Five Ten Stonelands Slipper

A great, comfortable, yet stiff slipper. Great for cracks and slabs! Not for overhangs.

Back story: Well, my La Sportiva Barracudas finally bit the dust. I searched desperately for a new crack climbing shoe, namely, one with rubber over the toes. To my dismay, most shoes with rubber over the toes are aggressive and downturned, not ideal candidates for a crack climbing shoe.

The decision came down to the Five Ten MocAssym (a favorite of many crack climbers) or the Five Ten Stonelands Slipper, a new addition to the Five Ten family. Apart from key words like “thin crack,” “Firsten Last,” and “lined leather,” it was difficult to otherwise characterize the shoe. With no stores nearby that carried them, I called Five Ten to get their take on sizing and then purchased the shoes.

Fit: If you climb in and enjoy the Five Ten Anasazi, you will likely be pleased with this shoe. The major difference is in the toe box. It is boxier which allows your smaller toes to lie flat. The only toe which is bent is the big toe. The shoes fit comfortably now that they’ve been broken in. I am a street size 11/11.5, wear my Anasazis at 10.5, and the Stonelands at 10.5. The Stonelands are now significantly more comfortable than the Anasazis but fit well, the goal of a crack climbing shoe.

My recommendation would be to size the Stonelands the same as your Anasazis for crack climbing applications.

Why the Stonelands over the MocAssym? Because there was more rubber over the top of the toe.

My first trip out with these shoes proved to be a success. I onsighted my first 5.11a, Gunsoke, in Long Canyon near Moab, UT. This particular climb goes through a myriad of crack sizes from big hands down to fingers layback.

Performance: Sticky C4 rubber. They come with a great edge (until you wear it down). These shoes also double as a great slab climbing shoe. They stuck well until the sun came out on a 5.11a slab (Punany) in Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT.

You will have problems with back-stepping small edges (compared to the Anasazi). But most importantly, these shoes become socks at anything over 10 degrees overhanging. Small pockets and edges which need to be pulled in to with your feet will prove to be a difficult task. Also, I found my feet slipping off of holds instead of staying firmly planted.

Durability: After using these for a number of months and several trips to Indian Creek, they are indeed durable. I wanted to switch to a slipper to avoid laces and lace wear on crack climbs. These have outperformed the Barracudas by a long shot.