The La Sportiva TarantuLace is the super-comfortable, high-performance solution for any climber looking for one shoe to do it all. Designed for intermediate climbers, the TarantuLace features a rugged rubber heel rand, grippy FriXion RS rubber soles, and a low- asymmetry RN45 shoe shape, lending plenty of grip, support, and sensitivity.
Refusing to sacrifice comfort for technical performance, the synthetic leather overlay lacing harness adds great support for beginner to mid level climbers, and the unlined leather upper and breathable lined tongue are comfy and soft. Whether hitting your local gym wall or an expert-level pitch, this men's one-quiver climbing shoe will keep you moving up.
Refusing to sacrifice comfort for technical performance, the synthetic leather overlay lacing harness adds great support for beginner to mid level climbers, and the unlined leather upper and breathable lined tongue are comfy and soft. Whether hitting your local gym wall or an expert-level pitch, this men's one-quiver climbing shoe will keep you moving up.
Top customer reviews
Fantastic comfort fit for a beginner with wide feet.
December 9, 2015
Size: 44 M EU|Color: Kiwi / Grey|Verified Purchase
My first pair, so Ill keep it brief as Im probably not the best person to do an in depth analysis.
I have wide feet. Like... WIDE... and the whole time I was demo-ing different shoes I was afraid that I'd be squished into a pair thats just too damn tight because you're not supposed to have any toe wiggle room in climbing shoes. Well, this pair liberated me from all of those worries. I tried a bunch of high end pairs by Scapra and its nothing against them, but this was the first and pretty much only pair that I could wear for 40+ minutes without serious discomfort, to the point where towards the end I forgot I even had them on. Super comfortable on any indoor climbs, the lacing is legit and easy to tighten/loosen, there is a slight bend curve to the shape which helps me prioritize the toe when climbing (as a beginner)... I dont even know what else to comment on. For me comfort was the biggest worry point and these shoes totally put me at ease.
UPDATE: Well, its July 2017 and since this review helped a bunch of people out heres a followup:
What the shoes have put up with since the original review:
- A good amount of bouldering
- Me working my way from 5.6's to 5.11's (indoor only)
- A TON of bad smearing, questionable foot flagging, and general flailing around to compensate for bad technique as I was learning.
Overall experience:
- Fit has been fantastic. No pain points, no tight spots, I can wear these for hours without taking them off and not feel any discomfort
- Barely any stretching. Laces held up, easy to put on and off
- Don't smell. Im not a '7 hours out door' climber yet, but I haven't done a single thing to de-odor them since I've had them, and they're still fine
- Durable, as evident from the stuff I put them through
Final word:
Do the toes fit like a high end aggressive shoe? Nope. Is there a little bit of room in the heel making some heel holds sketchy? Occasionally. Despite that were they worth the hours of comfort, reducing one more thing I had to worry about as a beginner and letting me focus on technique and training without making my feet hurt? Absolutely. I've finally wore through the toe on these no doubt due to bad technique, and if it wasn't for sheer curiosity about how some of the other shoes fit/differ, I'd hands down get these again.
Great shoes. Hard to size without expert help. Order many sizes or buy in store.
July 27, 2017
Size: 39.5 M EU|Color: Flame
TLDR: Watch videos, do research, expect them to stretch/break in, and go buy them in person from experts.
I started my shoe hunt like most 20-somethings these days, googling. What's the best brand, best model, best value...blah blah. Based off of reviews from popular websites and climbing vlogs, I discovered that the tarantulas and tarantulaces were some of the best for beginners. I also chose them because from what I could tell, they were at least a little down-turned which would be useful as I progress and become an intermediate climber. For reference, I bought these shoes when I was climbing only V0 boulders and 5.4, 5.5 top rope routes.
I honestly recommend going to a store to get your shoes because my biggest issue was getting the size correct. For one, I barely knew what I was supposed to be looking for in terms of fit, and had to figure it out by research and tweeting people. Even then, because the half sizes are so close together, I had trouble determining what was ideal.
That being said, (after ordering 6 pairs) I found the right fit. I have very typical, average feet. Not too wide but also not so narrow. My street shoe is usually about 8.5. The shoe I ended up keeping was the 39.5. These fit me REALLY snugly at first. I mean...seriously. It was definitely uncomfortable. But this is how they should fit at first. I knew that in time, they would break in and stretch out, and after about 4 sessions, they fit really nicely. I was looking for a size that would make my toes curl down a little. Both these and the 40s did that. Many reviewers noted that their shoes stretched out over time so I was a little wary of the 40s even though they were more comfortable. In the end, I'm really glad I chose the tighter fit because they did break in. Also, I tried the 39s but they were WAY too small.
It's important to realize that many of the people reviewing this shoe are beginners (me too) and kinda just don't know much of what they're talking about. They talk about how comfortable the shoes are and how they have no problem standing and belaying in them. This is bad. You don't want to be standing in these shoes people. You want to climb. You need your whole foot to come together in one piece with the shoe, with your toes snugly forming the most powerful point in which you can stand on. They should be nice and snug, but not crushingly small.
They're a great first pair for me and I'm sure you'll enjoy them too!
Fits great, climbs even better
August 13, 2015
Size: 47 M EU|Color: Kiwi / Grey
I am always so nervous about buying shoes online since the size varies from different brands. I would recommend going to a local store that sells climbing shoes and just try some on until you find a good fit, you can usually find climbing shoes a lot cheaper online. I've been using these shoes both for indoor and outdoor climbing since March 2015 and they still look and feel pretty good. I've been climbing for a year now and I would recommend these shoes for any beginner. I usually wear size 12 mens and got these in size 47.
Great beginner shoe!
April 14, 2018
Size: 42.5 M EU|Color: Kiwi / Grey
I normally wear a size 12 in women's. I bought the 42.5 and it has worked great. I originally wanted to go with the 43 because it was comfortable enough to wear when walking for more than 5min. I decided to size down to 42.5 because i heard these stretch. I'm glad I did as I think the fit is just right (very snug but not painful). These aren't hardcore by any means, but for a beginner I really like them. I I switched out the laces for "Quick Lock" stretch laces. This makes slipping off the back heal of the shoe between climbs way easier and faster.
Size 10 US, got 42.5 UK
August 25, 2015
Size: 42.5 M EU|Color: Kiwi / Grey
I was nervous because I'm from the US and not used to ordering UK sizing. I looked up a conversion chart and it said size 10 is about a 43... so I opted for a 42.5 for this purchase, since I wanted a really snug fit for climbing. Then I went in and climbed with a size 10 shoe at my local gym, which started to hurt after a while... I looked and it was a 43.
Fortunately this shoe came in, and I guess they run a bit larger than the manufacturer of the gyms shoes... because these fit perfect (might even be a smidge too long). But I'm totally satisfied.
Fantastic comfort fit for a beginner with wide feet.
December 9, 2015
Size: 44 M EU|Color: Kiwi / Grey|Verified Purchase
My first pair, so Ill keep it brief as Im probably not the best person to do an in depth analysis.
I have wide feet. Like... WIDE... and the whole time I was demo-ing different shoes I was afraid that I'd be squished into a pair thats just too damn tight because you're not supposed to have any toe wiggle room in climbing shoes. Well, this pair liberated me from all of those worries. I tried a bunch of high end pairs by Scapra and its nothing against them, but this was the first and pretty much only pair that I could wear for 40+ minutes without serious discomfort, to the point where towards the end I forgot I even had them on. Super comfortable on any indoor climbs, the lacing is legit and easy to tighten/loosen, there is a slight bend curve to the shape which helps me prioritize the toe when climbing (as a beginner)... I dont even know what else to comment on. For me comfort was the biggest worry point and these shoes totally put me at ease.
UPDATE: Well, its July 2017 and since this review helped a bunch of people out heres a followup:
What the shoes have put up with since the original review:
- A good amount of bouldering
- Me working my way from 5.6's to 5.11's (indoor only)
- A TON of bad smearing, questionable foot flagging, and general flailing around to compensate for bad technique as I was learning.
Overall experience:
- Fit has been fantastic. No pain points, no tight spots, I can wear these for hours without taking them off and not feel any discomfort
- Barely any stretching. Laces held up, easy to put on and off
- Don't smell. Im not a '7 hours out door' climber yet, but I haven't done a single thing to de-odor them since I've had them, and they're still fine
- Durable, as evident from the stuff I put them through
Final word:
Do the toes fit like a high end aggressive shoe? Nope. Is there a little bit of room in the heel making some heel holds sketchy? Occasionally. Despite that were they worth the hours of comfort, reducing one more thing I had to worry about as a beginner and letting me focus on technique and training without making my feet hurt? Absolutely. I've finally wore through the toe on these no doubt due to bad technique, and if it wasn't for sheer curiosity about how some of the other shoes fit/differ, I'd hands down get these again.
Great shoes. Hard to size without expert help. Order many sizes or buy in store.
July 27, 2017
Size: 39.5 M EU|Color: Flame
TLDR: Watch videos, do research, expect them to stretch/break in, and go buy them in person from experts.
I started my shoe hunt like most 20-somethings these days, googling. What's the best brand, best model, best value...blah blah. Based off of reviews from popular websites and climbing vlogs, I discovered that the tarantulas and tarantulaces were some of the best for beginners. I also chose them because from what I could tell, they were at least a little down-turned which would be useful as I progress and become an intermediate climber. For reference, I bought these shoes when I was climbing only V0 boulders and 5.4, 5.5 top rope routes.
I honestly recommend going to a store to get your shoes because my biggest issue was getting the size correct. For one, I barely knew what I was supposed to be looking for in terms of fit, and had to figure it out by research and tweeting people. Even then, because the half sizes are so close together, I had trouble determining what was ideal.
That being said, (after ordering 6 pairs) I found the right fit. I have very typical, average feet. Not too wide but also not so narrow. My street shoe is usually about 8.5. The shoe I ended up keeping was the 39.5. These fit me REALLY snugly at first. I mean...seriously. It was definitely uncomfortable. But this is how they should fit at first. I knew that in time, they would break in and stretch out, and after about 4 sessions, they fit really nicely. I was looking for a size that would make my toes curl down a little. Both these and the 40s did that. Many reviewers noted that their shoes stretched out over time so I was a little wary of the 40s even though they were more comfortable. In the end, I'm really glad I chose the tighter fit because they did break in. Also, I tried the 39s but they were WAY too small.
It's important to realize that many of the people reviewing this shoe are beginners (me too) and kinda just don't know much of what they're talking about. They talk about how comfortable the shoes are and how they have no problem standing and belaying in them. This is bad. You don't want to be standing in these shoes people. You want to climb. You need your whole foot to come together in one piece with the shoe, with your toes snugly forming the most powerful point in which you can stand on. They should be nice and snug, but not crushingly small.
They're a great first pair for me and I'm sure you'll enjoy them too!
Fits great, climbs even better
August 13, 2015
Size: 47 M EU|Color: Kiwi / Grey
I am always so nervous about buying shoes online since the size varies from different brands. I would recommend going to a local store that sells climbing shoes and just try some on until you find a good fit, you can usually find climbing shoes a lot cheaper online. I've been using these shoes both for indoor and outdoor climbing since March 2015 and they still look and feel pretty good. I've been climbing for a year now and I would recommend these shoes for any beginner. I usually wear size 12 mens and got these in size 47.
Great beginner shoe!
April 14, 2018
Size: 42.5 M EU|Color: Kiwi / Grey
I normally wear a size 12 in women's. I bought the 42.5 and it has worked great. I originally wanted to go with the 43 because it was comfortable enough to wear when walking for more than 5min. I decided to size down to 42.5 because i heard these stretch. I'm glad I did as I think the fit is just right (very snug but not painful). These aren't hardcore by any means, but for a beginner I really like them. I I switched out the laces for "Quick Lock" stretch laces. This makes slipping off the back heal of the shoe between climbs way easier and faster.
Size 10 US, got 42.5 UK
August 25, 2015
Size: 42.5 M EU|Color: Kiwi / Grey
I was nervous because I'm from the US and not used to ordering UK sizing. I looked up a conversion chart and it said size 10 is about a 43... so I opted for a 42.5 for this purchase, since I wanted a really snug fit for climbing. Then I went in and climbed with a size 10 shoe at my local gym, which started to hurt after a while... I looked and it was a 43.
Fortunately this shoe came in, and I guess they run a bit larger than the manufacturer of the gyms shoes... because these fit perfect (might even be a smidge too long). But I'm totally satisfied.
