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Five Ten Insight - Women's Review

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Five Ten Insight - Women's Review (Five Ten Insight - Women's)
Five Ten Insight - Women's
Credit: Five Ten
Price:  $100 List
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Manufacturer:   Five Ten
By McKenzie Long ⋅ Senior Review Editor  ⋅  Jun 26, 2011

Our Verdict

Discontinued
REASONS TO BUY
Sticky rubber
Supportive
REASONS TO AVOID
Seams came apart easily
The sole is too thick and wide
Which makes them feel clumsy
Five Ten has discontinued the Insight. We recommend you check out the Women's Guide Tennie which won our Editors' Choice Award for Women's Approach Shoes. If you would like to know what we thought about the discontinued Insight, read on or check out our full Women's Approach Shoe Review.

The Five Ten Insight is very similar to the Camp Four, but is less expensive and without the bulky heel cage. This shoe is supportive for hiking and has sticky rubber on the sole, but does not feel very precise when climbing. For a shoe that climbs and hikes well, the Exum Pro is perfect. If you want a lighter and lower profile shoe to carry with you on a climb, the Daescent is the lightest.

Our Analysis and Test Results

Likes


These shoes are a lighter version of the Camp Four. They are beefier and more protective of your foot while hiking than a shoe like the Guide Tennie, and offer support for carrying heavy loads while not being too heavy themselves. They have sticky stealth rubber on the bottom that gives them good traction on trail as well as rock. There is a notch in the heel that makes it easier to catch etriers with your feet, and since they are protective, they work well for aid climbing.

Dislikes


Like the Camp Four, this shoe's downside is the wide, bulky sole. It is not as wide or as heavy in the heel as the Camp Four, but it still makes climbing feel clumsy in these shoes. The Insights don't weigh much more than the Exum Pros, but they feel bulkier when clipped to a harness.

Best Application


These shoes are good for hiking in, but not the best for climbing because they do not have a precise edge or toe, even though the laces reach all the way to the toe. I used the Insights on the Owen-Spaulding route up the Grand Teton, which involves a lot of hiking, some exposed scrambling, and not a whole lot of technical climbing. These shoes worked well for that application because they were supportive for hiking and sticky on the scrambling.

Personal Stories


At Indian Creek I decided to try an offwidth climb in my approach shoes instead of climbing shoes since they are wider and stiffer and might offer more support in a wide crack. I wore these shoes, which were in good shape beforehand, but afterwards the seams on the outside of both shoes was ripped through. Shortly after I had to throw these shoes away because they quickly deteriorated from there. This isn't the typical application for approach shoes, but the durability of the stitching was disappointing.

Value


At the same price, I would prefer a shoe that climbs better, such as the Guide Tennie, or a shoe that is more durable, like the Boulder X. The Insight is similar to the Camp Four, but less expensive, so if you like the beefy, protective style of shoe, the Insight would be a cheaper option.

Other Versions


Five Ten Insight - Men's

McKenzie Long