You are slowly falling in love with climbing.  You are ready to stop renting shoes at the gym.  You are ready to buy your first pair of rock climbing shoes.

So how do you choose rock climbing shoes?  What if you have odd size feet?

The only rule you need to follow is this:  Try on many shoes.

Start Your Search For Rock Climbing Shoes At Your Gym

If your gym has a shoe that fits you well, ask your wall manager if they sell the used shoes for a steep discount.  Most gyms do sell their old shoes.  Albeit, those shoes are going to be very worn out before your gym retires them.

Next, ask your wall manager to schedule a gear rep to come to your gym to demo shoes.  At events like this that I have attended, I was able to try out 3 different kinds of shoes.  Here’s the key benefit:  You get to climb in them.  And that is, without any doubt, the best way to feel out a new shoe.  Just keep trying on shoes.

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Most likely, you will be headed to your local outdoor shop.  Backwoods, REI, Moosejaw, Dynamic Earth.  If you are lucky, they will have a mini wall to test out your shoes.  Just keep your ears open for these words:

Downturned. 

Aggressive. 

Technical. 

Symmetry. 

For Crack. 

For Bouldering. 

Blah, blah, blah…shoe salesmen words.  With your first pair of rock climbing shoes, you don’t need any of that.   You are not a child.  You know how you want a shoe to fit.  You know what style you want.  You know your price range.  Just keep trying on shoes.

The first and only goal:  Comfortably Tight

It is this simple.  When you choose your rock climbing shoe, it should be comfortably tight.  That’s it.  It should be easy to get your foot in.  You should have plenty left on the velcro straps or the laces.  If laces or straps are tightened to their limit, move down in size or look at another shoe.

There is no rule of thumb, only guidance with the popular phrase:  “go down 2 size from your street shoe to get the perfect fit for your rock shoes.”  You might wear the exact same size for both your rock and street shoe.  I have street shoes that are 12’s and another pair that is 10.5’s.  Your feet are unique.  Just keep trying on shoes.

“Small feet.  Big feet.  Here come pig feet.

His feet.  Her feet.  Fuzzy fur feet.” – Dr. Seuss

 

SUPER SECRET Strategy For Those Of You With Odd Size Feet

Try on both men’s and women’s rock climbing shoes.  Cast your ego aside and get a shoe that fits YOU perfectly.  If you are chill enough to try this strategy, you just may be one of those rare climbers who take a step up in performance because your shoes work well for you!  Just keep trying on shoes.

Never Purchase A New Rock Climbing Shoe Online

If you are thinking about buying a rock climbing shoes THAT YOU HAVE NEVER TRIED ON BEFORE, do not purchase it online.  My personal experience says don’t do that.  I’ve heard it over and over at the gym, “I bought it online.  It doesn’t fit right.”

Take my advice and save yourself the hassle.  It is just not worth it.

Sure, if you already own a favorite pair of rock climbing shoes, you can be comfortable buying that EXACT shoe again online.  My “sending shoes” are the lace up Miura by La Sportiva size 43.5.  Yup, I’ll buy those online all day long.

Keep in mind that leather will stretch some and synthetic will stretch a little.

No one call tell you how much your shoes will stretch because no one can predict how much you will wear your shoes, or store your shoes, or a million other variables that will happen to your shoes.  Laces and straps allow for adjustments.  And over time, no matter what shoe you purchase, the fit will change.  A slipper-style shoe allows for no adjustment to the fit of the shoe.  Just keep trying on shoes.

By the way, there are no “cheap” climbing shoes.  There are no climbing shoes at Wal-mart.  You can have confidence in whichever brand you end up buying.  I’ve heard great stories of customer support for those random tears and breaks that sometimes happen to climbing shoes.  So if you run into a warranty issue, just call your outdoor shop or call the manufacturer.