I am surprised the review doesn't mention weight and bulk (maybe it is too obvious?). Compared to a traditional approach shoe like the Guide Tennie the Cruzer is much lighter and less bulky - 15.5 oz vs. 29 oz and way more packable. The downside is that they have very little padding for long approaches.
The sizing is weird. I tried them in my street shoe size and they felt as tight as climbing shoes. A half size up they felt like tight shoes, and still climb well. A full size up felt like a casual shoe.
Thanks for the review Paul. I have a pair of 5.10's that are more rugged approach shoes. These would be perfect to slip in my bag for walkoffs and such- 15.5 is a much more manageable weight to have on my harness than my big honking approach boots. Summit hut has them for 50$, which aint bad.
Jeremy is right I forgot to mention that these shoes are very light. Evolv went for a minimalist type shoe with the Cruzer. Its light and easy to pack and perfect for day cragging, I wouldn't recommend the Cruzers for long approaches because of the lightness of them.
Testing: 1 week in Yosemite and additional time near Donners with the major approaches being Conness and Cathedral.
These are not the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. Do long non technical approaches in something more comfortable.
These will not last as long as camp 4s. I blew out a grommet after a few days. Not a big deal as it appears to be decorative.
Scree is a bitch in these. Unless it's grade A golfball or smaller scree, prepare to enter a level of hell populated by smurfs with sledgehammers. Your ankles will bruise and bleed.
Sizing... well... these are evolv so it's not really any more effed up than any other evolv shoe but be warned these run small. I use running socks with mine and they are tight despite getting my normal street size.
That said, I will be buying a pair of these or something like them when they die. Why? It's so damn easy to clip them to my haul loop or throw them in a pack. I can't imagine not bringing them on anything with more than a quarter mile descent. I probably just don't climb hard enough to care but they weigh almost nothing and fold flat. Additionally, these are fantastic on slab, hard 4th / easy 5th. Honestly, they feel better than my climbing shoes on dirty slab.
I'd add that there is zero ventilation to the toe-box. Even wearing them as slippers, it's stifling and hot in the toes. My solution was to cut a bunch of holes in the canvas, which alleviated this problem but of course sacrifices any semblance of stylishness.
I really love these shoes. Don't like them sockless nearly as much as a sanuk. They seem to run a bit small and ill go up a half size on my next pair. Not a lot of heel cushion for long approaches but a few miles are no problem. I really like the rubber enough that I'd do some easy climbs in these. Really light so u can clip them to your harness to drag along with you. Had them for a few months now and durability hasn't been an issue so far. Overall I'm a big fan.
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