La Sportiva Futura offers better sensitivity than Solution
As some of you already know, I've been publishing in-depth information around La Sportiva's climbing shoes for months now.
I've been thinking about writing La Sportiva Solution vs Futura for a while. Because when I was searching for high-performance climbing shoes, these shoes always are popped up.
So, I started to research the differences and superiorities between these shoes and I did all jobs for you guys.
I believe that this post would be helpful for most of you.
Overview
First of all, if you're a beginner, I'd definitely recommend you to stay away from these shoes and don't waste your time reading this post and visit my La Sportiva Tarantulace vs Tarantula and La Sportiva Finale vs Tarantulace posts.
If, on the other hand, you're at least an intermediate, so keep on reading.
In short, if you're planning to get first aggressive shoes and want to increase your footwork and foot placement, then I'd recommend the Solutions. Otherwise, if you already know how to climb on your toes and have the ability of more geared footwork, go with La Sportiva Futura. It will take you to the adventure. You'll relearn your footwork with the Futura.
- I'd suggest basing your decision primarily on your answer to the following question: What kind of climbing are you planning to do mostly?
- If your answer is bouldering, harder gym climbs, crack, long sport routes and weird routes that need lots of smearing, go with the Futura.
- If you're doing mostly technical face, slab climbing, and area with lots of pockets, go with the Solution.
- Quick differences:
- Futura is for a narrow foot, Solution is for a medium or wide foot.
- Futura is more comfortable than Solution and resulting in very little break-in time.
- Futura offers better heel-hooks than Solution.
- Solution offers better toe-hooks than Futura.
- Solution's edging is better than Futura.
- Futura gives better smearing ability than Solution.
Before comparing them in detail, you might want to check La Sportiva Climbing Shoe Comparison Chart.
Let's dive into it.
Rubber
No-edge tech offers better sensitivity
Rubber is one of the most important things to pay attention to when looking for climbing shoes. Because of rubber is the connection between your foot and surfaces that you step.
These shoes come with the same rubber compound which is Vibram XS Grip 2.
Vibram XS Grip 2 offers you a better grip when you compare shoes with Vibram XS Edge.
There is a substantial dissimilarity between these shoes which you shouldn't ignore is rubber thickness.
Thickness of La Sportiva Futura is 3 mm which offers you more better sensitivity but less durability whereas La Sportiva Solution comes with 4 mm of rubber thickness. With 1 mm gap gives Solution more durability.
By the way, midsole thicknesses of these shoes are identical at 1.1 mm's (LaspoFlex in Toe only).
Technology
La Sportiva Solution comes with P3
In recent years, climbing shoes technology has been developing quickly.
Nowadays, many new model climbing shoes have the technology to increase the features of climbing shoes.
P3 (Permanent Power Platform) is one of these technologies to increase your climbing shoe's performance where both shoes are equipped with.
On the other hand, there's a quite new technology that only Futura have, they call it No-Edge Tech.
Normally, aggressive shoes are to be helped you learn better technique than stiffer shoes like more flatted shoes for begginers.
With the No-Edge concept, you can't use your outside or inside edges. All the footwork placement around the big toe because of the absence of edges. This concept force you to relearn your footwork to accommodate.
Once you get used to No-Edge Tech, you'll be suprised how you feel more confident and quicker climbing.
The P3 (Permanent Power Platform) midsole is a technology that is developed to deliver power to the sole and to maintain the downturned shape of the shoe which means that even after you smear so many times, the shape of the downturn will lose very little.
As I mentioned above about maintaining the downturned shape of the shoe also gives the opportunity to turn into the more durable shoe.
The No-Edge technology eliminates the traditional "edges" of the sole, which allows the foot to come in closer contact with the rock surface, thus enhancing foot sensitivity and allowing optimum contact on the hold. You can check the video below that made by La Sportiva.
Durability
La Sportiva Futura with No-Edge
Durability is the thing that we're looking for when choosing a climbing shoe.
If you climb more, you'll be better climber. This is simple math. But more session means your climbing shoe run into more impact from surfaces.
Because of that, we should investigate carefully when we're choosing.
I've talked about (a little bit) durability on the section of Rubber.
The first two things we know when we're talking about durability are rubber compound and rubber thickness. As we know, both shoes have the same rubber compound which is Vibram XS Grip 2.
Vibram XS Grip 2 offers solid durability but not like Vibram XS Edge. We can easily say that La Sportiva Solution with 4 mm thickness is more durable than La Sportiva Futura with a 3 mm thickness.
If we look more deeply, such as toes durability, Futura with the no-edge toes is better than Solution with the traditional edge toes, however, when we look more generally, Futura is not durable as La Sportiva Solutions.
Another climbing shoe feature could affect the durability of climbing shoe that I want to talk about is the upper of the shoes.
Upper
Both shoes generally are equipped with leather. But according to my research Futura also could come with synthetic leather.
Synthetic leather is durable than Leather.
Also, the leather will stretch, anything up to one full size whereas synthetic leather offers virtually no stretch.
Lining
La Sportiva Futura comes with unlined leather whereas Solution comes with partial lined leather which means that Solution is lined only toe-box and arch area.
What's up with lined, unlined or, partial lined leather?
Unlined leather offers better breathability than lined, partial lined or synthetic. It means less sticky.
Conclusion
Let's lay out their summarized reviews, tech specs, and pros & cons.
Solution
- Weight: 8.89 oz (258 g)
- Last: PD 75
- Fit: Performance w/ high asymmetry
- Upper: Leather / Lorica®
- Lining: HF (toe-box and arch area only)
- Midsole: 1.1 mm LaspoFlex (forefoot only) with P3®
- Sole: 4 mm Vibram® XS Grip 2™
La Sportiva Solution is aggressively downturned with high asymmetry (medium volume) climbing shoe which is designed for high-performance. Having a durable closure system and additional rubber on the toe box gives a great fit and makes us do edging easily.
Pros
Cons
Futura
- Weight: 8.00 oz (225 g )
- Last: PD 75
- Fit: Performance w/ high asymmetry
- Upper: Leather / Synthetic leather
- Lining: Unlined
- Midsole: 1.1 mm LaspoFlex (toe only) with P3®
- Sole: 3 mm Vibram® XS Grip 2™
La Sportiva Futura is aggressively downturned with high asymmetry (narrow volume) climbing shoe which is designed for high-performance. Having the no-edge concept force you to climb more precisely. You have to relearn your footwork with La Sportiva Futura.
