La Sportiva

Solution Comp Climbing Shoe

Very comfortable

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

40

I went down two sizes and the shoes were still very comfortable, should have gone down 3. Just a better version of the regular solutions bc they fixed the heel and made them softer.

Two serious issues

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

They climb well and all. But the thin straps wore out and broke long before the rubber was worn. Tied stopper knots, and that worked for some time, util what remained of the straps wore out and broke, too. Second, when they get warm they begin to leak black ink. I don't know how else to describe it. It drips through the holes in the rubber, making a mess of everything it comes in contact with. The ink does not come off the feet with soap and hot water and a lot of rubbing. This stain lasts for days. We know at least one more person with the same problem, and some others with no problems at all. It seems like a random quality control issue. Would not buy again.

Great shoe

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

44

I am a long time user of La Sportiva and was looking for a high Performance shoe. The Solution Comp did not disappoint. The rubber is super sticky and you can feel the rock. I am a big fan of this shoe. For sizing I usually wear a 44 in Miura so that is what I bought in this shoe. I was worried it would be tight but it fit well. I can’t say it runs large but I can see how some people would say it does. If in doubt size it out at a store. Definitely don’t size up. Overall, if you are looking to elevate your game this is another tool to get you there.

Good until they weren't

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

44.5

Height:

6' 2"

Weight:

205

Great shoe until 2 months in they got a hole in the toe of the right shoe. The hole was not covered under warranty though it looks like an imperfection in the sole because this is normal wear and tear...? Disappointed that a shoe this expensive only lasted two months before needing a resole

Great alternative to Solutions

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

39

Height:

5' 7"

Weight:

148

I've been using Solutions for years and absolutely love it for everything except multi-pitch. My only sticking point (pun only partly intended) was that the perfectly fitting heel was like an ice pick, which is great a lot of the time, but it makes it hard to use your heel on smaller or smooth features. The Solution Comps have a softer, stickier heel that I wish the Solutions had, and the top of the toe is also softer and more comfortable to toe hook than the Solutions. The toe itself is equivalent between the two as far as I can tell. A couple of little things to mention: Sizing - I went with a half size smaller than my Solutions (which are tight, but not painful). It hurt like hell the first time I put them on, but they broke in fast and that size-down was perfect. So if you're going from Solutions, I'd recommend sizing down a half size unless your Solutions so tight you can't wear them for a whole session. Heel fit - My heel fit the original Solutions perfectly. Even sized down, the comp heel doesn't fit quite the same or as well. Occasionally an air pocket creeps into it, which never happened with the originals. Maybe that's the tradeoff for the softer heel? In any case, it bothered me on the ground, but I never really noticed it on the wall. Even with the tiny bit of space in the heel, it was tight and soft enough that my heel didn't slip inside the shoe when heel hooking. Ultimately I think this is still worth trying out if you love Solutions but want a softer heel. Also if you have neither and want to try a new aggressive shoe, this is a hard shoe to beat.

A Solution with a perfect heel

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

38.5

Height:

5' 6"

Weight:

142

I love the Solution for so many things except for technical heel hooking. Now I have another tool in my kit. I love the Comp version and the heel fits my foot like a glove! I wear the same size as my regular Solution (38.5) as I do in the Comps. Also its nice to have a softer Solution for bouldering and steep sport climbing, so I can pull more with my feet. Also the break in period is very minimal (two-three sessions). This is a great shoe to have in your bag of tricks!

Excellent shoe!

Bought it very recently, and I have to say this shoe is awesome. It fits my heel much better than the previous solution, and the toe box is a bit wider, so it doesn’t seem to scrunch up my toes as bad. The shoe is a bit longer than the other solution(or so it felt) and has a fit similar to my TC Pros(in terms of less scrunched toes). I’d definitely recommend downsizing another half size to those buying it cause the solution comps seem to a run a bit big

Solutions...only better!

After climbing in the regular Solution for years, I was a bit skeptical to try something "different!" Im really impressed with how the Solution Comp came out. Its got all the great traits of the regular Solution, with a few nice additions. The heal is different from the regular Solution, and this worried me at first. One thing the regular Solution excels at is heel hooking. The Solution Comps different heal did not impact the overall heal hooking feel of this new shoe. Hard heal hooks felt secure as ever before. The fit is the first thing that I immediately noticed. To me, the Comp Solutions feel lighter and less "boxy" compared to their regular companions. I downsized by .5 euro size. They were a tad harder to get on, but once I got them on, they felt amazing. They felt like a sock, immediately sucked to the shape of my foot and erased any small dead space pockets I used to feel in the regular Solutions. I've had a chance to put a pair of these through their paces in Hueco. I never though I'd say this, but I found a shoe that feels like it can outperform the regular Solution! Definitely worth a try if youre a hard core Solution fan....or if youre just looking for a great pair of shoes!