Five Ten Men’s Guide Tennie

Weight Comparisons

Five Ten lists the Guide Tennie’s weight at 14.4oz per shoe (in a size 9), where the Evolv Cruzer weighs in at 7.7oz, the Patagonia Rover is 8.8oz, and the bulky Adidas Terrex weighs in at 13.2oz. However, the La Sportiva Boulder X tips the scales at 17oz per shoe, and is still very popular. If you’re going to a crag where your shoes can sit happily at the base while you climb, I doubt you’ll have any issues with the Guide Tennie. But if you’re doing something that requires either a long descent or necessitates not returning to gear stashed at the base, you’ll have to carry the shoe on your harness or in a pack, which isn’t ideal. So the Guide Tennie doesn’t score many points for packability, and I certainly wouldn’t want the shoes jangling around my harness all day.

In those instances where space is a premium, I prefer a lighter, less bulky shoe that can be folded up or jammed into a corner of a pack. The Evolv Cruzer and Patagonia Rover are superior to the Guide Tennie in this respect. However, these lighter, more packable shoes won’t keep your feet nearly as dry as the Guide Tennie in the rain.

Besides the Guide Tennie’s weight, I have some other very minor gripes. The first has to do with the shoe’s laces, which are sewn in a chiral pattern, giving them a more textured finish that is meant to help knots stay put. There’s nothing wrong with this in theory, but in practice, I found that the Guide Tennie’s laces come undone at least as much as any other shoe I own. By no means is this a big deal, you can just buy another pair of laces, though it is a little annoying. The laces on the Guide Tennie are also about three inches longer than they need to be (this is about as minor a gripe as any), and I’m happy to report that the laces aren’t comically too long, as with most Five Ten climbing shoes I own.

Dave Alie reviews the Five Ten Guide Tennie, Blister Gear Review
Five Ten Guide Tennie

My second fairly inconsequential issue with the shoe is that now that I’ve worn them for over 50 days, the insoles slide out with my foot every time I take them off. Again, this is easily fixable with another “aftermarket” pair of insoles, but it is a bit irritating. Otherwise, the durability of the Guide Tennie is great. The shoes have held up extremely well with no stitching problems or delamination.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking for an approach shoe to provide good feel and power while scrambling, while also being comfortable to wear around town, you’re better off with something lighter and more packable than the Guide Tennie. However, the Guide Tennie’s high volume fit, heavier weight and stiffer sole a make it much more capable colder, wetter alpine conditions than more minimalist approach shoes. So if you need an approach shoe to use year-round, or you plan to head into alpine environments often in the summer, the Guide Tennie is a great option. In this respect, its reputation for reliability in the approach shoe world is well deserved.

2 comments on “Five Ten Men’s Guide Tennie”

  1. Hey, I was looking at a pair of these and was wondering more about the size. I wear a US 14 in the stonelands vcs which is a good size for trad for me. But wear US 13 in the Salomon and Merrell shoes that I wear day to day. Foot is 302mm if that helps.

  2. This is the worst shoe I have ever worn. First time wearing them made me feel like I had wooden blocks strapped to my feet. I have always worn five ten climbing shoes and decided to give these a try. I have blisters and foot pain after 1 day in these. Called the dealer and they won’t accept a return because I wore them. Now I’m stuck with a good looking pair of torture devices.

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