Scarpa

What decides this one is how much weight you're carrying and how far you're walking on it. Leather boots carry load better and last longer; lighter synthetic boots are comfortable straight out of the box but wear out sooner.

The default day-and-overnight boot: Terra GTX

Full-grain leather, Gore-Tex lined, unisex sizing. This is the boot most people should start with - it handles day walks and overnighters with a moderate pack, and the leather upper takes a beating from rock and scrub in a way a fabric boot doesn't. It needs a couple of weeks of wearing in before a long walk.

Multi-day comfort without the weight: Kailash Trek Gore-Tex

More support and a more cushioned ride than the Terra, less stiffness, and less break-in. Good choice for someone doing regular multi-day walks who doesn't want a boot they have to argue with.

Fast and light: Rush 2 Pro Mid GTX

Built more like a trail shoe with an ankle cuff than like a traditional boot. They're comfortable immediately, they're noticeably lighter, and they suit well-formed tracks and lighter packs. The trade-off is lifespan - synthetic uppers don't take the years that leather does.

In short: Terra GTX for most walking, Kailash for regular multi-day, Rush 2 Pro when you want the weight off your feet.

Low-cut shoes suit day walks, dry tracks and anyone who finds boots restrictive. You give up ankle support and you let more grit in, but you get a lot of comfort back.

Tracks and day walks: Mojito Trail GTX

A waterproof low hiking shoe with a proper lugged sole. It comes in a wide fit in both men's and women's, which is worth knowing - Scarpa shoes generally run on the narrow side, and the wide version is the one that solves that. If your feet are wide through the forefoot, start here rather than sizing up.

Light and quick: Rush Trail GTX

Built much closer to a trail runner - lighter underfoot, more cushioned, and comfortable from the first walk with no wearing in. Gore-Tex lined, so it handles a wet track. It suits formed trails, hot days and anyone carrying little, and it's the easier shoe if boots have always felt like hard work. The trade-off is life span and underfoot protection on sharp rock.

Three things decide this: how downturned the shoe is, how stiff it is, and how much volume your foot takes up. Downturn and softness buy you power on steep ground and cost you comfort. Stiffness buys you support on small edges and costs you feel.

Starting out, and all-day comfort: Helix and Origin VS

Flat, relatively stiff, and shaped close to a normal foot. You can wear them for a full session without taking them off between climbs, which matters far more when you're learning than any amount of precision does. Don't buy an aggressive shoe first.

The all-rounder: Vapor V

Moderate downturn, enough stiffness to stand on small edges, comfortable enough for a long day on a route. If you climb a bit of everything - gym, sport, the odd trad route - this is the one shoe that does all of it adequately.

Indoor bouldering and gym volumes: Veloce and Velocity

Soft, with a roomier toe box than Scarpa's performance shoes. Softness is what lets you smear on a plastic volume and pull on a big sloping hold, which is most of what indoor bouldering asks. The Veloce is also resoleable, which matters if you're climbing three times a week.

Steep rock and hard bouldering: Instinct VS and Drago

Both are downturned and asymmetric - the shape pushes your power forward onto the big toe. The Instinct family runs stiffer and holds an edge better; the Drago is softer and grips better on steep ground where you're pulling with your toes. Neither is comfortable, and neither is meant to be.

LV versions

Several Scarpa shoes come in an LV - low volume - version. It isn't a narrower shoe so much as a shallower one: less room over the top of the foot, a closer heel. If your foot is slim and your heel lifts out of the standard version, LV is the fix. The Instinct and the Drago both have one.

In short: Helix or Origin to start, Vapor V if you want one shoe for everything, Veloce for the gym, Instinct or Drago when the climbing gets steep.

These are sorted by how cold it gets and whether you need a crampon to stay on them. All of them are crampon-compatible; the difference is insulation and stiffness.

Alpine climbing and winter mountaineering: Mont Blanc Pro GTX

A single leather boot with a Gore-Tex lining and a sole stiff enough for step-in crampons. This is the one most people in this category actually need - New Zealand, the European Alps in season, glacier travel, and winter days in the Australian Alps where you're on front points. It's warm without being an expedition boot, and it walks better than a double boot on the approach.

High altitude and genuine cold: Phantom 6000 HD

A double boot with an integrated gaiter, built for 6,000 metre peaks and winter expeditions. If you're heading to the Himalaya, the Andes or a northern-hemisphere winter objective, this is the category you're shopping in. It's more boot than anything in Australia asks for.

Footwear: Hiking Boots, Hiking Shoes, Climbing Shoes, Snow & Mountaineering Boots

Climbing: Chalk Bags, Climbing Harnesses, Climbing Gear.

Looking after them: Footwear Care, Footwear Accessories, Socks, Gaiters.

Free shipping Australia-wide, bulky items excluded, and 80 days to return anything, sale items included. The detail is on our shipping and returns pages. You can also click and collect from either store - see store locations for our Burleigh Heads and Brisbane shops, where you can try boots on before you commit.

What size Scarpa should I get in Australian sizing?

Scarpa sizes its outdoor footwear in European sizes rather than US or AU, and our listings show both - a boot appears as EU42/US9, for example - so you can work from whichever you know. For hiking boots, take your usual EU size and go up half if you're between sizes or you'll be wearing thick socks. Climbing shoes are a different conversation: they're fitted snug, and your climbing size will usually be smaller than your street size, by how much depending on the model and how much you're willing to suffer. Get in touch with our Customer Service team if you need some help!

Do Scarpa shoes run narrow?

Scarpa builds on a lot of different lasts, so it varies by model, but several of the hiking shoes do run on the narrow side. If that's your experience, the Mojito Trail comes in a wide fit in both men's and women's, and that's a better answer than sizing up - a longer shoe in the same width just moves the problem.

What does LV mean on a Scarpa climbing shoe?

Low volume. It's a shallower version of the same shoe - less room over the instep and a closer heel - for people whose feet are slim rather than short. If your heel lifts out of the standard version, try the LV in the same size.

Are Scarpa boots covered by warranty in Australia?

Yes. Scarpa's manufacturer's warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship, and your rights under Australian Consumer Law apply on top of that regardless. Warranty doesn't cover wear - worn-out soles, scuffed rubber or a climbing shoe with a hole in the toe are normal service life, not faults. If you think something has failed rather than worn out, contact us and we'll handle it for you.

Can Scarpa climbing shoes be resoled?

Most of them, yes, and it's usually worth doing - resoling a pair you like is normally cheaper than replacing them, and a lot of Scarpa's leather boots can be resoled too. The thing to watch is the rand, the rubber wrapping the toe. Once you've worn through that, a resole becomes a bigger and more expensive job. Send them off before they get that far. Resoling is done by specialist repairers rather than by us.

Which Scarpa boot is best for the Overland Track or a multi-day walk?

Something with enough sole stiffness to carry a full pack. The Terra GTX handles it for most people; if you're carrying heavy or you've had sore feet on long walks before, the Kailash Trek gives you more support underfoot. Whichever you choose, wear them in properly first - a multi-day walk is the worst possible place to break in a leather boot.