The reviews are all over the place.

I'd like the opinion of my fellow SP'ers.

Hi, I have the Camp 4's and they are a really nice shoe. The sole does not have a very deep tread but its deep enough and the rubber is super sticky which is awesome on roots and rocks (a cut above in grip over all other hiking shoes). The shoe has really solid heel stability and protection but its light enough and flexible enough to be comfortable all day while offering just enough protection from sharp rocks.

They are just about true to size but a tad wide. If you use a thick sock order 1/2 size larger.

The only downside of the Camp 4 shoe is that if it gets wet it takes a long time to dry.

Also if you are going to do a lot of technical climbing then I suggest a narrower shoe like the Scarpa Zen (which I also own) which are not as comfortable for all day walking but better for short, technical scrambles and climbs.

For all terrain, all day (dry weather) hiking the Camp 4's are the shoe to have IMHO. They feel unreal when boulder hopping and hiking up sketchy terrain.

I wish they made a goretex version since the rubber is just awesome even on wet rocks and roots.

We had a possibly relevant discussion a while back.

I've used the camp fours on some low class 5 stuff (that cp0915 might do in tennies); they are very sticky, and have significant tread compared to most approach shoes. At times, they seem too sticky, especially when descending, nearly causing face plants.

Mine also stink to high Heaven when I sweat a lot.

I find that most 5.10s are made for higher-volume feet and often have a toe box that seems a little narrow for me. The camp fours seemed that way at first, so I used a shoe stretcher on the toe box.

I tried the camp fours with BD steel strap-on crampons, and had to be very creative with the strapping, to keep the boots from popping out. The BD crampons are known for having very low backs (the plastic connecting piece between the strap holes). They don't seem to pop out of my CAMP crampons.

EDIT:
This is about my personal limit for the camp fours; that's more a reflection of me, as CP went up this with just athletic shoes in the past. The wide heel does make it a little harder to find small footholds (witness the sprawl of my left leg).
http://www.13ergirl.com/oneillbutte/IMG_6651small.jpg
Credit: Sarah T took the photo.

I've used camp fours for nearl all my summer scrambling here in Colorado and really like the shoe. The are very sticky and can easily handle low class 5 moves. They also have very good support, so I saw no reason to go with the exum guide model. As previously mentioned, their downside is they are not water proof and take a while to dry out. I've heard that some people have had problems fitting the shoe (too tight), but these fit my feet fine.

I really appreciate the advice! Sounds like a lot of Camp 4's out there. Moapa, love the picture- looks like whatever rock you were climbing turned your leg black! I'll have to look into those boulder X's fer sure.

AlpineAffinity wrote:I really appreciate the advice! Sounds like a lot of Camp 4's out there. Moapa, love the picture- looks like whatever rock you were climbing turned your leg black! I'll have to look into those boulder X's fer sure.

There were small footholds nearer to the crack, but the camp 4s have a rather rounded edge (compared to, e.g., the old vasque pingoras), so I kept slipping off those very shallow holds. I had to search for a bigger area -- still steeply sloping-- where I could take advantage of the sticky rubber. Not pretty, but it worked.

I have a knack for getting cut-up and dirty no matter where I am!