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Scarpa Vapor V review: fit, sizing and what climbers say

A moderately downturned, dual-Velcro all-rounder with a supportive XS Edge sole. It suits intermediate climbers moving onto steeper sport and gym routes who still want comfort, and it handles thin cracks and outdoor edging well. Pick something softer if you want sensitivity for slabs or steep bouldering.

  • Intermediate
  • Sport
  • Gym
  • Bouldering
  • Vertical
  • All-round

Take your street shoe size

For a snug all-round fit, a street UK 9 (EU 43) is a UK 9 (EU 43) in the Vapor V. Go half a size smaller for hard bouldering, or bigger for long days. It's a starting point: feet differ, so try them on if you can.

Your size in the Vapor V

Your street shoe size

UK9

Aggressive

Tight, hard bouldering

UK8½EU 42½

Recommended

Snug all-rounder

UK9EU 43

Relaxed

Long sessions

UK9½EU 44

Comfort

Beginners, multi-pitch

UK10EU 44½
Your size in all 292 shoes

How the Vapor V fits

WideMedium volume
Heel
Lower-volume heel since the update and better for hooks, but some owners still find it less secure than the locked-in forefoot, especially when sized near street size.
Toe box
Fairly wide forefoot with a low, somewhat blunt toe; good in thin cracks, less good in small pockets.
Suits
Medium to wider forefeet. Narrow forefeet can't cinch it down much; Scarpa makes a Vapor V LV for lower-volume feet.

What climbers say

From independent reviews and buyers' feedback; each point is backed by at least two sources.

Strengths

  • Stable, supportive platform for edging on small holds
  • Comfortable for long sessions, especially for wider feet; dual straps are quick at belays
  • Handles thin cracks well thanks to the low toe
  • Holds its shape over many sessions and resoles well

Watch out for

  • Less sensitive than softer shoes; stiff and clunky out of the box
  • Heel can feel loose compared with the forefoot
  • Blunt, wide toe struggles in small pockets
  • Break-in can be longer and more painful than its moderate shape suggests
Stretch and break-in: The mostly synthetic upper stretches little, but the shoe softens and molds after a break-in that can hurt if you size down. Reviewers size half to one size under street size for sport and bouldering and closer to street size for all-day or multi-pitch use (at the cost of some heel slip). Some testers own two sizes for different goals.

Scarpa Vapor V size chart

Your street size, then the size to get for each fit. From Scarpa's size chart and how this model runs.

Scarpa Vapor V size chart
StreetAggressiveRecommendedRelaxedComfort
UK 4EU 37UK 3½EU 36UK 4EU 37UK 4½EU 37½UK 5EU 38
UK 4½EU 37½UK 4EU 37UK 4½EU 37½UK 5EU 38UK 5½EU 39
UK 5EU 38UK 4½EU 37½UK 5EU 38UK 5½EU 39UK 6EU 39½
UK 5½EU 38½UK 5EU 38UK 5½EU 39UK 6EU 39½UK 6½EU 40
UK 6EU 39½UK 5½EU 39UK 6EU 39½UK 6½EU 40UK 7EU 41
UK 6½EU 40UK 6EU 39½UK 6½EU 40UK 7EU 41UK 7½EU 41½
UK 7EU 40½UK 6½EU 40UK 7EU 41UK 7½EU 41½UK 8EU 42
UK 7½EU 41½UK 7EU 41UK 7½EU 41½UK 8EU 42UK 8½EU 42½
UK 8EU 42UK 7½EU 41½UK 8EU 42UK 8½EU 42½UK 9EU 43
UK 8½EU 42½UK 8EU 42UK 8½EU 42½UK 9EU 43UK 9½EU 44
UK 9EU 43UK 8½EU 42½UK 9EU 43UK 9½EU 44UK 10EU 44½
UK 9½EU 44UK 9EU 43UK 9½EU 44UK 10EU 44½UK 10½EU 45
UK 10EU 44½UK 9½EU 44UK 10EU 44½UK 10½EU 45–
UK 10½EU 45UK 10EU 44½UK 10½EU 45––
UK 11EU 45½UK 10½EU 45–––

– means past the end of the Scarpa size chart we have.

What Scarpa says

“SCARPA size chart: for climbing shoes, downsizing (1 size) depends on the desired fit”

Quoted from the Scarpa product page

Specs

Rubber
Vibram XS Edge, 3.5 mm
Closure
2 straps
Volume
low volume (LV)
Made for
sport, bouldering
Upper
Microsuede + fabric (some leather details)
Lining
Mostly unlined synthetic upper (per Climbing House; Scarpa doesn't list the lining)
Weight
240 g (per shoe, size 41)
Resoleable
Yes
Price
$199 · €165 (list price, 2026-10-08)
Released
Early-to-mid 2010s (major update 2022)

Same sizing: Vapour V (last season), Vapour V Women's (last season)

Compare with

Sources

  1. SCARPA US: Vapor V
  2. SCARPA EU (AT store): Vapor V
  3. Climbing House: Vapor V review (covers 2022 update)
  4. OutdoorGearLab review (2019, pre-update)

Checked 8 October 2026 (Vapor V (2022 update: thinner 3.5 mm sole, new heel, M70 toe patch; current Smoke/Yellow colourway)). Gear Loop isn't affiliated with the maker and earns nothing from these links.

More Scarpa shoes

Scarpa sizing →

Estimates. Fit depends on foot shape and preference.