REASONS TO BUY
Easy on and off
Comfortable
"thin" profile
REASONS TO AVOID
Stretch a lot
Not great for edging
Five Ten Moccasym Review
These shoes are great for hand cracks and training in the gym
Five Ten Moccasym
Credit: fiveten.com
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Our Verdict
The Five Ten Moccasym is a simple slipper that serves as a solid crack climbing shoe. There's been a lot of new design and development in climbing shoe technology since the Mocc first came on the scene, but decades later there are still plenty of fans in crack climbing meccas like Indian Creek where they're a popular choice for thin splitters. That's due to their low-profile toe and a smooth upper that allows you to get the maximum about of shoe into the slimmest of cracks. The slipper design can become a problem during desperate edging because feet are prone to sliding inside the shoe. Still, they can serve as a useful tool for sustained splitters.
Editor's Note: This review was updated on November 30, 2021 to reflect an update to Five Ten Moccasym.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Product Update Note — November 2021
Five Ten updated the Moccasym to the new NIAD Moccasym. The new NIAD (Nose in a Day) version carries the same previous low-profile slipper feel of the original, but features extra rubber across the toe and top of the shoe. Otherwise, the design is very similar. Compare the two below; the Moccasym we tested is on the left, followed by the NIAD Moccasym (right).
Five Ten updated the Moccasym to the new NIAD Moccasym. The new NIAD (Nose in a Day) version carries the same previous low-profile slipper feel of the original, but features extra rubber across the toe and top of the shoe. Otherwise, the design is very similar. Compare the two below; the Moccasym we tested is on the left, followed by the NIAD Moccasym (right).
The Five Ten Moccasym faces some competition from a few other slipper designs. All offer excellent comfort in hand cracks and a narrow profile for sneaking your toes inside thinner challenges. The best choice for you will likely come down to fit, price, and availability.
Performance Comparison
Stealth C4 is still the stickiest rubber we've encountered, and the Moccs will keep you feeling relaxed on featureless, low-angle slabs.
Credit: Matt Bento
Edging
The Moccasym is notoriously bad for edging. If you size them super tight, they do ok, but eventually, the unlined leather uppers stretch into a sloppy mess. At that point, they stay super comfortable for all-day scrambling, but unless you've got toes of steel, you'll be whimpering and over gripping when it comes time to stand on tiny edges.
These shoes are very soft. While comfortable, this makes them a poor choice for technical edging.
Credit: Matt Bento
Crack Climbing
When the Moccs are sized to let your toes lay flat in the shoe, they are comfortable crack climbing machines. We've seen folks carry a quiver of these things up to the crag in Indian Creek, each one sized for a different sized crack. Some climbers size their Moccs large and wear them with thick socks for offwidths. Others wear them tight for better precision. We've also seen the Mocc's uppers slathered in supplemental freesole rubber for increased durability in hand cracks.
Hand cracks are the ideal habitat for the Mocc. These shoes excel in the hand and fist sizes.
Credit: Matt Bento
Steep Terrain
Shoes that excel in pocketed terrain have great edging abilities and possess a pointy toe, and are typically built on an asymmetric last. The Moccasyms don't edge very well, have a relatively blunt toe box, and are a comfy, symmetrical shape. In other words, they're not great for pockets. When it comes to steep terrain, the slipper design also undermines security, causing our testers to whimper during aggressive heel hooks.
The easy on and off of this slipper comes at a price. The heel is liking to slip off during aggressive heel hooking.
Credit: Matt Bento
Sensitivity
Right out of the box, the Moccs feel a bit clunky, but once the shoes start to soften up (often quicker than you want them to), they're great for slab climbing and ensure you can feel micro divots and apply a healthy helping of stealth rubber to the rock. Soft shoes are a matter of personal preference, but if it's your preference, these are some of the better soft shoes you can get for crack climbing.
Poor edging performance and a wide, blunt toe box make these shoes a bit lacking when it comes to pocket climbing.
Credit: Matt Bento
Comfort
The Moccs stretch a lot, and if you size them for performance, they don't feel great until they've stretched to your foot. When our lead tester climbed exclusively in these shoes, he would size them down from his street shoe size of a US men's 9.5 to a 7.5 in the Moccs so that they wouldn't feel too big by the time they were fully stretched out.
Our lead tester cranks out one more lap before the storm.
Credit: Matt Bento
Value
These once bargain shoes have been steadily creeping up in price over the last decade to the dismay of dirtbags everywhere. However, they remain affordable compared to their high-end competitors. Remember, size these shoes tight. They'll stretch out fast, leaving you with a shoe that's very difficult to edge in.
Conclusion
The Five Ten Moccasym features a classic design that remains popular, even in a world with modern designs that can supply better edging and sensitivity. However, it's still hard to beat the Mocc in terms of comfort and simplicity. Once you've figured out the sizing, it's also possible to fit them for a variety of specialized uses in ways that are not possible with new synthetic or lined leather shoes.
—
Matt Bento
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