Replacements...

(what my guides look like right now, a pretty sorry state)

About a year and half ago I brought a pair of 5.10 Guide Tennies. They are a pretty simply made approach (though I dislike the term) shoe. They are not waterproof (in the style of a gore-tex liner etc), they have no fancy bells and whistles and the sole is very simple. I love them to bit, quite literally to bits as well because I spent the last week in Ecrin's spending my evening super gluing bits on the rubber on the front back on. 

(rubber coming away at the front, solution:

 Superglue!)

Whats good about these shoes? Well they're light, which means that you can carry them up behind you clipped to your harness when you're climbing. This is important as I like having this option. They're also pretty low bulk, so they are not a massive thing dangling off you. Unlike the 5.10 camp 4's (great shoes, I just didn't like them at all) they don't have a massive heel cages that make you feel like you're wearing high heels!

They're reasonably hard wearing. Considering the upper is only leather and the sole is made of 5.10 stealth rubber I didn't expect them to last this long. I have a bad tendency to wear my approach shoes into big mountain routes and other such places where boots would be much more appropriate. There is one hole in the leather, but I'll get round to that. The soles haven't exactly split but they do let in a little water. I can't work out from where though. 

(Damage and repairs with seam sealer)

I like the fact they have a massive covering of leather on the toe. This is good as toe's tend to get stubbed and battered when walking around the mountains. It's a shame that the rubber runs out down the side of each shoe like it does. This is my only gripe with the shoes. When you sit cross legged the outside of each foot wears a hole through the side of shoe. This can all be solved by longer rubber rands... or a liberal application of seam sealer (or something similar). It really does work and makes a huge difference.

If you're looking for a damn light, hard wearing approach shoe that you can probably climb about 4c/5a in then these are awesome shoes. They defiantly get my vote!

They're so good, instead of messing round trying to find a new and different pair of shoes to use I've just brought a new pair. I see them as a solid investment. 

(What they should look like!)