Are you looking for a durable and affordable climbing shoe? Then the La Sportiva Tarantula might be a good option for you. The shoe is definitely not the best in climbing performance, but it is a really good shoe to get started with climbing. You can also use this shoe for doing some warm up climbs. Also check out the lace up version tarantulace: La Sportiva Tarantulace Review
What to consider before buying a pair of the La Sportiva Tarantula climbing shoes
What type of climbing do you do? If you are a beginner and are looking for a first or second pair of climbing shoes, the La Sportiva Tarantulas might be a good shoe for you. The velcros are also a bit bulky so we do not recommend these shoes for crack climbing. If you want a comfortable shoe for multipitch crack climbing with similar qualities then the La Sportiva Tarantulace is a lot better option.
In case you are a more experienced climber with more experience and looking to climb tough boulders or overhanging routes then these are probably not the best shoes for you. If you are a competition climber then you might want to consider shoes like la sportiva solutions.
Sizing: The Tarantulas are available in a wide range of sizes from 34 to 48. The recommendation for a tight fit is to go down 0,5 to 1 size from your street shoe, when choosing your shoe size. You might want to downsize even more because the Tarantulas can stretch when you are breaking them in.
How much do the Tarantulas stretch: The LaSpo Tarantula shoes can stretch out from 0,5 to 1 size with use.
The best prices for the La Sportiva Tarantulas:
- Weight: 16.93 oz/ 480 grams
- Materials: suede leather, 4mm Frixion RS soles
- Closure: Velcro
Pros:
- Durable
- Affordable
- Good for beginners
- Good for warming up
- Good for easy, long routes
- Not good for crack climbs
- Tend to stretch out up to 1 size
- Not good for hard boulders
- Not good for overhangs
How well the La sportiva Tarantula climbing shoes are performing on the rock and on the plastic
The La Sportiva Tarantula climbing shoes are made for beginners and they really work well on that use. The shore are also priced quite affordably. The shoe is also easy and fast to put on and take off. These are some of the reasons why so many are using these shoes and why you can spot these shoes at so many climbing gyms.
The Tarantulas like their laced up versions the tarantulaces, perform a lot better on slab climbs rather than on overhangs. The shoes are good for smearing, but not very good on smaller edges. These shoes are good option for easier multi-pitch climbs without cracks. This is because the velcros are a bit bulky and tend to open up when jammed in to cracks. On routes where this is not a problem you can comfortably climb and belay wearing the Tarantulas for long periods at a time.
Alternatives for the La Sportiva Tarantula climbing shoes
If the Tarantulas are not seeming to be the right shoes for you check out our review: the best climbing shoes. In the article we recommend these shoes:
- La Sportiva solution comp – for competitions and tough projects
- La Sportiva Katana lace
- La Sportiva TC Pro – The best trad climbing shoes
- Evolv Phantom – The best shoes for bouldering
