The Guide Tennies by Five Ten. Pretty awesome.
I love the idea of an approach shoe. A shoe you can hike AND climb in!? Sounds great, right? I’ve found, however, that most approach shoes either hike really well and suck for climbing or the other way around. I found a pretty happy medium when I found the Guide Tennies by Five Ten.
I’m on my third pair of these shoes. I go through about a pair a year. My first two pairs of the shoes have blown-out seams everywhere, no rubber left on the sole, and holes in the toes and sides. They’re completely and utterly worthless. I’m really, really, really hard on my approach shoes (I pretty much spend my summers hiking up an down scree slopes!), but I’ll be the first to admit that these shoes aren’t the burliest in the world.
So if they don’t last forever, why do I like these shoes so much? Because they fulfill their purpose magnificently! They’re comfortable to hike in AND they climb well! How good are they for hiking? Good, but not super good. How good are they at climbing? Pretty freaking good. As good as any shoe that isn’t a dedicated climbing shoe. They climb so well because of the narrow tow and relatively thin, flexible sole. As might be expected, though, they’re not the best for super long distance backpacking or anything. Can’t win em all.
I wore these shoes a couple summers ago when I did Mt. Whitney’s East Face. We hiked the 6 miles (or however far it is) in, climbed the route, and walked the 11 miles down the trail back to the car. It took us something like 19 hours car-to-car and I did it all in my faithful Guide Tennies. My feet started to hurt about halfway down the trail on the way down. But the convenience of just having to take one pair of shoes (that climbed well, at that) was worth feeling every rock underfoot for those last 6 miles. Hey, it’s climbing, and going light requires some sacrifices…
I’ve used these shoes on aid routes, too. I did Prodigal Son in Zion a few months ago with these shoes. They worked pretty well, though again, the soles aren’t the stiffest things in the world and I can see how standing in aiders for days (we fixed a couple pitches and then blasted the next day) on end would end up being kind of painful.
Action shot of my poor Tennies in Zion.
So. I like these shoes. A lot. But they are shoes, not boots. They’re perfect for long days that require a multi-mile approach, relatively easy rock, and a long descent. A great shoe for the Tetons, for example. If you’re looking for an aid boot, I’d look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for one shoe to do it all pretty well, the Five Ten Guide Tennies are the ones to beat. They come in versions for men and women and retail for around $100 but I found them on sale here for $84. But buy them local if you can and support your local climbing heroes.
How about you guys? Have you used these shoes? Did you like them? Do you like other approach shoes less or more?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve never used these shoes before but I know several people who have them and love them. They’ll be the next approach shoes I get.
Got these this summer, and I love them. They’re comfortable enough you could wear them as a sneaker if you wanted to look super granola. I have done a bit of hiking and them and they are great (though, like Tristan says, I wouldn’t do an 80 miler in the Wind Rivers in them).