La Sportiva Oxygym Climbing Shoe Review
By Chris M. MerrittPublished On 
With tons of climbing shoes available on the market, you probably feel a dilemma in choosing the best pair for you, won’t you?
Selecting the right footwear is more of an issue if you are new to climbing. But don’t worry! The popular Italian climbing company, La Sportiva, has come up with the climbing footwear named La Sportiva Oxygym, putting beginners at their utmost importance.
The La Sportiva Oxygym Climbing Shoe is affordable climbing footwear known as a great arbitrator between your feet and the unfriendly rocks. It is comfortable, durable, and equipped with handy features.
Let’s learn more about the La Sportiva Oxygym Climbing Shoe!
La Sportiva Oxygym Climbing Shoe- The Overview
If you are looking for a stylish and reasonably-priced gym climbing shoe, the La Sportiva Oxygym Climbing Shoe is the right choice for you.
With its sturdy material, this footwear is 100% machine washable and breathable. Similarly, Oxygym introduces an internal breathable fabric that allows for moisture-wicking. It also has a patented hook-and-loop closure system to help you with a personalized fit.
Other than that, La Sportiva has included a quality fabric in this footwear that helps to keep away odor and smell from your climbing shoe.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Breathable fabric keeps your feet dry. | Lacks high-end performance for advanced climbers |
| Comfortable design | Low sensitivity |
| Good grip | |
| Washable | |
| Snug and precise fit | |
| Keeps away odor and smell | |
| Durable | |
| Reasonably priced |
Feature Highlights
- Designed with synthetic material
- Includes internal breathable fabric that allows for moisture wicking
- Features AirTex Silver lining to reduce odor
- Comes with a 3-Layer WashTex external fabric for clean and hygiene
- Features the wide toe box for precise edging
- Includes a patented hook-and-loop closure system for a personalized fit
- Features La Sportiva’s proprietary FriXion ® RS rubber
Product Details
- Dimensions: 7 x 8 x 13 inches
- Weight: 0.9 pounds
- Material: Synthetic
- Closure: Velcro Strap
- Downturn: Neutral
- Lining: AirTex Silver
- Fit: Low Asymmetry
- For: Men and Women
- Designed to Serve: Beginners and Intermediate Climbers
Here is the La Sportiva Men’s Oxygym Climbing Shoe sizing chart:
| US | La Sportiva (Euro) |
| 2.5 | 34 |
| 3 | 34.5 |
| 3.5 | 35 |
| 4 | 35.5 |
| 4.5 | 36 |
| 5 | 37 |
| 5.5 | 37.5 |
| 6 | 38 |
| 6.5 | 39 |
| 7 | 39.5 |
| 7.5 | 40 |
| 8 | 41 |
| 8.5 | 41.5 |
| 9 | 42 |
| 9.5 | 43 |
| 10 | 43.5 |
| 10.5 | 44 |
| 11 | 44.5 |
| 11.5 | 45 |
| 12 | 46 |
| 12.5 | 46.5 |
| 13 | 47 |
| 13.5 | 48 |
| 14 | 49 |
Here are some of the major feature breakdown for the La Sportiva Oxygym Climbing Shoe:
Comfort and Fit
Like most of the great beginners climbing shoes, this Oxygym climbing shoe also delivers proper comfort for you to hone your climbing skills. This footwear has a wide toe box and a rigid rather flat profile, gifting you enough support if you are a novice climber.
Likewise, the Oxygym features La Sportiva’s Fast Lacing System that’s not only great from getting the shoe on and off quickly, but also offers you a precise fit. The two velcro straps make sure you get a comfortable fit.
Sensitivity and Durability
The 5mm FriXion ® RS rubber that comes in this climbing footwear offers exceptional durability. However, at the same time, it reduces the sensitivity that keeps you away from feeling the rock surfaces while climbing. With that, the Oxygym won’t perform as well as other shoes on smears.
However, as this is designed keeping beginners and intermediate climbers in mind, sensitivity should be less of an issue as careful foot placement is more important for the fresh climbers.
Three-Layer External Fabric
One of the key features of this climbing shoe is that it features a three-layer breathable upper with a wrap. The top layer is a breather outer that allows moisture to escape. Similarly, the mid-layer is a microfiber for structure, and the bottom layer is an AirTex Silver lining.
The AirTex lining forms a wicking layer that keeps your feet dry and also helps to reduce odor. This handy feature helps to keep the footwear sweat-free and hygienic.
Toe Box
The wide and flat toe box of this climbing shoe makes it somewhat proper for smearing and balancing on large footholds. Due to its design, the Oxygym does struggle with delicate foot placement and overhangs. However, this should not be an issue for many beginners.
The toe rand of this footwear is made from a similar rubber as the sole, except that it is a little more durable.
Heel
You got to be impressed with the heel on the La Sportiva Oxygym Climbing Shoe. The sticky rubber extends all the way to the back of the heel, so there is plenty of rubber to offer you confidence on the smallest of heel hooks.
Besides, the bottom and sides of the footwear are also spotted with circular indents. These indents help to give a little extra grip for your convenience.
Rubber
The quality FriXion rubber offers plenty of friction for heel hooks, which is ideal for beginners looking to sharpen their skills in a gym. The rubber on the sole of this show is a gentle spoon-dipped shaped that undoubtedly offers you excellent grip on pockets.
Our Opinion
All in all, this stylish and comfortable climbing shoe from La Sportiva is hands down a perfect choice for beginners and intermediate climbers. Besides focusing on comfort, the shoe’s top selling point is its ability to keep odor away and being completely machine washable and breathable.
To be honest, Oxygym lacks some of the key features that are expected by professional climbers. However, at this fair price, it is no doubt a bargain for both novice and mid-level climbers.
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Other Options Worth Exploring
La Sportiva Boulder X
- Designed with synthetic material
- Features Vibram IdroGrip rubber for excellent performance
- Features leather uppers combined with beefy rubber rands for comfort
- Includes mythos lacing system for a highly adaptable and custom fit
- Features high-cushion EVA layers placed on top of the 2mm polypropylene insoles to cushion your feet on long approaches
SCARPA Origin Climbing Shoes
- Engineered with leather material
- Includes passive randing for classic performance
- Features Scarpa’s proprietary vision rubber
- Comes with flat lasted construction for all-day comfort and performance
- Includes dual power strap closure for maximum adjustability
- Features hook-and-loop closures for keeping your feet snug and well-positioned during use
Mad Rock Men’s Drifter Climbing Shoe
- Designed with 100% leather material
- Features slightly asymmetrical last and flat profile for comfort
- Comes with a split neoprene tongue for easy on/off
- Features 3D molded heel for a precise fit
- Includes Science Friction 3.0 rubber sole for excellent friction
- Features moderate asymmetrical curvature
- Comes with padded piping for a stylish look
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
This La Sportiva Oxygym Climbing Shoe is completely washable, which makes it ideal for gyms and any climber that is looking to clean it. However, you should take note of not putting it in the dryer after washing. Else, you can damage the material. Always air dry the footwear once you wash it.
As this climbing shoe from La Sportiva comes with a rigid sole, it offers plenty of support to the foot over longer climbs. It means that you can wear this product without any discomfort for a long session at the gym. Plus, this handy feature reduces the effort needed to stand on smaller edges.
Our Opinion
All in all, this stylish and comfortable climbing shoe from La Sportiva is hands down a perfect choice for beginners and intermediate climbers. Besides focusing on comfort, the shoe’s top selling point is its ability to keep odor away and being completely machine washable and breathable.
To be honest, Oxygym lacks some of the key features that are expected by professional climbers. However, at this fair price, it is no doubt a bargain for both novice and mid-level climbers.
