climbing shoe sizing WAY bigger than street shoe sizing

i have bought no less than 5 pairs of climbing shoes online that have been too small over the last three months, spanning from size 41-44.5. Well I finally got around to paying too much at our local shop (never went to just try on sizes and leave, that seemed like a dick move.... just kept rolling the dice online) and bought a pair of BD Zone's that are size 46. Keep in mind i'm a size 10.5 in street shoes. I know climbing shoes are supposed to be tight, but the 46s are still a tad tight and they're like 2.5 US sizes above my street shoes. What gives? I could probably cram into something smaller and slowly get used to the pain/feel but as my main source of income involves heavy use of my feet ( and also my legs and feet have to be being injury-free) i'm sticking on the safe side. Anyone else have this happen? 

Sizes largely depends on the brand in my experience. The Black Diamond shoes I've worn have tended to run much smaller than the same size in La Sportiva, for example. Add onto that the variance in different models within one brand and it gets even trickier.

As long as you don't have dead space in the shoe and your heel isn't lifting at all, you should be good regardless of whatever number is attached to the size.

From what I've seen:

- LaSportiva fits anywhere from slightly big for the size to very very very big for the size

- Scarpa usually fits close to street shoe size, with minor variances in either direction 

- Black Diamond, Evolv, and Boreal fit varying degrees of small for the size

LaSportiva is the #1 selling climbing shoe brand in the world, so I blame them for the prevalent belief among climbers that you have to downsize when buying climbing shoes 

This might have to do with your expectations about how climbing shoes should fit.  THey shouldn't hurt, but they shouldn't be comfortable for walking around in, especailly when you first get them (if they are a shoe that stretches.... many don't).

What are your expectations about how the shoes should fit?

John Reeve wrote:

This might have to do with your expectations about how climbing shoes should fit.  THey shouldn't hurt, but they shouldn't be comfortable for walking around in, especailly when you first get them (if they are a shoe that stretches.... many don't).

What are your expectations about how the shoes should fit?

This.  

If you size them so they are comfortable you will be floating in them in no time.  When edging your foot will roll or slid in your shoe.  If you just want something you are going to wear all day then maybe these shoes will be okay but if you start to get serious about climbing you will soon understand these shoes are just not up to the task of what you ask them to do.

Kevin Mokracek wrote:

This.  

If you size them so they are comfortable you will be floating in them in no time.  When edging your foot will roll or slid in your shoe.  If you just want something you are going to wear all day then maybe these shoes will be okay but if you start to get serious about climbing you will soon understand these shoes are just not up to the task of what you ask them to do.

less than a page for ya'll to assume I just got huge comfy shoes despite my description. The size 46s are tight, toes are curled, but not so painful I can't climb in them at all like the others have been. And really? "if you start to get serious about climbing" okay bud- scrolling through your ticks we have the same highest redpoint (and you clearly have been climbing much longer than me)

Whisk3rzz 1 wrote:

less than a page for ya'll to assume I just got huge comfy shoes despite my description. The size 46s are tight, toes are curled, but not so painful I can't climb in them at all like the others have been. And really? "if you start to get serious about climbing" okay bud- scrolling through your ticks we have the same highest redpoint (and you clearly have been climbing much longer than me)

Somebody put there big boy pants on today.

The converse is true, also - a shoe that fits comfortably brand new will stretch very little. 

Khoi wrote:

LaSportiva is the #1 selling climbing shoe brand in the world, so I blame them for the prevalent belief among climbers that you have to downsize when buying climbing shoes 

Climbers were downsizing shoes back when EBs were the only thing most climbers could find. Athletes have always obsessed over the fit of their footwear, so it's not surprising that climbers would do the same. I blame the entire shoe industry for not being able to convert from Euro sizes to UK and US sizes consistently.

In my experience, the Banana Fingers (bananafingers.co.uk) shoe size calculator is pretty accurate.  I've used it to buy a different brand of shoe than what I currently have.  These days I just stick with what I know and basically buy the same shoe or same brand.  I think the last four or five pairs have all been Scarpas, a couple of different models but the same size. This worked out well as the ones I bought fro trad were nice and comfy. 

BTW, trying a pair of shoes on in the store and then buying them on line doesn't just SEEM like a dick move it IS a dick move. Very disrespectful and rude in my opinion. 

Julian H wrote:

La sportiva size = street size

Scarpa size = street size - 1 size 

5.10 size = street size - 1.5 size Or man sizes are the same length as woman sizes street sizes

Evolv  size = street size - 2 sizes 

Most companies choose to uses one of the above, the shape of the toe box make a difference in how the shoe fits. The more round the toe box the bigger the shoe feels. 

So when you buy a size 10 Evolv shoe it is actually size 8. Companies should come up with a standard for climbing shoes, they would save a lot of money by selling the proper shoe size on the internet. 

This makes total sense, I wear 2 sizes down from street in LS, one side down in Scarpa, 0.5 down in 5.10 and SS size in Evolv for a similar fit.

Carl Schneider wrote:

BTW, trying a pair of shoes on in the store and then buying them on line doesn't just SEEM like a dick move it IS a dick move. Very disrespectful and rude in my opinion. 

Agree.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/showrooming.asp

  I have to size above street shoe sizing for BD too. Sportiva I run 1/2 size below street sizing.

Actually wrote this post assuming it was relating to BD shoes without reading original post or any others in this thread and confirmed the brand before posting lol.  Main bullet point, you’re not alone!  Not sure what’s up with BD’s sizing!