evolv Addict

If you can climb in slip-ons, you can do anything in these. They tackle any objective with grace and power. I am sold.

FIT:

These shoes fit me perfectly. I have a wider foot, but my heel is average. They have no dead spaces, hot spots, or slippage. I bought exactly to my street shoe size (11.5), and they are ideal for all of my pursuits. This is my first pair of slip-ons, and I may be sold for life.

COMFORT:

These were ready to go pretty much out of the box, with only two long sessions needed to break them in. I haven't had a single issue with them in terms of comfort, and I rarely ever take my shoes off when climbing, even during a belay. If you're used to wearing mildly aggressive climbing shoes, these will be a dream. They actually fit tight enough around the lower ankle to keep out sand, pine needles, etc.

SUPPORT:

These are for people with strong feet. If you are someone who relies on a stiffer last in a shoe, these will be a major challenge, and maybe not worth it. I have always preferred a more flexible shoe, and these are quite so, especially once broken in. Given, if you were to size them down a bit, they would constrict your foot, making it stiffer. 

WATER RESISTANCE:

They're climbing shoes. Made of leather. Don't use them for fly fishing.

TRACTION:

I thought I wasn't a fan of the Trax rubber compound, then I got the Addicts. They broke in quickly, and once that happened the rubber softened perfectly. Most say these excel on desert stone (Joshua Tree, Indian Creek), but the first trip I did in them was Yosemite, where I found them to be perfectly grippy. Given, anything will perform better on J-Tree's griptastic Monzonite, but the Addicts hold their own anywhere. 

TEMP CONTROL:

Despite being solid leather and rubber, the Addicts deal fairly well with heat. No matter how cold it is, my feet eventually sweat when I climb, and I have done some long multipitch routes in these when it's fairly warm out. The suede is pretty absorbent, allowing for some wicking. There is no liner, but as a result, they dry quickly.

EASE OF USE:

They slip on and off, which makes for a quick and lovely experience every time you put them on. They are very consistent in their performance, and don't seem to vary too much with temperature changes. 

FEATURES:

The only outstandingly different thing about these feature-wise is the inclusion of a slight downturn, which is pretty unusual for a slip-on. This is not noticeable when crack climbing or smearing, but on anything overhanging, you can just barely get a hook on some holds with some deft footwork. Otherwise, they follow the classic mold of a moccasin style slip-on, of course with the small details Evolv chose to change. Nothing unnecessary, everything works.

CONSTRUCTION & DURABILITY:

They seem to be very well made, and the simplicity of construction allows few failures. I have put them through the wringer in my time using them, and they have held up excellently.

I have had these for about two months, and in that time I've climbed a huge amount in them. I've spent time in Yosemite, Tahoe, Bishop, Phantom Spires, San Luis Obispo, and the gym, and in every single place I've been impressed with their performance. Throughout all those trips I've done long easy multipitch, both slab and hand/fist crack, hard technical bouldering, and seriously tenuous finger crack. Despite a huge variety of situations, the Addicts were ideal in every one, and I had a great time using them! 

BOTTOM LINE:

If you want one shoe that is easy to pack in anywhere, has simple and well-considered features, and kicks ass at climbing, then the Addicts are a good choice. I've been surprised many times with how great mine are, and I'm sure that's not a unique perspective.