The Five Ten Anasazi Velcro is one of the most popular rock shoes in modern times.

Initially the edging performance of this Technical shoe is prominent, making it an excellent shoe for your hardest routes, but as it softens up it will likely become your favourite bouldering shoe.

It performs particularly well on smeary gritstone. In fact there was a time that you would see almost no other shoes being worn on the grit!

These days it has an improved heel cup (the original was much mocked for its bagginess), but the other design features remain largely the same – why fix something if it ain’t broke!

The double Velcro strap allows rapid entry and exit – so if you do get them tight, at least you can whip them off with little fuss should your toes start complaining.

Not everyone gets on with the internal shape (if you’re struggling, try the broader La Sportiva shoes instead), but if they do fit, expect a significant improvement in your footwork. You really can stand on some tiny/non-existent holds with these attached to your feet – step forward with new found confidence, recalling the slab jedi’s maxim: “a weighted foot never slips”. (NB. Although there is much truth in said maxim, it won’t work if your shoes are muddy!)

Rubber: Stealth® Onyxx

Fit advice:

The Anasazi Velcro has quite a narrow fit with a medium volume toe box. The lined, synthetic uppers help reduce stretch, but they will soften up eventually.

We would advise dropping half a UK size from your normal shoe size, or one to one and a half full sizes for a really precise fit.

For information on rock shoe fit check out our Rock Shoe guide.