Scarpa Origin fit

Hello! I’m just getting into bouldering, and picked up a pair of Scarpa Origins. They aren’t uncomfortable to wear walking around, but my toes are fairly curled up in them, will these shoes stretch at all? Or should I return them for a larger size? Thanks

If they aren't uncomfortable to wear walking around out of the box, they are probably too big if anything. 

They will stretch a bit over the first 10 to 20 sessions. Appropriately sized shoes for bouldering or sport climbing shouldn't be painful, but should probably be tight enough that you'll want to take them off between problems/pitches. Your preference for shoes will change over time, the most important thing initially being that they dont hurt.

Kevin Piarulli wrote:

If they aren't uncomfortable to wear walking around out of the box, they are probably too big if anything. 

This is some of the most common and WORST advice when it comes to buying shoes.

Shoes should be tight and fit like a glove, but they should not be constricting or uncomfortable as soon as you put them on and walk around in them. Your foot is going to swell while you climb, get bigger, and become painful. When I test fit shoes I like to do it at the end of the day when my feet are as swollen as possible then I look for a shoe that fits my foot without any dead space between my foot and the shoe, walk around and make sure the heel doesn't pinch my ankle, and that it does not hurt to walk around. 

Yes, shoes will stretch, an unlined leather shoe is capable of stretching up one full size. Capable of stretching that much, if you buy an undersized slipper, but it won't stretch that much if your foot fits in the shoe the right way to begin with. 

Whether the toes are curled or not depends on how aggressive the shoes are. Extremely downturned shoes help with overhanging stuff  but are unnecessary for most climbers. And the toes shouldn't be "curled up" as they would be if you crammed your foot into a pair of vans that were 2 sizes too small, the toes should follow the shape of the shoe, an aggressive shoe will " curl" them to some degree because the shoe is down turned but this is not the same as curling your toes up to make a shoe fit. 

Abogado Chris wrote:

This is some of the most common and WORST advice when it comes to buying shoes.

When I test fit shoes I...walk around and make sure the heel doesn't pinch my ankle, and that it does not hurt to walk around. 

Whether the toes are curled or not depends on how aggressive the shoes are. 

I think most successful boulderers would disagree about walking in the shoes out of the box as the important test. If we were talking about easy multipitch or wide cracks this might apply, but he asked about a bouldering shoe, not a walking shoe. Precise footwork is essential for difficult climbing.

To be fair, I now see that the Origin is targeted for beginners and not a downturned shoe at all. I get your point Chris,  I'd agree the fit should be comfortable with the toes fairly flat.

As I said, preferences change, but I would encourage anyone besides a first timer to get into a more downturned shoe for vertical to overhanging climbing and bouldering. I think  aggresive shoes can help the speed process of developing good footwork and pulling with the big toe. For Scarpa this would include the Vapor, Instinct or Boostic. It can take a lot of trial and error to dial in the right shoe and size for your foot, to allow confidence standing on dime edges and tiny bumps. Your feet will also become stronger over time and get used to being in the flexed position.

Kevin Piarulli wrote:

I think most successful boulderers would disagree about walking in the shoes out of the box as the important test. If we were talking about easy multipitch or wide cracks this might apply, but he asked about a bouldering shoe, not a walking shoe. Precise footwork is essential for difficult climbing.

I'm just not sure why you think precise foot work requires a shoe to be uncomfortable out of the box. It should be expected that a performance shoe will be too tight to comfortably walk around in all day but if it's uncomfortable just to put them on and take a few steps in the store then they don't fit right, either because of size or volume shape of the shoe. Some foot shapes just won't fit certain shoes no matter what size. 

Even an aggressive and ultra down turned shoe shouldn't be uncomfortable just to put on and take a few steps around the store, if you can't even do that how do expect to stand on an ultra sharp quartz crystal with all your weight focused down onto one toe?

You can achieve precise foot work with a comfortable shoe, even on subtle smears and tiny micro edges. You don't even need a super aggressive super downturned ultra tight fitting (but still comfortable) shoe unless you are projecting hard problems on overhanging terrain. 

Shoes should fit snug and tight enough that there is zero dead space between your foot and shoe but they should not be uncomfortable just to put on and take a few steps. 

The Origin won't stretch much but will mold to your foot a bit after a few sessions. Maybe somewhere around a half size or so since its lined. Take that as more of a feel since shoes don't get longer but more mold to your foot as materials soften. My suggestion is if you are on the fence with size and its just tighter than you're used to but doesn't hurt you're probably on the right track. The origin is flat and stiffer so you're toes don't need to be knuckled over in them to offer support. When I fit shoes if someone was on the fence thinking a shoe may be to tight I'd have them try the half size up. Most lined and synthetic shoes will give about a 1/4 - 1/2 size after break in. They don't get longer but the tension on top of your toes will soften a bit as the material gives. Sometimes having faith that shoes will give is hard if you haven't had a lot of kicks. So trying the 1/2 size bigger will help figure out how the shoe will feel after a few sessions. 

At the end of the day if you are just getting going. Technique will take you further than foot binding at the beginning. Your foot needs time to get used to being in a confined space and you can always adjust sizes with the next pair. If you are like most of us you'll end up with a quiver of fits/sizes as you learn what you like and what works/doesn't for you.

Also this is the best size tool I've ever seen.  Mountainfootwearproject.com