Butora Mantra wide shoe review

UPDATE: See 1-yr performance review below.

tl;dr - Just buy a pair of downsized Mythos.

I have big feet. Wide feet. How wide? If I weren't nearly six feet tall, someone might accuse me of being a hobbit. So wide that most models from most brands won't even go on my feet, let alone be something I can climb in. Various recommendations have been investigated (Scarpa Vapor V, TC Pros after stretch, whichever Scarpa was designed by the Mythos designer after he changed companies, and so on). For the first 6 years or so, my daily driver were Evolv Defys, but I eventually said to hell with the big toe pain the shape of the toe box led to and switched to Mythos. The rest was history, until I heard that some new models and new brands had come to the US.

After checking out a lot of these new shoes at gym demo nights, and finding out a shop not too far away was carrying brands not available in my current city, I drove over to try all the wide model Butoras. After homing in on size and width, I bought a pair of Mantras to see if they could function satisfactorily. After climbing in them 4-5 days per week for about two months, both gym and outside, with one lightly sprained ankle (unrelated to shoes), I wish I had just bought another pair of Mythos. Why? 

1. My usage pattern is to wear the shoes for hours at a time. I'm not going up a multi-pitch and taking shoes off every pitch. I'm not going to unshoe/reshoe between every route at the gym. Velcro shoes are awfully convenient, but they are nowhere near as adjustable in fit as lace-ups. Mocs/slippers of any sort are just right out. 

2. These are hemp-lined shoes. They don't smell like feet, but the lining is developing an odor funky enough for George Clinton to appreciate. 

3. To paraphrase Jimmy McMillan, the soles are too damn thick. I can't feel what I'm doing nearly as well as I could in either Defys or Mythos. Incentive to work on foot placement, but it makes it a lot harder to trust my feet. The shoes may be built to support me well in edging, but soles are so thick that I'm fighting to accurately place my foot on that edge to begin with. 

4. The rubber just ain't sticky. I've been finding my technique degrading as I rely more heavily on my arms to compensate for feet when they start sliding off little edges and nibs that I could easily handle in the Mythos. They work OK on slab, but smearing... In general, modern climbing shoes should stick to the hold, not slide around like sueded dance shoes on a good floor (or worse, the sloper next to the second clip of Piledriver). 

5. Despite the significant adjustability of being lace-ups, I find myself regularly fiddling with the lacing and shifting feet while belaying in order to maintain blood flow to my toes. I know I have ultra-wide feet, but I just never had this issue with either Defys or Mythos. It's definitely too late to return the Mantras, but since I generally like to have two pairs of shoes, so the next pair will go back to the old standard of comfort.

Sounds like you've got the same problem I do...impossibly wide feet. Thanks for the good review. I guess i need to try on another pair of mythos...

Nice review. I agree the mantra is stiff. I like my wide mantras and believe the rubber to be comparable to C4. Definitely a stiff shoe but if you buy them, you should know what you are getting.

I've been wanting to try the Butora Altura (mid-top) and bought a pair from Rock and Resole but had to return for exchange and the new size is apparently lost in the mail. Folks at Rock and Resole are awesome and sending another pair. I hope they arrive somehow.

Yogurt,

You have suffered enough.

Laura can ease your pain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EToT9ZtiDo

Jim

caughtinside wrote:Anything is going to feel stiff after wearing mythos. I think mythos are a one of the lowest performing shoes out there, they are bad at almost everything except cracks. Not sure why you discounted moccasyms or another slipper, they would probably be the most forgiving. Also would suggest you reconsider your refusal to take shoes off between pitches or routes. It really doesn't take that long. I find the upside very worth it.

Caught, thanks for the feedback.

Personal preference, I guess. I have rarely gotten on anything in Mythos and been limited by my shoes instead of my current level of ability. As long as my technique and strength have been sufficient, the Mythos have stuck even on the slickest rock I've been on (which to date is probably Piledriver type routes at Rifle, which I couldn't send).

I'm sure the mocs are good, I just can't seem to get most mocs I've tried on my feet without sizing up to the point where there's a big gap, up to an inch, between toes and tip of shoe. I briefly had a pair around year 2, and I still try them at demo nights and such.

I did take my shoes off for several years, and still do when wearing the Defys. For me personally, it doesn't seem like a superior solution, but I'll ponder your input.

Circling back now that I've had these for over a year. It's a bit weird to have a pair of shoes that have lasted a year. Not surprising, but weird, and I've definitely had other shoes that wore down more quickly for the same amount of usage. But on to the long-term review...

1) The shoes have become more pleasant as they've broken in some. This came about because I needed to replace my cheapo gym daily drivers (Cypher Prefix) and wore these for a few weeks until the new Prefixs fit in my budget.

2) I've found a use case where I enjoy the stiffness of the soles -- the small foot jibs seen on lots of gym boulder routes. At this point the Mantras are my go-to for gym bouldering. 

3) The funky smell eventually dissipated into a less offensive odor as I used them more. Way less offensive than anything year-old from Evolv would be.

4) Stickiness still not on par with, say, Stealth C4, but eminently reasonable. Honestly, learning to use better foot placement and body position have been more important than how sticky the rubber is (still not interested in soloing a Flatiron in roller skates though).

5) In hindsight, I'd say that the blood flow issue may be due to more to my foot changing shape than the shoes. In the last year and a half I've started peak bagging, as well as doing time in a retail environment, and it definitely affected my foot shape a bit no matter what shoe I'm wearing.