Shoe suggestions (for a beginner)

Just finished building my bouldering wall in my basement (45 degree angle) and am looking to buy my first pair of shoes. I've only gone indoor rock climbing a few times in my life so have no idea where to begin. I've read online things about agressive being better for 45 degree angles but at the same time being a beginner that I'm going to destroy my shoes due to my lack of abilities. Was hoping I could get some thoughts from some of you on shoes (and help with sizing if you know the style).

Thanks in advance!

If the plan is to boulder on a home wall most of the time I would just worry about finding a lower price shoe that fits your foot well. Indoor foot holds are typically much larger than outdoor feet placements so buying downturn shoes won't be super important. The idea of an aggressive down turn shoe is to crank off tiny feet on overhanging terrain.

I personally like scarp a shoes since they typically fit my wider toe box well. I'm also a fan of five ten. Evolv and la sportiva never feel as good. Seriously ignore all the debates of downsizing shoe sizes 2x for now and try on a bunch.

I for one love Evolv, and you can always find good cheap shoes on the closeout tab, some solid all around shoes are the pontas, defys, luchadors. I personally train in the addicts for comfort, and send v7/8s and 5.12s in them on major overhangs. Its not all about the downturn, a lot of it is core and good footwork

Luc Ried wrote:I for one love Evolv, and you can always find good cheap shoes on the closeout tab, some solid all around shoes are the pontas, defys, luchadors. I personally train in the addicts for comfort, and send v7/8s and 5.12s in them on major overhangs. Its not all about the downturn, a lot of it is core and good footwork

For your first pair get the lowest priced ones that fit your feet properly and are comfortable* for what they are.

• "comfort" will be relative, as they ought to have a tight fit, but pain is bad.

I agree that your first pair of shoes should be inexpensive and not aggressive.

I like the Evolv Royale as a cheap, versatile, comfortable shoe. They are a little more expensive than the Defy but are leather so they don't have the tendency to smell bad that the Defy is known for.

Keep in mind that climbing shoes are a piece of equipment used for climbing, not walking around town in. Whatever shoe you decide on be sure to go for a snug fit, but not painful, your toes should touch the end. Sloppy shoes could lead to sloppy foot work. Some shoes will stretch up to 1 full size after they break in, depending on the construction. I currently have a pair of Scarpa Boostics for bouldering. I purchased them 1.5 full sizes smaller than my foot measures, I hate walking in them but love climbing in them, I like an aggressive fit but that's just me.

Here is a link to an article on buying advice.
outdoorgearlab.com/Climbing…

Everyone on here is pretty much nailing it.

If you are able to, I'd recommend taking a field trip to your local gear shop, ideally during off hours when the shop is slow. Once you are there try on LOTS of shoes to see what you like, they should have some footholds or a mini wall kicking around so you can try each option out.

If you go this route and find something you like be sure to support the folks who helped you out by buying from them (resist the urge to leave and scour the internet for better deals).

1) inexpensive is fine

2) don't buy a shoe that you haven't tried on

3) if at all possible, go to a specialty retailer rather than a chain store, you'll likely get much better advice and have a wider selection

4) every brand's sizing is different. A knowledgable salesperson should be able to take your street shoe size or a Brannock measurement and transfer that into ballpark sizing for different brands.

5) get a shoe that is flat lasted (not downturned) and has a somewhat relaxed heel. No they won't have the absolute performance on steep overhangs, but they'll be more comfortable, more versatile, and will teach you better footwork and technique.

6) for fit, you're looking for snug all the way around, with minimal to no dead space in the shoe. Toes must be touching the end of the shoe, and slightly curled is OK. They should NOT be painful. Try them on the wall and make sure there's no pressure points (if the store doesn't have at least a small one, go somewhere else)

7) if the salesperson can't tell you how much a particular model stretches, slap them and ask to talk to someone who knows what they're doing.

8) buy from the shop. They don't exist to be your try-on store so that you can dick them over by ordering from an online mega-mart. Thank them for their expert advice with a sale.

Admittedly I didn't read any of those really long posts ahead of me, so this may have been said. Just know that a leather unlined shoe is going to stretch, so if you buy a pair that fits now it will stretch and not fit later. Conversely if you buy. A pair that is synthetic, lined, or both they will stretch far less or not at all so buy them to fit.

I made the mistake before. I had leather, unlined shoes, and they stretched a ton. My next pair was a synthetic that was lined, and based on previous experience I bought them small. They didn't stretch at all and we're constantly painful.

7) if the salesperson can't tell you how much a particular model stretches, slap them and ask to talk to someone who knows what they're doing.

8) buy from the shop. They don't exist to be your try-on store so that you can dick them over by ordering from an online mega-mart. Thank them for their expert advice with a sale.

I am by no means an expert, but I totally agree.

If you can, buy local and support your local shop. Even if you pay a little more at least you are supporting a local business, getting sound advice, and making connections in your local climbing community.

I would not recommend a downturn shoe for a beginner. I have a pair of downturn and a pair of normal ones. The way I climb I rarely ever use the downturn, they hurt too. There have been a few hard bouldering routes that I worn 1 downturn shoe and 1 of my others due to a hold but if you are just starting out you are probably better with starting with normal ones before going aggressive.

Everyone is different so go try some on and find something that works for you. I personally have a wide foot and like five ten better than evolv (plus the first evolv shoe I used was really cheap probably half the price of my current pair and i don't think the rubber stuck to the wall as good and I use alot of smearing).

Also even if you try on 2 shoes from the same brand they can fit differently, Wear a 8 in one type and 9 in another.

La sport tarantula. Great all around reasonable priced shoe. Runs a bit large.

Everyday shoes should be comfortable. Good fit is the top priority.

I also agree with going CHEAP. Just about every beginner is going to drag his/her toe all over the place and completely blow out the toebox in no time, so it's probably best not to waste money on high-dollar shoes. I think when I got my first pair of shoes they lasted about five weeks. Now the same shoes last about four months. Amazing what some good footwork will do to a shoe's lifespan!

+1 for comfy and not aggressive. I got a deal on a pair of solutions and I hardly use them. Super aggressive shoes aren't that helpful until you're at a very advanced grade IMO. Whatever fits well

Also, you can go to a gear exchange and buy used. As long as there are no holes and the rubber looks decent, they're good to go. Save that skrilla for the important things, like beer.

Thanks everybody for your comments and suggestions!

I ended up taking many of your suggestion of going to my local climbing store/facility (Vertical Endeavors) and tried on several shoes. I ended up buying the La Sportiva Tarantula as it was on sale for 20% off and was reasonably priced.

Already tried them out and they made a huge difference from going barefoot like I had the past week. Looking forward to all the usage I will get out of them!