Climbing Shoes (how to decide and what to avoid)

What are the best beginner shoes out there?

I was all set on getting the Mad Rock Flash 2.0 (due to being rated on out door gear lab as a best buy), but then a review at the bottom listed them as, "Literally the worst shoe I have ever climbed in."

I was then looking at others they recommend as beginner shoes.

La Sportiva Tarantula were suggested. Again, a review of, "Many of the new La Sportiva velcro products are defective. The velcro tears or its clasp breaks off. Watch out, La Sportiva customer service refuses to honor their warranty for defective products."

Lots of not recommending it to a friend, etc.

The Scarpa Force X were suggested on out door gear lab as well. I looked on another website, which rated it as three out of five stars.

I didn't like the last suggestion they had: the Evolv Defy shoes.
58/100 isn't very good, and one review put it:

"They didn't stay on the holds for #@%&.

Instead of "trax" rubber, they said "eco-trax".

Took them back."

I've been looking at reviews on various selling websites as well.

It seems like everyone is contradicting each other on the review and store websites...

Well, keep in mind that by their very nature, beginner shoes are going to be lower performance. If you compare them to $200 performance shoes, obviously they're going to have a lower rating, but they might be better for your needs. The one thing that will make a difference is the rubber used, which is why many people have issues with off-brands or the Tarantulaces. I would recommend trying Sportiva Nagos or 5.10 Bandits or Moccasyms...both have high quality rubber (Vibram XS edge vs stealth C4) and are very comfortable. I have heard good things about the Mad Rocks as beginner shoes but never used them, personally.

Your first pair of climbing shoes will help you figure out what you want (and don't want) in your second pair of shoes.

For every shoe available there will be someone who dislikes it for some reason or other. Go to a store and try on as many different makes and models as you can. Find something with a snug but comfortable fit. Flat bottomed and that allows your toes to be flat or almost flat. Brand X might be preferred by some people over brand Y, but because feet are different shapes brand X may not fit you well at all. So don't worry about that now, just find something that fits. Because by the time you've worn out those comfy first pair, you'll know far better what you really want in style and fit.

The La Sportive Finale, the updated Nago I believe, is a pretty good shoe with great features for under $99.

Ted Pinson wrote:I would recommend trying Sportiva Nagos

Those are laced. Laces wear out faster than velcro (so I have read). Are these any different?

Ted Pinson wrote:or 5.10 Bandits

I can't find this shoe online. Do you mean the Evolv Bandit SC?

bananafingers.co.uk/evolv-b…

Ted Pinson wrote:or Moccasyms...

Yeah, they are reviewed quite well.

Hate to be a noob, but I'm guessing (as they are beginner shoes) these would fit
in accordance with street shoes?

Mathias wrote: Go to a store and try on as many different makes and models as you can.

Well I guess I'm really asking for ones to avoid.

Jplotz wrote:The La Sportive Finale,

Is there any discernable difference to the VS?

Moccasyms don't fit according to street shoe size. In fact, virtually no climbing shoe at all fits according to street size. My foot measures exactly 11.5 on a Brannock device. My smallest climbing shoe is 42.5 (a US 9) and my largest shoe is a 46 (US 12). All of them fit exactly as I want them to.

You really can't do mail order for your first pair and hope to get it right. Go to a local climbing shop or gym to buy your first pair. It's really not worth the hassle to try and buy them online. I probably tried on 6 shoes across 4 different brands when I bought my first pair of shoes.

And honestly, forget shoe reviews. They're too personal and too dependent on foot shape to ever be reliably reviewed. Maybe on things like general durability, but that's about it. Just buy a pair of shoes that climbs well without causing pain and go climbing.

Ross Gardner wrote: Those are laced. Laces wear out faster than velcro (so I have read). Are these any different?

I've owned two pairs of Mythos (laced shoes), and in both cases the laces were still fine when the rest of the shoe was worn out. Maybe some people had their laces wear out, but from my experience it is not a problem.

I would strongly recommend against the 5.10 Anasazi Moccasym as a first shoe. It is a very soft shoe and you won't have the toe strength to perform well in them just yet. I would get a stiffer shoe to assist your feet as you gain toe strength. The Moccasym would make a great second shoe, though.

My recommendations are the 5.10 Rogue or the La Sportiva Finale. Both are priced the same, have great rubber, and will help build foot strength.

Also, I've never heard about lace shoes wearing out faster than velcro shoes. Velcro is convenient; laces provide a more customized and adjustable fit.

I've been climbing for about a year and have a pair of Flash 2.0s and Defys. The Flashes fit my feet far better than the Defys and seem to perform a little better. Try on a bunch of shoes and figure out which one fits better. Fit is by far the most important aspect for beginners.

Ross Gardner wrote: Well I guess I'm really asking for ones to avoid.

Understandable. Unfortunately you're going to get a lot of individual opinions and they are going to contradict one another. This seems to be the problem you've encountered already with online comments. "What's the best beginner shoe?" Is a pretty common question on this forum. What one person considers best might be on someone else's 'don't buy' list. I suppose if you're looking for a list of shoes that just suck and/or fall apart, that may have some merit, but I really think you're best just going and trying them on for yourself.

For example, some people will tell you the Tarantulas suck. But other people think they're a great beginner shoe. You won't know til you try them on.

As everyone else said People might like brand x over brand y for many different reasons. I feel like your best bet if you have a REI store around you go there since you can return anything and get your money back or exchange it within a year I get all my climbing gear at REI for that main reason. When I started climbing my first pair I had where La sportive mythic SUPER COMFY (140$)and did everything I needed them to do at my local gym they do have laces witch makes for a nice snug fit but also found it a pain in the ass trying to untie them after my arms are pumped out of there mind sometimes I had to get my g.f to untie them for me after I had them for 2 months I exchanged them and new what type of shoe I wanted and needed to make certin climbs and what was best for me as a climber and to progress with climbing I now have La Sportiva Miura Vs and let's just say the breaking them in part sucked I had to tape just about every toe but now there not to bad definitely can't belay or walk in them but there not made for that as for climbing I love the shoe esp outside the rubber on real rock feels like glue but in my opinion VELCRO IS THE WAY TO GO ESP AT A INDOOR GYM!! good luck!

J Hawl wrote:Fit is by far the most important aspect for beginners.

On the topic of fit:

You should remember that leather shoes will stretch a fair amount. Most people say leather shoes stretch about a half size to one full size. However, this stretch is mostly width and volume stretch and NOT length of the shoe. This means you should be buying shoes with flat toes (butted up against the end of the shoe) or very slightly curled toes for your first pair (or any pair you intend to be comfortable in). The shoe should feel tight (toes scrunched together is okay) but not painful.

Most places that sell climbing shoes will have a few footholds to step on so you can get a feel for the shoes. You should try stepping on the small footholds with the inside edge, outside edge, and toeing directly in for both feet in every shoe you try on. Sometimes shoes are comfortable to walk in but painful to climb in. Don't buy something that is super painful in store. A little bit of pain is okay. You'll be the best judge of that.

I like my scarpa helix shoes. I still wear them occasionally if I want to be really comfortable and do a lot of climbing without taking them off. Obviously shoes have to fit though. Also, at the first gym I climbed at they used chopped rubber for the floor. If you go to a gym that uses that stuff I would avoid shoes that flare out on top. My helixs felt like they funneled that stuff in.

Also, laces are easily replaced. The only people I know that trash laces are doing cracks constantly.

As far as shoes to avoid, I have not been impressed with Evolv's construction. My first pair of Evolv's split vertically at the toe and not in a worn area. The rubber just ripped. Oh and my wife said I was never allowed to own another pair with how bad they smelled.

Don't get the tarantulace. It sucks, even as a gym shoe. Get something 'high end' if you plan on climbing a good bit. High end shoes make the experience oh so much more... secure.

And +1 for Evolves not lasting that well. Have resoled a pair of Miuras 4 times and they're still going strong, other evolves fell apart about the time a resole was indicated

+1 for not buying mail ordered shoes.
I would definitely go to a climbing gym or store and try a bunch on. Here is a few things to look out for:
1. Get them cheap- the quality is not super important because new climber footwork will likely cause them to die before the rest of the shoe falls apart.
2. Get them the right size- don't get them too tight.

Wait! use that squirrel thing and buy used on MP! Win.

I respectfully disagree with Medic741. I LOVED my Tarantulace shoes as a beginner, the only advice I have is to get them plenty tight because they stretch a bit - enough to affect climbing later on. They are very comfortable (key for a beginner) and have good performance for the price.

Nagos were my third pair of shoes (first that I bought new) and I loved them. I tore holes in the uppers flailing on hand cracks in JTree but that's another story. Nagos are the best beginner shoes around, in my opinion.
I'm not sure where you got this laced shoes wear out faster thing, but that's not been my experience at all. I've had La Sportiva velcro fail, but I had bought them on craigslist so whatever. Laces vs velcro vs slip on is really a personal preference thing, I've had shoes that I liked of all three.

Get shoes with thick, hard rubber.

These shoes are bad on small holds. For performance climbing, they are the worst thing you can wear. However, you don't need a high performance shoe, because your footwork is probably terrible and will be for at least six months to a year.

If you get high performance, soft rubber shoes, that year will equate to blowing through six pairs of them in your first year. If you get beginner shoes with thick, hard rubber, you might go through two pairs in the same amount of time. Plus, those beginner shoes that people hate on for their thick, hard rubber that's terrible on small holds can be $50+ cheaper than even a middle-end option like a pair of katanas. Once you start getting into the V3/5.11 range, you can upgrade to something that fits the demands of your climbing level.

My recommendation, if you can find them, would be the Mad Rock Phoenix. They've got bomb proof rubber at $60, and are great for beginner climbs with big feet. They were the shoes I got when I first started climbing and they lasted until I got into the V3/5.11 range and needed something better, after which I gave them to another beginner climber and upgraded to some katanas. Those lasted two months until my cruddy beginner-level footwork blew out the toes.

Most other beginner shoes will be similar. The Tarantulace (or Tarantulace women's if you have narrow feet) have similarly rugged rubber, and are half the cost of a pair of Katanas. Will they get you up a 5.10 slab route? No, but they'll get you to it, which is what you need from a first pair of climbing shoes.

Jon H wrote:Moccasyms don't fit according to street shoe size.

OK, sorry about that presumption. It's just I've seen on Banana Fingers they do a size conversion for the particular type of fit you want, and it told me for 5:10 Rogues it was same as street shoe size for beginner comfort fit.

Ross Gardner wrote: OK, sorry about that presumption. It's just I've seen on Banana Fingers they do a size conversion for the particular type of fit you want, and it told me for 5:10 Rogues it was same as street shoe size for beginner comfort fit.

The best thing you can do is head to a reputable climbing shop, not REI. Having an experienced fitter for climbing shoes, ski boots and mountaineering boots is priceless when you're just starting out.