For those of us who are vegan, it can be a challenge finding vegan-friendly climbing shoes. Though synthetic climbing shoes are becoming popular and a greater number of options, sizes & styles are available, some synthetic shoes may still contain not-so-obvious components that are not vegan-friendly.
This guide talks about the hidden components that aren’t vegan and highlights the most popular vegan-friendly shoes we have available.
Climbing shoes are made of several parts: upper material, upper lining, insole, rand and sole.
The most easily identifiable part is the upper material of a climbing shoe. Traditionally, climbing shoes were made with leather or a leather variety like suede. A lot of modern climbing shoes have now switched to synthetic microsuede or knitted textile uppers that offer similar levels of comfort and breathability.
Leather-based materials can sometimes be used in the lining and insole for sweat control or stretch. It’s much more difficult to see, but you can check inside the shoe for a label to determine what materials are used (more in next section).
Adhesives and dyes used to bind the rand or sole to the shoe can be the trickiest to determine. Shoe labels do not require these to be disclosed, so they are often not disclosed by the manufacturer. Though many shoe manufacturers have switched to synthetic adhesives and dyes because they’re cheaper, sometimes animal-derived glues or dyes (e.g. red, violet, purple) may still be used.
All vegan-friendly climbing shoes in our stores will feature a “V” label or appear in the “Vegan” category on the website.
The tag inside a climbing shoe is also a good place to start understanding materials. Located on the tag are these symbols:
You will see two symbols: one represents the upper material and the other is the lining and insole. The textile symbol is used to denote synthetic materials. In clothing “textile” is also used for animal-derived fabrics, like wool, silks, and fur, but these are never used in climbing shoes.
Get to know your synthetic materials when shopping online. Look for microfiber, microsuede, vegan leather, hemp, or knitted fabrics listed in the materials section. It’s not uncommon for a shoe to use a combination of these materials too. If a synthetic shoe isn’t listed as vegan, we recommend doing extra research because there could be a small leather piece in the insole or animal-derived adhesives.
At Climbing Anchors, we have confirmed with manufacturers whether the materials and adhesives are in fact vegan-friendly.
There’s a climbing shoe for every type of climber out there! Here are our recommendations for each category.
Note: If you’re new to climbing shoes, you can learn more about fitting climbing shoes in ‘Best Climbing Shoes for Beginners’.
A basic all-round shoe built for long climbing sessions. It’s comfortable, durable, & is one of the easiest shoes to put on & take off.
The Evolv Defy is built for climbers who want a comfortable fit & medium-to-soft rubber. The vegan synthetic upper is perforated at the toe box for ventilation & breathability. Defy is the high volume model for people who need a wide fit; Elektra is a relatively wider fit for those who need low volume shoes. With the slightly softer rubber, these shoes are great for indoor bouldering.
Beta is a comfortable shoe with a narrow toe box, mildly downturned profile, & a low volume heel. It has a highly breathable knitted synthetic textile, providing low stretch & great next–to-skin feel. With a cushioned heel & thick sole, this shoe also attracts indoor climbers who wish to walk between routes without having to take their shoes off.
A comfortable climbing shoe with a soft & sticky rubber, tension in the heel for hooking, & a stiff midsole. As a first intermediate shoe, you’ll feel the precision with the molded rand & heel, without having to give up comfort. Not to mention, a limited edition collaboration with Jason Momoa.
Not only is this one of the few shoes that fit wider feet without crushing the small toes, the redesigned Shaman balances comfort with performance.
An unsuspecting all-round climbing shoe designed with curved anatomy that allows it to excel on all sorts of problems: slabs, vertical, overhangs & volumes. It’s a shoe suited for those who love delicate technical movements on the toes.
This is an indoor-specific climbing shoe focused on comfort & softer rubber for technical volumes. The thinner midsole ensures that this shoe is responsive on all types of styles from slabs, vertical, & overhangs.
Sharing many of the technical features from the popular Tenaya Oasi model, the Tarifa is built on a slightly stiffer forefoot & heel. This allows the shoe to excel on edges & provides support for walls requiring demanding foot placements (like outdoors).
A multi-disciplined shoe built for hard single pitch vertical routes, moderate overhangs, & technical multi-pitch routes.
The Zenist is designed for the competition climber who needs the most feedback from their shoes while being packed with boulder-specific features: toe patch, great heel, and sensitivity.
A competition shoe designed to feel like a second skin with its incredible sensitivity & breathable upper. Not much can be said, except to try it first.
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