Over the last couple of months I have been road testing the new(ish) Five Ten Rogue, which is Five Ten’s solution to the ‘budget performance shoe’ hole in their range. In recent years this popular area of the market has been dominated by the likes of Evolv (Defy), Mad Rock (Flash) and Boreal (Joker), who by hitting the £60 to £70 price point, with the aforementioned models, have been able to suck up lots of business by offering affordable shoes, which purvey decent levels of performance across a range of climbing disciplines.  

To be honest this isn’t normally the sort of shoe I would go for, having usually opted for slightly higher performance rock boots over the years. However, years of crunching my tootsies into toe-down or just plain small performance shoes have left me with feet that can no longer handle hours upon end of being crammed into said shoes. Whilst I do still use my ‘hardcore’ footwear for redpoint attempts or to work particularly taxing climbs, I was looking for a comfortable easy fitting shoe, for warming up, circuiting, or using on longer outings, but which would still allow a modicum of feel and performance when required.

And so to the Rogue. I’d have to say it took me a fair few sessions to get use to climbing in shoes that weren’t super tight again, however once I did I found the Rogue to be a class act, easily ticking all the boxes of its original design brief. The fit is reasonably relaxed and generally broad from forefoot to heel, and the low tensioning on the slingshot rand means there’s no painful cinching of the Achilles tendon. The detached tongue, large opening, burly Velcro adjustment and double pull tabs make pulling these performance loafers on and off a simple affair, with the soft upper being both forgiving and very comfortable on crumpled toes. More specifically, the upper is a drilled synthetic fabric (Perflex), making the shoes perforated throughout and thus highly breathable, plus unlike many synthetics they don’t seem to smell quite so bad after prolonged use. The shoes do give a fair bit over their initial induction, although unlike many shoes in this price bracket they do seem to stabilize and retain their shape after this initial breaking in period. Another major coup, when purchasing the Rogue over similar models, is the use of the critically acclaimed Stealth C4 rubber used on the sole unit, which time and again has proved itself to be one of the best climbing rubbers available.

Image: Rogue testing at St. Bees Head, Jump the Shark 6c+/V5.

In use I found the Rogue to be a great all rounder, working well on multiple rock types and angles; as with most Velcro shoes the lack of lacing does reduce the ability to stabilize your foot in the toe box somewhat, whilst the midsole offers a medium to soft platform, particularly laterally. As such I would say that this shoe, like many of its peers, is better on large, sloping or smeary holds, where feel and surface contact are the important factors – think climbing walls, sandstone, gritstone or easier mountain routes.

Overall a good shoe for the entry to mid-level sector of the market, or those, like myself, looking for a comfortable secondary shoe for longer easier outings or circuiting days.

Purchase the Five Ten Rogue here.