REVIEWS
44 Reviews
klafetra
I'm not familiar with all the nuisances of bouldering shoes or the applications for various climbs, but this is my go to shoe. I've used it for granite, sandstone and limestone and feel like they do the job well and don't take long for me to break in. I have had some issues with the rubber on the toe box lifting a couple month or so in, but I think this is from normal wear or temperature fluctuations.
Nerdrn5
I bought this a month ago for my son and I’m so happy I did! He was going from a much less aggressive shoe to this one for the first time. Wow, what a difference! He’s so much more confident in the overhangs, and the aggressiveness of the shoe really helps sticks to those chips! The heel is a bit bigger than expected but they fit as expected otherwise! It’s taken a while to break in, due to the amount of rubber - which we all love! So hang in there, they will fit after a while, probably still going to be “climbing comfortable”, not something to wearing around the house on a Sunday morning when not out climbing!
Dan1
The Instinct VSRs were a better fit for my foot than the regular Instincts were. I’ve had them for about half a year and there is no sign of wear. Additionally, there is a great heel hook feature and the shoe is just aggressive enough to climb overhang but not too aggressive to make it difficult for slab. Overall the shoe works well for all styles of climbing and seems durable enough to last for a long time
jp08
Got them about 5 months ago, and I just popped holes in them, which is better than normal for me. The shoes aren't quite as comfortable or soft as dragos since they are slightly more stiff, but the rubber is very sticky. The pull-on loop on the top is a welcome addition and confuses me as to why it isn't on every scarpa shoe.
Pdawg13
The perfect blend of stiffness and support in the toe, and flexibility in the midsole to DO IT ALL without feeling too much like a generalist shoes. A weapon shoe. I have relatively wide mid foot and square toes and this feels great. 1-2 session breakin.
Tylor
Decided to try something new after mostly climbing in La Sportivas for a while now and they’re super comfy and absolutely crush bouldering and sport
karadactyl
These are my first aggressive climbing shoes (I upgraded from the Scarpa Helix) and they are perfect! I was a 41 in the Helix’s and a 41 in the Instincts. My street shoe size is 9.5. These are great all purpose indoor bouldering shoes!
Stef
Honestly, I was on the fence making the jump from La Sportiva to another brand. After tonnes of research online and looking at reviews, especially looking for a softer shoe, I decided to give the Scarpa Instinct VSRs a try. And boy was I blown away! About a month in, this shoe is just downright awesome. I went 1/2 size below my street shoe size for a good fit. And it doesn’t stretch as much as expected - it more forms to your foot. Took about 2 weeks (climbing 3 times a week) to fully break in. But after that, I have actually forgotten about the other shoes in my closet! They form to your foot, the rubber on the soul is soft enough that it smears well but has some bite when it comes to edging. Feels durable enough to take a bit of a beating. Heel also feels snug and the Velcro system coupled with the elastic upper keep everything stable. Would love to try them more outside but so far inside, it ticks all the boxes for me! Love it! Plus, the color is just down to earth and cool. 😍🙌🏾🔥
Christophe
It was time to send my VS LV in for a resole and wanted to give these a try not realizing they have the same rubber sole. These actually fit my feet better in the same size!
Dizzleup
These are my new go to climbing shoes. A little stiff right out of the box, which is to be expected. But by day 3 they felt broken in and ready to send. I sized them from 42 street to 40.5 climbing.
Sammy
I recently decided to try these out in lieu of my use of Solutions for gym climbing and bouldering. Really love these shoes. They don't feel clunky and bulbous and leave my foot feeling really free and light. Great use of rubber for toe hooks as well on cave boulders and super appropriate for the lead wall. Great balance between aggression and precision. The heel fits my medium width feet as well.
Johnathan
I have always been curious about the Instinct VSR's and now have had these for a few weeks. Glad to say that I have already sent multiple projects with them! Really awesome shoes
Random climber 238
I bought these shoes a few weeks ago specifically for sport climbing, but they’re pretty good for bouldering as well. Note that the VSR is different from the VS in terms of its softness. The VSR is a softer shoe and thus allows for more sensitivity. In terms of shoe sizing, I downsized 1 full size from my street shoe size for this shoe.
eye of the hawk
Been using the shoe for last month and it delivers on heel and toe hooks on in-door bouldering problems. The shoe's downturn so far holds for ~150 lb person despite the grip rubber and inspires confidence on overlangs and slabs alike. Break-in period is a couple sessions if it's your first downturn shoes; toebox is wide and tall but for my feet, I wished it was a tad taller. Heel is slightly roomy on the left foot (normal shoe size is 10 USA, VSR size 43.5) but good fit on right foot (slightly larger). Sizing down to 43 or 42.5 had painful hotspots on the big toe knuckle. Toes curls just enough with a snug fit to keep the shoe rigid under tension for foot chips.
BoulderBro27
I bought this to upgrade from my previous Scarpa Arpias. The Instinct fit my foot much better and had a nicer form fitting heel. The edging on these shoes is next level, and the softness of the rubber allows smearing confidence. I have been bouldering exclusively outside in these for a month and the shoes has held up nicely. One adjustment is that the increased rubber in the forefoot allows for less stretch.
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