Lightweight decent shoe options for multi-pitch climbs?

Dow Williams wrote:you have a ton of low cost options, the approach/hike shoe biz is quite competitive, but why we are on the subject, can someone explain to me who is giving La Sportiva $250 for an approach shoe? they have named the Ganda (besides the "Texas closet factor" that is)...and not the typical dead bird response that it was on sale.....half off is $125 for an approach shoe? Has vanity reached the lowly approach shoe level? If someone is wearing a pair of Gandas, are they wearing arc teryx underwear as well?

Climbed in them? Know how much of the price is U.S. tariff on "Italian luxury goods". Yeah, is stupid, but then, how much did my big wall rig cost? And how many times have i said, when i am sketched, or sore, or in a 'situation', "When i get home, i am going to get that piece of equipment that i really would like to have right now" The money means little when you are on the wall, only when you have to pay for it on the ground...if you get my drift.
And i do not own anything Arcteyx...btw!

Minimus MT00

I like these shoes. New Balance Minimus MT00. They are under 5 oz. I used to tape flip flops on my feet for walking off routes but these shoes are lighter and getting rocks caught between feet and sandals is a major pain in the ass.

If I wear shoes, a pair of new balance minimus are nice, light, and can stuff well. Usually just do the walkoff barefoot, feet toughen up real fast and being barefoot on a nice day is awesome.

why are gandas so expensive? if you have actually seen a pair in person or worn them, you'll know. there is a serious amount of engineering and care that went into making these shoes...

having tried most every approach shoe, my favorite are low-top vans skate shoes. they're light, cheap, durable and climb well. remember that before sticky rubber climbing shoes, a lot of people climbed in these...

I'd second the vote on Cruzers. They're lightweight, you can clip them to your harness, and Backcountry has them for $33 right now.
backcountry.com/evolv-cruze…

There's an old thread about this which you can read....

After reading that, I did get a pair of Evolv Cruzers. They are super light for sure. But they have exposed seams and junctions on the interior, one side rubbed the top of my foot and I ended up taping that section of the shoe. Anyways, it's not perfect and I'm convinced it would eat my foot if I did a really long hike back to my pack/base.

Anyways, the jury is still out here. It's not minimal shoe weather here in CO right now, so it has kinda passed out of my mind...

Pnelson wrote: Huh? Why two sets? I've always been fine with flipflops, or just bind your approach shoes really tight together with webbing and hang them off your haul loop. You'll never notice them.

I normally climb with a partner and s/he has shoes too... The shoes go in the backpack which stays with the second.

Muscrat wrote:..a more detailed question would help.

Okay, this season I am considering free climbing Moonlight Buttress, going for the Nose in a Day, a few routes on the Incredible Hulk, probably the Grand Wall, and I might try to french free a few other routes in a push like WFLT and RNWFHD. Carrying heavy approach shoes up those routes, especially Moonlight and NIAD, would suck beyond belief not just for the weight but also because they consume my entire climbing pack. The last two pairs of shoes I owned do not compress down for crap.

Hey Dow. I have the ganda guides, i got them from a consignment shop for $80. I have since broken most of the lace eylets and cracked the rubber on the toes. I would have declared a death sentence on la sport if i had payed retail for that. all that aside they are nice kicks but seriously lacking in durability. if your curious i lack dead bird undies... mine are ibex...

TO the OP, I use the merril trail glove as a descent shoe. i use a beefier shoe to hike in with. i have bad feet that the arch actually broke in. So i need fiberglass insoles for my shoes i carry weight in.

I don't carry a pack period for a committed day push, rather we go off our harnesses....

unless it is venturing into the 5.11+, as leader, I also do not pass off weight, shoes, water, anything. My shoes go underneath my chalk bag. I reinforce the chalk bag webbing on any new harness I get as losing your shoes would suck (yes I am speaking from experience, Yamnuska-Canadian Rockies=painful descent). I definitely do not need approach shoes for any of the objectives you are talking about. Just cheap, inexpensive and lightweight trail runners.

Approach shoes are over built and over sold.... best used for alpine ridges and the like.

20 kN wrote: Okay, this season I am considering free climbing Moonlight Buttress, going for the Nose in a Day, a few routes on the Incredible Hulk, probably the Grand Wall, and I might try to french free a few other routes in a push like WFLT and RNWFHD. Carrying heavy approach shoes up those routes, especially Moonlight and NIAD, would suck beyond belief not just for the weight but also because they consume my entire climbing pack. The last two pairs of shoes I owned do not compress down for crap.

20 kN wrote: Okay, this season I am considering free climbing Moonlight Buttress, going for the Nose in a Day, a few routes on the Incredible Hulk, probably the Grand Wall, and I might try to french free a few other routes in a push like WFLT and RNWFHD. Carrying heavy approach shoes up those routes, especially Moonlight and NIAD, would suck beyond belief not just for the weight but also because they consume my entire climbing pack. The last two pairs of shoes I owned do not compress down for crap.

20 kN, I am with you on the lightweight approach schtick. If I am climbing with my shoes clipped to me, I don't bring my standard approach shoes with me. Instead I use Merrell trail running shoes. The ones I bought last year weigh almost nothing (5-6 oz maybe?) and they had a clip point on the heal. Obviously they don't smear quite as well as my standard Scarpa approach shoes, but their weight makes up for it and they hike just fine. Unfortunately Merrell removed the clip point for most of their shoes this year except this one:

merrell.com/US/en/vapor-glo…

If the Merrell's don't work, try other hyper light trail runners because they are the ticket IMHO. I can't even feel them on the back of my harness, which is exactly what I want when I am leading with a rack, water etc. on a long climb.