Mad Rock Men's Con-Tact High-Performance Slip-On

If you're looking for a soft, extra-sensitive climb shoe that's simple yet hard-working, Mad Rock offers its Con-Tact. Its concave dual-density sole makes it ideal for friction climbing, and heel hooking is a breeze with the removable Power Strap.

Product Description

Impossible heel-hooks and cracks become your specialty when you slip on the Mad Rock Con-Tact Climbing Shoe. Made with Mad Rock's Science Friction 2.2 rubber, this sensitive slip-on was designed for bouldering, training, or any situation where you need to smear it or hook it.

Product Features

• Material: Leather
• Lining: Organic hemp
• Sole: Science Friction 2.2 rubber
• Last: Slip
• Asymmetrical Curvature: Medium
• Lacing: Hook-and-loop, slip-on
• Recommended Use: Bouldering, training, crack climbing
• Manufacturer Warranty: Limited lifetime

Review by G.Wong
These slippers are soft, precise, and snug. The overall quality is good, and left/right pair looks symmetrical. (I've seen shoes where left and right are visibly different in size and shape.) It's super light-weight and thin. They fit tight across the top, so those with high instep may have a hard time putting them on. The leather is cool to touch and absorbs moisture, good for those hot days (but bad for the cold days). The die does come off, but only if you sweat a bucket.

The heel cup is perfect for those with smaller heel and lower ankles (as mine are), since the rand is shaped lower, avoiding the painful ankle cut like other deeper-heeled shoes. The heel pops off easy (as expected for slippers), and the strap helps somewhat to keep the heel on, but not 100%. The heel rubber pattern plus EVA wedge makes it less sensitive for heel hooking, but also less painful.

The toebox is very asymmetrical and points downwards/inwards. It causes the big toe to straighten out a bit, while the other toes are tightly curled, which has a different feel than other shoes. The toebox may be very tight at first, but the leather softens and expands over time, giving more room. The downward shape also flattens out over time. After 9 months, these have definitely lengthened out by 1/2 size.

Toe rubber is pretty good, but shape and thickness makes it harder to bend the toes upwards. You need to develop stronger toe muscles to make use of this feature.

Sizing wise, I think they match 1:1 to normal shoe size. What I mean is, if you're size 7 Mens, then pick size 7 Mens in these to start with. Downsizing may be possible if these are exact fit.