Comments on: Santa Claus Came To Town… And He Brought Shoes!

By: Planning for the big trip: Atlanta 2009 - “The Beta” | The Chalk Bag

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:52:11 +0000

[...] of equipment I may pick up in the next few months would be another pair of shoes. You may remember, I picked up a set of the La Sportiva Nago’s back around Christmas, and I have absolutely fallen in love with them. However, I already feel like I want something a [...]

By: dormantgenius1

dormantgenius1 — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:07:06 +0000

I've noticed I start to get foot cramps in them as well! How peculiar. I mostly feel it on the outside edge in the middle of my right foot (opposite my arch). I've found that simply unlacing and loosening the shoe a little bit in between climbs resolves that issue.

By: theclimbergirl

theclimbergirl — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 02:08:08 +0000

I bought mine similarly — I was desperate for shoes after blowing out my old standby's a couple days before a trip. The Nagos were the best fit I could find, so despite my preference for velcro (same as you) I chose fit over function. Fitting velcro shoes can be really hard. The only velcros I've ever gotten to fit REALLY well are an old pair of Mad Rock Frenzy EZ Velcros (but, have tried newer models and they didn't fit as well) and the Red Chili Corona VCRs I'm climbing in now. La Sportivas, Five Tens, Evolvs — no luck, for me, in their velcro models.

I climbed pretty regularly in my Nagos from about June until about September, at which time I switched them out for my Red Chilis. The Nagos are nearing the need for a resole, but I climbed the CRAP out of them… countless pitches inside and out. My only complaint is that, for some reason, I sometimes get foot cramps in them (and don't, generally, in other shoes)… it could be the low volume nature of the womens' model (I tend to prefer the fit in mens' models but couldn't get the nago small enough in mens' at the time). Dunno. But anyway, thrilled that you like them — they're what I steer folks toward at my gym, and when I see a newbie (or, less shoe-obsessed non-noobie than myself) gazing at the meager selection at REI!

Enjoy, and climb on!

By: dormantgenius1

dormantgenius1 — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:31:32 +0000

I'm glad to hear you are so happy with yours! The Nago doesn't seem to be a commonly discussed shoe in the rock climbing world, and so I ended up purchasing them entirely on feel without much knowledge on how well they would hold up over time. I'm the kind of person who uses shoes until the very end (I had my Spires for 5 years I think, before replacing them), and I'm glad to hear they should hold up pretty well.

It's funny, I was determined to get myself a velcro shoe for the pure ease and efficiency while working on bouldering problems (since I spend more time doing that than top roping). Unfortunately, I was less than satisfied with the fit of every velcro shoe I tried on, ranging from the Evolve Defys, to the 5.10 Galileos, to the La Sportiva Miuras (my foot doesn't seem to be tall enough to fit those shoes properly), and was forced to settle on a lace up shoe. The Nago caught my eye because it looked to be a good balance between the bouldering that I love and the top roping that I need to work on.

Even though I have only used them twice so far, no complaints yet!

By: theclimbergirl

theclimbergirl — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:41:42 +0000

Hey! I also climb in Nagos ( currently switching off between them and a pair of red chili coronoa vcrs ). I am a very picky shoe shopper, and you made a great choice. They've worn really well over time, compared to other shoes, and I plan to have mine resoled in preparation for many pitches of outdoor climbing in 2009. I am one of those shoe mistreaters who tosses hers in the washing machine (in a pillow case so they don't mark up the washer) on occasion... if you do wash them (against manufacturer's advice, of course) be sure to wear them around for a few minutes at a time while drying so they stay molded to your feet.

I can't tell you how many pitches I've climbed in my Nagos... I got them for my Tuolumne/Tahoe trip last year and have been happy with them in the gym and outside. I highly recommend them for newer climbers as an alternative to the shoes newer climbers are generally directed to (Mad Rock Phoenix, 5.10 Spires, La Sportiva Mythos). The nagos, in my experience, offer better performance but don't sacrifice fit and comfort the way a more aggressive shoe might.

Anyway - sorry for the long winded response, I'm just always excited when I see someone wind up with a great shoe! It makes a huge difference!