shoes

[niqaeli]

I have some questions about shoes. I'm pretty sure if I go digging through the community, I can get find recommendations on an affordable initial pair of shoes because rentals are, um, disgusting and not conducive to me wanting to go climbing -- but if anyone cares to rec their favourite shoes that would be awesome.

Relatedly, though, how long do you expect an initial pair of shoes to last? I mean obviously that's going to be affected by how often you're going climbing, but ballpark estimates? Are you more likely to wear through them before needing a new pair for other reasons (ie, needing a more technical shoe, or having gone down in size)? If you're climbing outdoors rather than at a gym does that tend to make a difference in the wear? If climbing outdoors, does the type of rock you tend to climb make a difference in the wear?

These questions are brought to you by the letter M, the number 4, general curiousity, and also fic research. :P

Comments

[emperor]

I have some 5.10 Spires (they were also my first shoe, but I got another pair recently); mostly they're the only pair I've found that suit my oddly-shaped feet. Most important advice? Go into a shop a try a load of pairs on (without socks) - you want a pair that are snug (though they will stretch a little) but not painful.

IME outdoor climbing is much harder on shoes than indoor - my first pair never really went outside, and lasted several years, where this pair have seen quite a bit of trad action and are now looking a bit worn.

[niqaeli]

Yeah, I figured trying them on was gonna be non-optional, really. My feet are kind of weird, anyway, and it seemed like climbing shoes since they need to fit tightly and comfortably both, would be even more a case of 'try them on' than usual.

Thank you! <3

[emperor]

In that case, you probably want lace-ups even though they're slower to put on (and some people think they are less cool) - I found they were easier to get to fit than velcro ones.

[wpadmirer]

Lace-ups definitely will fit better than velcro. Wide feet or narrow feet, you can lace appropriately. My first pair of shoes were Evol Royales and they lasted a year of constant climbing (and very, very bad technique!) (grin)

Royales don't have a good curve for bouldering, though. They're a great shoe for a beginner, and they last great, but they have a round front toe that doesn't lend to toe hold things.

I currently and wearing La Spotiva Tarantulas. They're one of their less expensive shoes, but they are velcro. I have very narrow feet, but by going down to a smaller size, they fit snugly and are not painful.

[aella_irene]

...this may explain why I and my new Evol Royale's have been unable to cope with recent changes to the traverses at my local club which involve tiny toe holds. And there I thought I was just a bad climber! (Well, I am, but the tiny toeholds are not helping.)

[wpadmirer]

That can definitely be a factor. That's why I changed to a shoe with a pointed toe. It helps!

[aella_irene]

That explains so much! Alas, I cannot justify new shoes for a while, so I will just struggle on...

[niqaeli]

Lace-ups do sound like a very good idea for me. I have a fairly severe bunion on an already wide ball-of-foot with the rest of my foot not being nearly as wide. So, yeah, being able to vary the lacing will be good.

Not being able to balance on my toes would drive me nuts so it's good to have the reminder about that. <3

[rydra_wong]

Oh yeah, lace-ups sounds like a very good idea then. IIRC, someone in the comm got Sportiva Nagos as their first shoes and liked them. The Sportiva Mythos shoes are more expensive but get a lot of love.

There are various lace-up Five Tens, and Evolv's website says they've got lace-up Elektras and Defys out now, so you won't be short of options.

[juliet]

Not sure about 'expect to last', but my shoes are a couple of years old now & still going strong. I've gone climbing once or twice a week for most of that time (with a couple of breaks due to injury/illness), but almost entirely indoors & mostly bouldering. They are my first shoes, though, so I have no idea what's normal! They're Red Chilli but I can't find the same ones on their website (possibly they've changed the range / the look of those shoes in the last 2 yrs :) ).

[rydra_wong]

if anyone cares to rec their favourite shoes that would be awesome.

All recs are subject to the caveat that you have to find a shoe that fits your particular foot shape; there's a lot of individual variation, so a shoe can be wonderful and awesome and still not right for you.

That said, I started with a pair of Evolv Elektras, which worked really well for me; other people like the Evolv Defys (which are the same shoe but wider; the Elektra is the narrower "women's" model). They're unusually comfy, and very soft and sensitive -- not so good if you want to do precision edging later on, but great for being able to feel exactly where your foot is on the hold, which helps with learning good footwork.

But pretty much every climbing shoe manufacturer has a good beginner-to-intermediate shoe (or several) in their range, and they'll generally be the cheapest ones. So there are a lot of options.