Beginner In Need of Gear Advice
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Hey everybody, |
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The best bet is to try on those shoes in the store if you can. If you can't, then depending on the shoe, buying a half a size, to a full size down should work for you. Speaking from my personal preference i wear 8.5-9 street shoe, and i wear a 40.5 (8) in La Sportiva's. |
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In terms of harnesses you really can't go wrong with anything that is carried by your local gyms or climbing shops. Pick whichever Petzl, Metolius, Black Diamond, Mad Rock, Arc'Teryx, Mammut, etc. feels the most comfortable in your price range. Features like adjustable leg loops can be nice if you are going to be wearing it over heavier winter clothes or if you're going to need to share it with a friend at the gym or crag, but don't obsess over getting the most high-tech lightweight one out there. |
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muttonface wrote:If I were you, I'd get the cheapest and most comfortable pair of shoes you can find. Climbing shoes at first, no matter what type you get will feel a little uncomfortable if you get them to fit snugly, not tight, as you should. You're going to wear your first pair out quickly until you learn decent footwork - which is why I say go cheap for your first pair.+1 |
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Dom wrote: +1While I generally agree with this advice, I would just add that first time shoe buyers should look for an all around shoe rather than an aggressive shoe. An all around beginner shoe will give you a snugger fit without forcing your feet into an aggressive climbing position. This will be more comfortable in the long run. Aggressive shoes like the hookers, are asymetric by design and feel more uncomfortable than an all around beginner shoe like the spires, cliffs, phoenix. just my opinion |
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Any new harness will do the job, they are all about equal in terms of strength and reliability. As you gain experience and income you can start getting picky about things like padding, gear loops, etc. The Black Diamond Alpine Bod is as cheap as they get, and works just fine. |
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Thanks for the advice guys, I didn't get a chance to go try on any gears today due to the snow and ice, no one really is really used to driving on the snow over here so I didn't want to risk it. |
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Xin Yeung wrote:Thanks for the advice guys, I didn't get a chance to go try on any gears today due to the snow and ice, no one really is really used to driving on the snow over here so I didn't want to risk it. So you guys think I should get something else other than Hooker Lace? I mostly do bouldering. Also I don't really mind the pain as long as it breaks in. Also for resoling what price should I expect and what rubber is good? Beginner shoes are straight and flat right?Beginner shoes are the straight and flat shoes. Just go try on some different styles of shoes from different makers. Try on: 1: Begginer shoes. (spires, cliffs, phoenixs) 2. Aggressive sport shoes (Anasazi velco, muira, flash blah blah) 3. slipper style shoes. You'll figure out for yourself which fits you the best and what you can can afford. For beginner climbing, there is no reason to be walking around in pain praying for your shoes to break in. Resoling will cost less than 50 a pair including shipping. Everyone has a personal preference for rubber, but rest assured an inability to onsite V2 won't be because of the rubber ;) good luck |
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To add a bit about materials: |
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A good harness has been showing up here ( steepandcheap.com ) for cheap the past few days. You have to keep checking it, but you could get a sweet deal. |
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In my experience Mad Rock shoes fit very true to size so I would recommend getting mad rocks in the same size as your street shoe. They also have a pretty sweet belay device that is just like an ATC guide that I would recommend. My first pair of shoes were the 5.10 coyotes and I still love them because they are super comfortable. |
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muttonface wrote:If I were you, I'd get the cheapest and most comfortable pair of shoes you can find. Climbing shoes at first, no matter what type you get will feel a little uncomfortable if you get them to fit snugly, not tight, as you should. You're going to wear your first pair out quickly until you learn decent footwork - which is why I say go cheap for your first pair.+1 Until you develop good footwork you won't notice any difference in performance between a $70 pair Phoenix from Mad Rock, or a $180 high end model from La Sportiva. dannl wrote:To add a bit about materials: While all shoes have rubber soles, the uppers can be leather or synthetic. Leather will stretch to mold to your foot, which is nice, but if you buy too large, they might get loose eventually. Depending on the shoe and your foot size differences, stretching one size or a half-size. Synthetics won't stretch as much, if at all. If you get a pair of shoes and they still hurt after a month, get a different pair, don't destroy your toes, treat them as good as your fingers.+1 here as well. I always recommend people buy leather shoes for their first pair. Get them tight, but not painful, and they will stretch to conform to your feet during the first several sessions wearing them. Of course, this is just my preference. |
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Hey guys, I have come back after some testing on my preferences. |
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I really like my Miuras. I'd say buy them from an online retailer that has them on sale and has a good return policy (think REI or Backcountry.com) Then buy them break em in and see what you think. I wear a 42.5 in Miuras and in street shoes I wear a 10.5. Mine are a little tighter than I bet you would want so if we had the same size foot I'd say go with the 43's. It's really going to be personal preference like the others have said. I used to wear 5.10 shoes until I found out that they really don't fit my foot well (when I started wearing Sportivas) and I also used to size them down a full size cause i wanted to be bad ass. Then I bought a pair for an all day outside shoe on bigger walls and found out I don't climb any harder when my shoes are hella tight. Go figure. |
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My thoughts on sportivas katana/miura since you asked about those specifically: |
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Xin, |
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Shameless promotion of steepandcheap.com They have been putting harnesses on there almost every day for 50 or more percent off. There was a black diamond one on there for like 25 bucks the other day |
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Wow! I guess I like my muiras tight. I wear a 10.5 street shoe and buy size 40 muiras. This has been my shoe of choice for the past six years. I also think my foot is low volume with a flat arch. I also like the Scarpa Instinct shoe, slipper or lace-up. I have heard a lot of positive feedback on them. |
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Sorry I haven't respond in a while, just been getting myself to the gym every other day and enjoying the break. Finish a V3, V2 and a V1 today so I'm doing better. Working on another two V1s that I can't seem to get also. |
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Xin Yeung wrote: Between Miura/Katana which do you guys think is good for bouldering? (I'm forever alone!)Keep in mind that the Katana and Miura lace vs velcro are completely different shoes. In the case of the Katana, I don't even know why they call it the same name, they are so completely different. From least to most aggressive: Katana Velcro (original Katana) Miura Lace (original Miura) Miura VS (new, more aggressive velcro version of the miura) Katana Lace (new, very aggressive compared to original) I climbed in Katanas for years and they are still the shoe I use in the gym because they are very comfortable. I now use the Miura VS outside for sport climbing, and they are a bit more aggressive, edge better, and have a bit better fit for my heal. They are, however, not quite as comfortable as the katana velcros. Katana Lace shoes are pretty aggressive for bouldering v1-v3... they will certainly work, but personally, I don't like my feet to be in that much pain when it isn't needed. |