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Five Ten Anasazi LV - Women's Review

The Anasazi LV is a comfortable shoe with a basic design that does great on long multi-pitch routes and crack climbs
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Five Ten Anasazi LV - Women's Review
Credit: Five Ten
Price:  $165 List
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Manufacturer:   Five Ten
By Jane Jackson ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Dec 29, 2017
77
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Comfort - 25% 10.0
  • Sensitivity - 25% 6.0
  • Edging - 15% 6.0
  • Cracks - 15% 10.0
  • Pockets - 15% 6.0
  • Ease of Use - 5% 7.0

Our Verdict

The Five Ten Anasazi LV is an all-around climbing shoe that is comfortable and exceptionally grippy - all while providing high performance. This model performs on vertical terrain where edging abilities and precision are essential and shine in providing all-day comfort and crack climbing prowess. Comfortable and not super aggressive in shape, they are a good candidate for long multi-pitch climbs as well. Their crack climbing comfort, and sticky, precise sole and toe box make the Anasazi a great shoe for crack climbing.
REASONS TO BUY
Sticky rubber soles
Good for edging
Comfortable
Easy to get on and off
REASONS TO AVOID
Fit made for narrow feet
Expensive

Our Analysis and Test Results

Combining comfort, sensitivity, and edging prowess into one Velcro slipper makes the Five Ten Anasazi LV a favorite for comfortable, all-day trad climbing. These shoes can stand on small edges or be comfortably wedged in hand or finger cracks. Their Velcro closure makes them incredibly easy to take on and off.

Performance Comparison


five ten anasazi lv for women - looking for precision in the fairly floppy anasazi can be unnerving...
Looking for precision in the fairly floppy Anasazi can be unnerving at first, but many appreciate the comfort these shoes offer and get used to their soft feel.
Credit: Eric Bissell

Comfort


The women's model of the Anasazi is the “LV” version, meaning Low Volume. It is similar to the unisex Five Ten Anasazi VCS, but it has a narrower and subtly longer toe box, a higher arch with a lower instep, and a lower heel cup, all designed with the intention of fitting female feet better. The well-padded tongue flaps make the shoe adjustable for different foot widths and also add comfort to the top of the foot for climbing cracks. The Cowdura, or synthetic suede, used by Five Ten in the Anasazi makes them soft and comfortable after they break-in. The heel is the only area where trouble could arise since it is tight around the top and can be baggy in the lower part of the heel. Though the heel didn't fit exactly right, we did like that it came up high in the ankle, protecting the ankle bone on burly offwidths.

five ten anasazi lv for women - here, our testers explore the precise toe-jamming capabilities of...
Here, our testers explore the precise toe-jamming capabilities of the Anasazi.
Credit: Eric Bissell

Sensitivity


The Anasazi scores highly in our sensitivity metric. They stuck to any surface, and we could feel the micro-edges and features through the toe.

five ten anasazi lv for women - getting after it in the boulders of the tablelands.
Getting after it in the boulders of the Tablelands.
Credit: Eric Bissell

Five Ten C4 Stealth rubber is known for being super sticky, and the Anasazi make no exceptions. The Anasazi seems made to fit comfortably when sized tight, and the sensitivity increases as your toes push into the front of the shoe. After sizing it fairly small, we found that it stretched just a little bit over time, and ended up fitting our foot exactly and comfortably. Their relatively flat shape makes them comfortable, but they are stiff enough to be able to stand on small holds without tiring your feet out too much.

Edging


Since they work well when it comes to sensitivity, it is no surprise that this shoe can also perform well as an edging shoe.

five ten anasazi lv for women - even in painful foot jams, the anasazi provides comfort with is...
Even in painful foot jams, the Anasazi provides comfort with is leather upper and well-padded tongue.
Credit: Eric Bissell

The rubber is sticky, and there is plenty of it. This makes the Anasazi a decent edging shoe, even though they do not provide very much support in the midsole. Their lack of support in the midsole is somewhat made up for the stiffness in the toe box, directly under the balls of the feet. Here, we found the shoes provided ample support and enough stiffness to feel confident on small edges when the crack systems ran out. That said, the consensus was that the Anasazi is categorized as a soft shoe overall.

Crack Climbing


In our opinion, it is in this category that the Anasazi excels. Regarding durability, we have found that Velcro shoes or slippers work better in cracks since the laces are often the first place to wear out on lace-ups. The Anasazi is also well padded on the top and has a decent amount of rubber on the sides of the toe box, which helps in wider cracks form hand cracks to off-widths. Compared to the Velcro closure system of the Anasazi, lace-up models experience more wear if used for continuous, repeated jamming. The Anasazi is closely related to the Five Ten Moccasym, which is a unisex model designed specifically for crack climbing. These slippers are the tool of choice for the splitter cracks of the Utah desert.

Pockets


Five Ten categorizes the Anasazi in its “moderate” classification, meaning it not nearly as aggressive as a more downturned model, but still has enough shape to hold its own in technical terrain.

five ten anasazi lv for women - edging and smearing up a smooth, volcanic slab in the anasazi.
Edging and smearing up a smooth, volcanic slab in the Anasazi.
Credit: Eric Bissell

It does better on vertical terrain than on steep terrain but can hold its own in pockets. The Anasazi also lacks the asymmetrical toe box that is ubiquitous among sport climbing shoes nowadays. This taper allows these aggressively-shaped shoes to fit into tiny pockets with ease - something that the bulkier toe box of the Anasazi simply can't do.

Ease of Use


It doesn't get much easier than a Velcro slipper with a padded split tongue. Other slipper-style shoes match the Anasazi in the ease of use metric. The Velcro closure on the Anasazi are especially easy to use and not over-designed, like some of the other models we tested. The Velcro is durable, and there is ample padding in the tongue, so you can cinch these shoes down a ton for a true performance fit if you desire.

five ten anasazi lv for women - the easy-to-use velcro closure of the anasazi is quick and allows...
The easy-to-use Velcro closure of the Anasazi is quick and allows you to fine tune your fit.
Credit: Eric Bissell

Value


Like most shoes from major brands, the Anasazi is an investment. The rubber seemed to wear out quickly, which means these shoes would need to get resoled after frequent use, adding to the overall cost. More durable and, in our opinion, better overall shoes come at this price. The design of the Anasazi is not all that revolutionary, and their construction makes them a decent, middle of the pack model.

Conclusion


If you want as little material as possible between your toe and the rock, this is the shoe to get. For crack climbing, small edges and face holds, this is a very responsive shoe. It is also more comfortable than a lot of the more aggressive shoes in this review, making it great for multi-pitch climbing.

Jane Jackson