Five Ten NIAD VCS LV

Overall the NIAD VCS LV offers excellent build quality while preserving the much-loved Anasazi VCS's function as a high-performing yet comfortable all-round shoe. While aficionados of the Anasazi may have some bones to pick with the modified toe patch and toe shape, there are plenty of wins with the NIAD including a tighter heel on top of the classic combination of edging and smearing comfort. If you are a climber with a lower volume foot, or just a lighter climber, it is definitely worth putting your reservations aside and trying a pair on (in your street size!). Plus, the toe patch does offer something new to indoor climbers and tricksy boulderers, while the shape also means that this is now a shoe that may fit some people that the Anasazi didn't - myself included.