Evolv Yosemite Bum Review

With a broad toe box, the Evolv Yosemite Bum offers a nice alternative for folks who have struggled to find a comfortable fit in other brands. This shoe offers a solid, moderate level of performance, perfectly suited for the climber who enjoys long, easy routes on granite and in the mountains. While it doesn't offer expert-level performance in any single metric, the Yosemite Bum climbs cracks admirably and provides a platform that is comfortable enough to spend the day in your climbing shoes.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

The Yosemite Bum is a comfortable, flat, and flexible general-trad climbing shoe. The toe box is uncommonly wide with a sort of Morton's toe point, which climbers with this foot shape will likely appreciate. The inside of the shoe is lined with a comfortable microfibre that didn't generate any hot spots throughout our testing. But the outer material feels quite thin and offers only marginal protection against sharp granite. Like all climbing shoes, the comfort of the Yosemite Bum really comes down to whether or not this last is a good fit for your foot, and this seems to be a dream for folks with a wider forefoot or Morton's toe.

Smearing

The Yosemite Bum is a softer-flexing high-top that offers good sensitivity for smearing. We were able to confidently friction our way up granite faces, making these shoes great for climbing many moderate, multi-pitch classics. But for more technical smearing, the shoe lacks the torsional rigidity and support to inspire confidence on small holds. The sticky rubber has good friction on sloping rock, but it comes at the cost of support. Climbers spending a lot of time cruising classic granite climbs or alpine rock will be most comfortable in this shoe.

Edging

Similar to its smearing performance, the Yosemite Bum provides modest capability for edging. While the shoe is stiff by some standards, it is not on par with other high-top trad shoes, and it simply doesn't hold up as well on minuscule holds. It is more than adequate for moderate multi-pitch routes, but lacks the structure for harder, more technical climbs. Unlike other lasts, the toe box on the Yosemite Bum is blunted, with the point focused more above the second than the big toe. As we noted before, this might be a great option for climbers with Morton's toe. But it lacks the precision of other, more pointed shoes.

Pulling

The Yosemite Bum was definitely not designed for pulling with your feet through steep or overhanging terrain, and it only offers modest capabilities to do so. But to be fair, no high-top trad shoe is designed to be able to curl your toes around holds – they are simply too flat and too stiff to hold body tension without slipping off. The heel cup on the Yosemite Bum is snug and provides enough support to heel hook over a roof. But the toe box is very flat and offers little opportunity to curl your toes into holds in steep terrain.

Crack Climbing

Cracks are the name of the game for high-top shoes, and the Yosemite Bum is no slouch. With high ankle protection and a wide fit, you are able to stand in jams from thin hand-size up to wider chimneys without trouble. For thinner cracks, the tall, blunted toe box doesn't provide the necessary precision for these technical jams, but you're better off choosing a more specific shoe for that application, anyway. It's worth noting that even though the Yosemite Bum is wider than others, the upper feels quite thin, and it was more painful to climb granite cracks than other, comparable shoes. They were much more comfortable for climbing sandstone, where we were able to confidently stand on our feet in these cracks.

Should You Buy the Evolv Yosemite Bum?

As an entry-level, high-top trad shoe, the Yosemite Bum has all the performance characteristics you need to romp around on moderate multi-pitches across the country. Unfortunately, the price tag doesn't reflect this shoe's mid-range feel, and we have a hard time justifying the cost based on its performance. With that said, if you have wide feet or Morton's toe and have been struggling to find a capable shoe with a comfortable fit, the Yosemite Bum is well worth your consideration.

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