Projects

So I caved and got a pair of the Five Ten Projects. They arrived yesterday and after a little bit of work, and fear that I ordered the wrong size, I was able to get them on.

Initial impressions:

- Fit - They're pretty narrow and kind of baggy on the sides. Very similar, actually, to the original V10's in that respect. The metal loop that the velcro goes through hits the top of my foot a little weird right now but that may change in the future after they break in. The heel fits better than the V10 heel did, but still a little baggy on the outside. I like how the shoe feels, as a whole, more than the Jet7 right now. I don't like to compare across brands too much, but they definitely don't fit me as well as the Testarossa's or Booster's did. Very classic "Five Ten" fit and shape. If the Velcro Dragons fit you well a decade ago, these should too.

- Sensitivity - I haven't climbed in them yet, should be able to sometime in the next couple days, but they definitely feel soft. As they should. Should be interesting to see how they actually climb. Curiosity caught me on this one and I hope I like them.

- Rubber - A bunch of press has been made out of the new rubber but initial thoughts are very "meh". Rubber is rubber. Whether it's C4, HF, Onyx, Mystique or something else, it all comes down to the shape of the shoe. No big surprises here.

- Sizing - Most people I talked to went a size and a half down from their Dragons. While I don't own any Dragons, I'm a pretty standard 8 the times I've tried them on. So I went with a 6.5 in the projects. They should work out well after shoe stretch. They've got pretty soft uppers and should stretch a fair amount.

I'll give another update once I try them out a couple times. Fun fun.