Tenaya shoes

[tedwelser]

I started climbing in 1989.  I have owned 4 pairs of Lasers, and 3 pairs of Fire Expresses, and a pair each of Vectors, Zens, and Indos.  I have also had some Scarpa, Sportiva and 5.10 shoes.

I was super psyched to learn that Tenaya shoes are influenced/directed by a former Boreal designer, and I can see the connection between the shoes across the brands.    I cannot easily try on Tenaya shoes so I wonder both which shoe(s) to get and what sizes would be best.  I am leaning toward the Tatanka in size 8.  My street shoes are 9's to 9.5, my lasers were 7.5's (unlined) and my Zen's are 7.5, lined but too tight.    The RAs look like lined velcro lasers, but I am wanting something a little softer, and I hope that the Tatanka will work well.  

I tend to like velcro for bouldering but am happy with lace ups for routes.  right now my lasers are in a perfect level of wear, but that is fleeting and I prefer to have a couple of options.  Anyways, any insights into Tenaya shoe selection and fitting would be helpful. 

[climber511]

When I bought mine - I called Trango US and the guy was great at knowing which size in which model matched up with other companies models and sizes. Got it right first try. He knew the strengths etc of each of the Tenaya models as well.  Give em a call.

[Chris W]

I used to climb in 5.10 shoes until I found out Mark and Mike use Tenaya. Since I want to climb just like them when I grow up, I switched. I also called the company and spoke with Adam, who was very helpful. I ordered several pair and returned the ones I didn't keep. My street shoe is an 8.5, my Ra is an 8 and my Oasi is a 7. They all fit very well. I love my tenayas and have been using them for a year now.

[MarkAnderson]

Ya, Adam Sanders is the guy to talk to about fit, etc. His extension is 127, or you could try emailing him (ASanders [shift2] gthi.com)

I've used all the different models. My favorites are the Oasi and the Inti. I've done all of my hardest sends with Intis (Mission Impossible, Insurrection, Siberian Express...). These are generally slightly overhanging, thin edging routes. The Inti and the Ra seem very similar, but the Inti is narrower with a lower volume toe box and just feels tighter and way more comfy on my foot than the Ra. This is despite the fact that I think of myself as having fairly wide feet.

For gym climbing or gym-like climbing, the Oasis are awesome. They hook extremely well and the down turn encourages toeing-in on incut features. I actually feel like I climb "better" when I'm wearing them, because they want to hook, toe cam, bicycle, etc, and wearing them inspires me to be more gymnastic, which is something I would otherwise tend to resist.

As for sizing, I was always 38.5 in La Sportive, and I now where USM 7 in Intis and USM 6.5 in Oasis (for outdoor climbing--I wear half size larger in the gym, so USM 7)

The Tatankas are definitely on the softer side. They are super comfortable with a padded sock that covers the top of the foot. I would characterize them as an all-around shoe. They are good at hooking but they also edge pretty well. That said, if I were doing an edging route, I would wear Intis, and if I were doing a hooking route, I would wear Oasis. If I were doing something in between I would wear Tarifas (essentially a cross between Intis and Oasis).

[tedwelser]

Thanks a bunch everyone, and especially Mark. I will send an email to Adam to gauge sizing, but I think I am leaning toward the Tarifa for my primary route shoe, and the Oasi for my gym / bouldering shoe.

[jcm]

I'm going the be a bad forum member and cross-post this from MP. Since there are a lot of Tenaya users here. I promise that I'll post some quality hangboarding-related content to atone for this off-topic digression...

After years of exclusive Sportiva use, I recently got the Tenaya Oasi and am really impressed by the fit and comfort. I'm psyched on it as a soft shoe for steep terrain and gym climbing. I've heard the Tarifa described as being somewhat a sister shoe, albeit a stiffer lace-up version, so naturally I'm interested. I'm looking for something for fill the role of my Miura VS (which perform well but are painful) -- a stiff downturned edging shoe for vertical to slightly overhanging terrain. Are the Tarifa the shoe? A few questions--

Fit-- Do the fit the same as the Oasi? I've tried on other Tenaya shoes (Mundaka, Ra, Masai), and those didn't work for me, especially in the heel. But the Oasi fit is perfect in both the heel and the (narrow) toe. Is the Tarifa fit the same as the Oasi, or is is a bit different like the other Tenayas?

I think I might of tried the Inti's on several years ago, and I think the heel fit was bad, but my memory is a bit foggy there.

Stiffness-- How much stiffer is the Tarifa? The Oasi is very soft. If the Tarifa is just a bit stiffer, it wouldn't quite be stiff enough for the niche I'm looking for (thin edging on vertical to slightly overhanging sport routes). But if it is a lot stiffer (comparable to Miura VS?), then it could be perfect.

Thanks.

[Chris W]

My main shoe right now is the Tarifa. Size it the same as the Oasi. Stiffer than the Oasi I have a small, duck shaped foot, wider at the end. Somehow, the Tarifa is less painful on my foot than the oasi, even though it's billed as being a narrower fit. I climb a lot of thin, technical overhanging (10 degrees?) rock.

[climber511]

I have Iati's in 11.5 and Inti's in 12. Adam said to size the Inti's one whole size larger but I wanted just a littler tighter so went with 1/2 size and it turned out just right. Inti has a slightly more pointed toe shape. Iati is quite hard to put on but is sooooo comfortable and climbs way better than I can. I just got the Inti's but they definitely edge better (stiffer). I have tried on the Ra - as Mark said - more volume and felt a little looser on my foot. Never tried a Tarifa but tried on a Tatanka and the last didn't fit me well. I was a Sportiva man for decades but now not so much. Still like my TC Pro for really long Alpine routes with more cracks by otherwise its all Tenaya.