Boreal

Lynx Climbing Shoe

My desert island shoe

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

10.5/11

Height:

6' 1"

Weight:

160

The lynx is my all time favorite shoe for any given situation. I have a large collection of shoes (including the lynx in sz 10.5 and 11US) but if I had to keep only one it would be the lynx. Backcountry, please consider restocking these, and also expanding the line of Boreal climbing shoes you carry. Boreal shoes are high quality, and one of the best options for wider footed people. I would personally be a buyer of a couple of their models if you carried them. Re: sizing, the fit should be pretty close to street shoe size (give or take a half size). This is what Boreal recommends as well. I'm a size 10.5 usually 11 sometimes in street shoes. I own both those sizes in the lynx and they both work well. 10.5s are very curled toes and great performance fit that I use for indoor and don't wear for long stretches. 11s are slightly curled toes and more usable for long outdoor sessions; I could wear them all day. The leather upper will stretch to fit your foot, so at this point my stretched out 10.5s feel similar to my newer 11s. Like most leather shoes, they will conform to your foot within reason (not necessarily stretch lengthwise, but hotspots will soften quickly.

Great for Wide Feet

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

First, I must say, it's hard to get the right size, but be patient these have been my favorite shoes yet! Also Backcountry makes the return process easy. I wear a men's US 9.5 in street shoes. I tried a few different sizes and finally settled on a US 10.5. They have stretched a little bit, but with how the laces are positioned, and depending on how tight I synch them, I can either climb with no dead-space, or very little in the heel if I want a relaxed fit. The shoe is great for wide feet. The width of my foot is 6E, so it's pretty hard to find shoes that work, however these fit very well. My foot is also very high-volume. The split tongues of these don't overlap on my foot, but they touch each other just enough not to leave any skin exposed. I wouldn't buy these as a first pair, as the front is pretty aggressive, forcing your big toe to be in an activated, down-turned position. Also, since the big toe is in the aforementioned downturned position, it's a little more difficult to get these into cracks, as the toe position makes your feet a bit more high volume at the toe. The rubber is extremely sticky, more so than any other shoe I've had (Stealth C4, Vibram XS Grip, Tanya rubber). Front pointing dream, edge amazingly. The sole isn't as stiff as Five Ten Pinks, but is more than Scarpa Stix. Past shoes: Five Ten Pinks; Size: 8.5 Scarpa Stix; Size 42 or 42.5ish Tenaya Tanta; Size 9

Update. Sizing help.

After using the shoes a handful of times in the gym, I really like them. Comfortable. But the sizing is nuts. The picture attached is a comparison with a pair of la sportiva finale size 10 US (men) The Lynx are 11.5 UK (men) I wear 12/12.5 street size

Sizing is hard to get right.

Familiarity:

I returned this product before using it

Giving it 3 start because I had to return them because of sizing. I wear size 12US Ninjas. I bought these in 11.5 US hoping that being leather they would stretch. I guess they are so well built that it soon became clear that the black straps used for lacing would keep the leather from stretching enough. The return process was seamless. I already ordered the size up from another site.