Mad Rock Drone 2 HV Climbing Shoes Review

The Drone 2 HV saved me after years of suffering through shoe squeezes and bruised toes from too-narrow, too-low-volume models.

It’s a solid choice for wide-footed climbers who want an aggressive shape without giving up all-day wear, with surprisingly good performance in steep gyms and real rock. While not perfect for slabs or microprecise edging, the shoe does more than enough for what most boulderers (especially those with chunky feet) really need.

It’s not pretty during break-in, but once dialed in, you’ll wish every brand cared this much about fit.

Let me rewind a bit. Before starting ClimbingShoesFit, my climbing shoe journey was a sad parade of numb toes, angry blisters, and shoes that always felt like they belonged on someone else’s feet.

I had a wide forefoot and a not-so-pointy big toe, always making it tough to fit into those sleek, high-performance shoes everyone raved about at the gym. I built this site because I wanted other climbers—especially the wide-footed among us—to stop suffering through the same bad fits and wasted cash.

This is why I grabbed the Mad Rock Drone 2 HV. The ‘HV’ means ‘high volume’, and after seeing one too many narrow slippers turn my toes purple, I was curious (and more than a little hopeful). Could this finally be an aggressive shoe made for those of us with real, meaty feet? Time to test it out—on plastic, on rock, and everywhere I could.

Let’s take a look at what makes this climbing shoe unique.

I took the Drone 2 HV straight onto my favorite overhanging spray wall at the local gym—a place where edges and little nubbins force you to trust your feet or slip off. At first, I missed the razor-like precision of some stiffer shoes (think La Sportiva Miura lace-ups), but the rounded, supportive forefoot actually made it easier to stay put on small holds than I expected.

Don’t get me wrong: if you’re into micro-edges on vertical faces, there’s a bit of flex in the sole, and you’ll notice it. But when things get steep and you want to dig your toe in for power, the downturned shape shines.

On a pumpy V6 roof problem, I found myself snapping into little chip holds and getting enough bite to stick the crux move—something that never happened consistently in softer, slipper-like shoes.

A tip: After the break-in, the rubber starts to feel a bit more precise, so don’t judge them just after your first sweaty session.

Smearing is where the Drone 2 HV is… well, just okay. On a smooth, vertical wall, I felt the stiffer midsole made it harder to really press the sole flat and trust that ‘barefoot feel’. But on most modern bouldering sets—with plenty of big, textured volumes—you’ll be fine.

I took it for a spin on some outdoor sandstone, where subtle smears matter most, and while the initial stiffness made me nervous, after a couple weeks the rubber softened enough to give me just enough feedback for secure smears.

If you’re chasing the purest slab feel, you might want something with a softer sole. But for most climbs, especially in a gym, you’ll get by.

Here’s the real talk: break-in is a journey, not a quick trip. My street shoe is EU 43 (that’s about US Men’s 9.5-10), and I went with the same EU size in the Drone 2 HV.

At first, it felt pretty brutal—big toe squished up, pinky toe slightly numb, the usual pain in new aggressive shoes. But here’s the thing: because of the high-volume fit, the pain wasn’t bone-crushing. I was able to keep them on for a few more attempts before ripping them off in defeat.

After about 5 gym sessions (yeah, that long), the upper loosened up, and honestly, the comfort surprised me. The extra width meant my toes finally had some room to spread. Beware: if you have really high arches or super chunky insteps, you still might need to size up a half euro size.

Bonus: I didn’t get any weird hotspots or blisters, which is rare for my feet.

If you’re chasing ‘barefoot on the wall’ vibes, the Drone 2 HV might let you down.

The sole has enough thickness in the key places for support, but it does trade off a bit of feel. I found myself struggling to trust really tiny foothold feedback at first—there’s a layer of numbing cushion. But honestly, on most steep problems, you want power more than insane sensitivity, and these sit in that middle ground.

After break-in, things do get better. I could start to tell how much pressure I was putting on smaller chips. But you’ll never mistake them for those paper-thin comp shoes.

Here’s where the Drone 2 HV surprised me—in the best way. On a burly moonboard problem with a toe hook crux, the giant toe patch did exactly what it’s supposed to do: stuck like glue, didn’t roll, and didn’t flex weird.

For heel hooks, it’s a massive upgrade from most wide shoes. I’m used to baggy, loose heels that pop off under tension, but the Drone’s heel is both lower-cut than expected and still fits snugly (if you actually have a wide foot, that is).

On another V5 campus-style roof, I found myself hanging off a heel for the final match—the kind of move that would have trashed my foot in a narrower or stiffer shoe. This time, no pain.

One warning: if you have a super narrow heel, this heel is likely too roomy.

The biggest shock was finally being able to leave a pair of bouldering shoes on for a whole gym session—no more marathon battles cramming my feet in and out. I’ll never forget finally sending a board project I’d worked for months, just because, for once, my toes could do their job instead of being numb.

I also surprised myself by trusting heel hooks again. Usually, my heels pop, but these felt glued. I guess fit really is that important.

Everything changed after the first few painful sessions.

Once the shoe adapted to the shape of my weird feet, it went from ‘try-hard plastic shell’ to ‘part of me’. That’s why I started ClimbingShoesFit—to pass those magic moments on.

The Drone 2 HV was clearly made for:

• Wide and high-volume feet—lots of room to splay toes
• Roman, Square, and even Egyptian-shaped toes (as long as they’re not super pointy)
• People who struggle with low-volume shoes crushing the sides of their feet

If you’ve got a super narrow or skinny foot, this shoe probably won’t be secure enough. Even with the velcro cinched all the way down, you’ll get bagginess. The toebox is noticeably wide—great for me but might be sloppy for others.

The Drone 2 HV works well for climbers with even-length toes (Roman or Square shape), as well as those with a slightly longer big toe (Egyptian shape). The wide toe box gives space for your toes to lie flat and spread out naturally.

If your second toe is much longer than your big toe (Greek shape), the fit can still work, but you may feel some pressure unless you size carefully.

This shoe absolutely loves wide feet—finally, there’s room to splay your toes and the sides don’t pinch. If your feet are between medium and wide, you’ll likely get a secure but comfy fit. Narrow or super-narrow feet will swim in these—they just won’t grab enough.

The Drone 2 HV is made for both men and women. Sizing runs up to EU 48 (about US Men’s 13), and down to around EU 36 (US Women’s 5). If you’re a woman with wide feet (like women’s EU 39-41), you’ll finally get a real aggressive shoe that fits.

Street shoes: EU 43 (US Men’s 10). I went with the same in the Drone 2 HV and it felt tight at first—but not unwearably so.

Here’s what I learned:

• If you have a really wide foot, true-to-size is probably fine.
• If you’re between sizes, go up—the aggressive downturn means you won’t lose much performance.
• Don’t size down drastically. The break-in is real, but it won’t magically triple in space like some soft leather shoes.

Those with odd instep heights or longer 2nd toes (Greek feet) should definitely try them on before you buy.

I’ve put about 5 months of heavy gym and weekend outdoor use on these, and so far, the rubber’s wearing exactly how you’d hope—slowly, with very little rand separation or delamination.

The velcro still grips like new, which is surprising (I’m notorious for walking around in my shoes and wearing straps out fast).

The only thing: the toe rubber patch started to develop micro-wrinkles after a couple months, but never peeled up. That’s a pretty minor issue, and nothing’s failed yet.

For wide-footed climbers, there aren’t as many options as you’d think—especially in high-performance shoes. The Drone 2 HV usually comes in $20-30 cheaper than most Italian or Japanese imports.

For that, you get a real, aggressive shoe, built to last, that actually fits. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants better performance but can’t cram themselves into a Solution or Shaman.

If you’ve got narrow or dainty feet, though, you’re paying for volume you’ll never use. Shop smarter.

As with anything one size doesn’t fit all. Here are my recommendations.

Skip these if you:

• Have a narrow, delicate foot (they’ll feel like boats)
• Are looking for ultimate slab sensitivity
• Need top-tier micro-edging for vertical, techy faces
• Want a low-volume, sleek look or super light feel

If any of this sounds like you, I’d put the Drone 2 HV on your shortlist:

• Wide-feet boulderers or sport climbers hunting for an aggressive, but not foot-destroying shoe
• Climbers who want serious heel and toe hook grip—in steeper terrain
• Anyone fed up with numb toes in the usual ‘performance’ models
• Intermediate-to-advanced gym rats and outdoor projectors wanting bang for their buck