Review: Lowa Sparrow

I reached a whole new level with the Sparrow climbing shoe from Lowa—the several weeks I spent bouldering in them at Spire were confidence-inspiring. They have great edging capability, fantastic grip, and they’re comfortable to wear around the gym—I even left them on between climbs. The anti-microbial lining helps keep stink to a minimum, and there’s extra room in the toebox if you prefer to curl your toes on tiny holds. These shoes are super lightweight and the Velcro straps make them easy to put on and adjust on the fly. One caveat: this shoe is made for narrow feet, so those with wider heels or forefeet might want to look elsewhere. As for break-in, the back of my ankle got rubbed a little raw the first couple days, but after that, everything was fine. $140; lowaboots.com.