedingly well. Like others have said, the rubber is not the most durable, but I believe it's easily worth it for the performance you get from the shoes

My first shoe was the defy, it was a decent shoe fit wise but I wore through the toes in under 2 months. The pontas was suggested to me as a step up and so far they have been great. They seem much more durable then the Defy and the fit is much more precise. The shoe does fit slightly tighter then the Defy, but that was expected. They do break in a little bit, at first they were almost painful but once they loosened up they became the absolute perfect fit. Love them, highly recommended. Oh and they smell just as bad as the Defy's did.

I love where the Kaos has come to be. The Pontas is the re-vamped Kaos with all the sensitivity and toughness Chris has helped it become. This shoe has evolved so to speak, into a wonderful all around high performance shoe. I have had many pairs of these bad boys and have sent my hardest boulder problems in these kicks. The heel fits like a glove. The rubber has always been sticky enough to perform bicycle moves on rooves as well as top out on sketchy slab. One of my favorite Evolv shoes for sure.

I could enjoy climbing on these shoes only for a short time due to the rubber on the shoe which is sub-standard.

It's not the soles, it's the toe. It wears through.

I'm not happy with the shoes.

I’ve owned these shoes for two years and have resoled them once, because they perform so well. They are one of the most versatile, all-around shoes on the market and work great for steep bouldering, sport climbing, slabs...you name it. I’m a 10 street shoe and sized these to 9’s, which are now perfect. The break-in period was slightly longer and more painful compared to other shoes, but well worth it. These shoes will stretch slightly over a couple months. Initially they were so tight that it would take me three minutes to pry them on, but I fit them for performance over comfort and now have both.

The toes on these are awesome with just enough rubber to give you stiffness on small edges without losing sensitivity. I found the heel to be almost perfect even though there is the slightest amount of dead-space for me...it has yet to be an issue. These shoes are also stiff, yet flexible and smear awesome. I’ve always had a preference for Stealth rubber over Trax, because the durability of Trax isn’t as good as Five Ten’s. The edges seemed to wear down a little faster than some other shoes and in a few months my heels started to peel. The Trax rubber is very sticky however, and my resole from Yosemite Bum (who did an amazing job and fixed most durability issues) has truly made these one of my favorites shoes. 4.5/5 stars.

Love the stick it gets on lime stone. Been using em for my main outdoor shoe for a couple of months now and they seem to be holding up great against the daily action I put them through. My first pair of evolvs and I'm lovin em. But of course like all other synthetic material shoe they smell pretty bad.

At least a half size, maybe a full one. I typically wear a men's 13, the 13.5s curl my toes to a point where using the shoe causes hotspots and blisters.

Ive been climbing for about 8 or 10 months now, its July now, and my first pair of shoes were the Evolv Defy VTR... i wear a size 11 in regular tennis shoes and when i got the VTR's i bought them in a 10.5 (which stretched to about a size 11-11.5... i have come to like my shoes tighter for heel hooks and more "overhangy" routes, so i went and got some of these Pontas in a size 10. these shoes are GREAT! they do stretch (as all Evolvs do) more than i would like but the edging is great in these shoes. I try my best not to smear too much to save the rubber, but i have climbed in these shoes 3-5 days a week for about 4 months inside and outside and the fit is perfect (while just barely loose in the toe box but NO heel slippage) and the rubber on the toe is still in great shape. the back of the heel is quite high and snug and when i first got them i had blisters on the back of my feet on my achilles but the shoes broke in very well and that is all gone now.i wouldn't recommend these as a FIRST shoe (kinda pricy and break in took a while), but they are a great shoe for me climibng V2s and 3s in the gym and outside.

Had a pair of the Defy's as my first shoe and burned through the soles very quickly. I got a pair of these instead and am loving them! They are MUCH more durable and don't have the same smell issues that the Defy has. I wouldn't label myself as more then an intermediate climber but even for starting out these haven't been to aggressive. They do fit a little more snug then other Evolv shoes I should mention.

I ordered these shoes based on my fit in other Evolv shoes, and was sorely disappointed. Whereas I wear a 39 in the Elektras, Evos, and Defys, I couldn't even get my foot in the 39, let alone climb in it.

When I did finally get the right size, the toe box was more angular and narrow than I've found other Evolv shoe models to be.

However, if the shoe fits, it makes for fun technical movements. It works great on super sheer edges and challenging boulder routes.

I have tried the pontas lace up the optimus prime and now these and I must say that I really love these shoes. It is the first pair of shoes that I have used where Im really not aware that Im wearing shoes at all. Curious to see how they hold up as the toe rand on both the lace up and prime tended to wear out a little quicker than other shoes I have used. Will buy another pair for sure.

this is a great bouldering shoe. it is very thin and sensitive, and pretty durable (although i have yet to find an evolv shoe that is as durable as a fiveten..) the material is nice -- it barely stretches at all, even after months of climbing. my only complaint, which i'm pretty sure is universal for ANY strap up shoe, is that on a big toe hook one time the metal loop that the strap goes through dug into the top of my foot.

I love these shoes so much. amazing all around shoe. excellent heel. heel has never come out.

order half size smaller than your shoe size.

Like all shoes, its fit is relative to the wearer as one shoe may fit one person well, and another person terribly. But for me, these feel great. I wear a size 11 running shoe and after reading many reviews of this shoe, bought the same size in evolvs. The fit of the shoe is perfect for my foot, keeping the toes squished close together to provide for a nice, even weight on the tips. The sole itself is much thinner than I was used to as I had previously been using a fiveten entry level shoe with thick soles. At first, the shoe felt flimsy to me, but after using it on smaller foot-holds, tiny crystals and thin cracks, I now appreciate the sensitivity I get with this sole. The rubber is slightly less sticky than my fivetens but not so much that it has ever prevented me from sending a problem.

They also look stinkin cool!

Love these shoes, on my third pair.

They are a great all around shoe, they edge, smear and toe really well. The rubber is just right, a good balance of smear-ability, sticky-ability and edge-ability. I don't care what other companies say, the stickest rubber doesn't win, sticky stuff is generally too soft and doesn't edge well.

The extra rubber on the toe, for me, puts more power down to the big toe, doesn't really add much for toe hooking.

Heel could be a little tighter, but nice and high performs well enough. I feel some space, but like I said it has never failed me.

Takes about 3-4 session to settle and get more sensitive, but after then it doesn't stretch at all. I wouldn't it stretches in the first 3-4 sessions...more a setting to your foot size.

Mine feet sweat like crazy in them...then the stink comes. I wash in sink with warm water and detergent every month, works fine.

I competed in these shoes for years. I love them! I still climb in them indoors and outdoors. They are a great all around shoe. They also don't wear out quickly! Definitely a great investment.

If I had to only climb in one shoe, this would be it. Great on technical face or slab, yet the pointy somewhat stiff big toe digs into pockets and little foot chips on overhanging terrain. These shoes are a great value, very durable, and super comfy - an all around performer suited for the intermediate or expert alike.

Works best outdoors. I've slipped off a few good holds with them indoors. Overall great shoe!

Great shoe, asymmetric toe box gives lots of power and is very precise. I wear a 9 in my old Moccasyms, and I tried some Defys on at my local REI to get some ideas about sizing. Decided on a 9.5 for these and not sure if it was a great choice yet. Been in them almost a week now (climbing everyday) and while they are very precise, they absolutely murder my toes. My Moccasyms did too for about a week or two, but not quite this bad. Hoping they give juuuuust a little, then they'd be perfect. Be warned, if you have a Morton's Toe like myself, you may consider looking into a SYMMETRIC toe box or at least take it into consideration when sizing. Big difference from the Moccasyms performance wise tho, much more aggressive and solid, edging is worlds better. When I need to get a route I throw these on.
Ill try and update once I break them in all the way

I wear 10 in street shoes and got 9.5 in these. Just arrived today and they were extremely tight which was very disappointing. I am returning them and getting 10s. The heel was very comfortable though. I do have wide feet but my toes seemed crunched. Cant wait to get the 10s by friday and try them out.

Only been climbing for a few months but these shoes are extremely comfortable and versatile. I would definitely recommend them!

hands down the best sticky rubber ever! it definitely can be a competition for de vcs from 5.10 or the miura velcro.
I totaly recomended.

Had to return the 9.5 -- too big, but got 9 from the cleareance arm of BC, and it is a near perfect fit. Little toe hurts a bit, but overall it feels fine. As it is a new shoe for me, I can't testify on its long term "goodness", but it definetly feels a bit better then my MadRock (Joker) it replaced. Comparing it to the Prime I bought at the same time, Pontas need to be 1/2 size smaller then street shoes, while Prime seem to be OK if you match size (read: I got the Prime in 9, and it hurts!!!! :)

The good:
-Fit to my foot great after only 5 days of climbing
-Very precise on the wall
-Velcro!! Easy on, easy off
-Not too flat, not too aggressive. Perfect all-around shoe (I use it for bouldering and lead with no problems)

The bad:
-Smell! (note: I just pour baking soda in each shoe from time to time and leave it overnight..takes the majority of the smell out)
-The toe on mine wore off faster than my previous shoes...resoled with a Stealth Paint kit

This is a perfect all-around shoe for the climber that has graduated past the beginner level and is looking to continue in the sport.

I wear street size 11.5, my Pontas are size 11. Fits like I want it to with minimal stretch over the last 5 months. Only negative is the smell which is manageable for the first few weeks, but only the first few weeks.

Make sure you get the right size if you are ordering these. I got a pair of them the other day & they fit everywhere except the heel. The heel isn't tight at all & I have to wear like two socks >.

I have just got done breaking them in. They are awesome for micro sized footholds and have great grip! They definitely do smell but I haven't had a pair of climbing shoes that haven't yet. I have heard they the shoes don't last long so I might be writing another review in a month or so.

I really like these shoes. These are only my second pair of climbing shoes and I normally climb about once a week. They are decently stiff and super sticky. The synthetic fabric holds its shape well but evolv's synthetic fibers also hold in odor worse than any other type of shoes. I normally have to scrub my feet for a solid 5 minutes in the shower to get the smell off of them. I would consider myself to have normal feet and don't sweat excessively. Stink aside these shoes are totally worth purchasing. I wear a size 11 street size and bought a 10.5 in these babies. If I were to get more hardcore into bouldering I would go down to a 10 but for all around recreational climbing 10.5 works perfect for me.

I would like to preface this review by saying that I have somewhat difficult feet to fit. I have a wide toe-box, arches so high I have even impressed a podiatrist (with an instep to match), a normal to narrow heel, and toes that are naturally knuckled over. That being said, the Pontas fits me pretty okay. The forefoot is not that wide, so those of you out there with wide toe-boxes should steer clear of this shoe if possible - when edging I'm often on the rand as much as the sole because my foot hangs over. Being that the shoes are velcro closure, they actually fit pretty decent in the arch/instep area. My biggest complaint is probably the heel, which is super baggy on me. I don't know if anyone out there actually has heels that can fill out the gaping pouch in these shoes, but the heels seem pretty disproportionate to the rest of the shoe to me.Okay, fit aside, let's talk about performance. The rubber is nice and sticky out of the box, but I didn't feel it was anything to write home about. This, coupled with the fact that it has worn out pretty fast (admittedly, I don't always have the most beautiful footwork though), makes the rubber a bone of contention for me. The shoe is kinda stiff, but not really the greatest of support. I tried on some Scarpa Feroces, and the difference in front-pointing ability was night and day. The Pontas is pretty solid for smearing, but edging on small chips leaves something to be desired due to softness of the rubber. As for the smell, just put some Goldbond powder in there after you're done climbing and it should hold off most of the odor.Overall, a very decent all-around shoe, depending on your foot type, just not the best for me.

Awesome shoes, fit like a glove now that i broke them in. I blew out the toe pretty fast, I seem to have that problem with the evolves.

I got these shoes early last summer and have found them to be great at everything except for cracks. They climb cracks well enough, but the Velcro doesn't hold up super well when jamming. The rubber is really sticky and seems to be durable enough. Also, you can pay to have your shoes resoled by Evolv themselves (I did that at the end of last summer and it worked out well). In short, get these shoes if you do a lot of face climbing and want to be able to get out of your shoes quickly. If you climb cracks, you might want to look at some slippers or lace-ups.

Wicked shoe!! After using the pontas for a while I fell in love. The fit is amazing with no dead space. I wear a 9.5/10 street shoe and a 9.5 in these. They are tight, but not too tight. The toe rand is awesome, you can toe hook with ease.(it took a little bit of time to get use to it though) The traxx rubber is the best out there, very STICKY. They also have the right enough of stiffness in them, you can feel every hold, but your feet wont get tired. Remember these shoes dont stretch!

The Pontas - sticky and snug. Perfect shoe for nearly everything except running.

Yeah that's right these shoes feel amazing.

Street shoe size 11.5
Evolve Pontas size 10.5 Painfully tight for bouldering hard sport
Evolve Pontas size 11 for just about everything including multipitch cracks.
Evolve Pontas size 11.5 for brutally long routes not involving too much face climbing.

Once the full size smaller breaks in and your feet adjust i.e. after bloody toe knuckles become caluses the shoes are great. They do stretch in the toe box when wet from sweat but overall they retain there same size.
The rubber lasts forever. evolv has a harder rubber than other brands and much more so than vibram rubber but they are still plenty sticky and much more durable. less resoling needed.
If you have a narrow heel these shoes might not fit you so well. I don't know since my heel is not narrow and they fit perfect. The velcro lasts loner than whats used on other brands. It'll last long enough to get them resoled at least once and still stick to itself after two lifetimes. The straps are more durable than other brands and won't break. THe rubber over the big toe for toe hooking is great but if you dont havea callus there it's going to hurt until you get used to it or they break in or both. They are notas narrow as the defy but narrow enough to climb thin cracks. I'd day once broken in they are medium stiffness. They edge perfectly and yet are soft enough for those few slab sections that tend to pop up every now and again. Compared to the Pontas Lace-ups they are not as stiff narrower in the toes and just all around more comfortable. The Pontas lace-up is pretty much a strictly steep wall shoe for micro edges. The Pontas micro edges great and is sensitive enough to feel what your doing but not so sensitive that your feet are going to hate you at the end of the day from being over worked. Since Theyre not leather theyre easy to clean without them shrinking ( may be a little tight after washing but put on for 5 min and your good to go). Guess that's it for now. Roommate needs the computer oh yeah wash with baking soda gets rid of the funk and smell people tent to comlain about but I say if your feet stink that bad it's not the shoes its your diet that needs to be changed.