Can I walk in climbing shoes?

I toprope or boulder in gyms with neutral shoes. They don’t really hurt my feet so I walk around routes or problems while wearing them. Am I supposed to take them off any time I’m not on the wall? Also, if you’re wearing moderate shoes with laces, would you take them off between climbs since it’s a lot of work to put them on and off??

Sounds like you have your shoes comfort fitted. No you don't have to take them off.
The people you see taking them off all the time are probably downsized a shit ton and its not fun to keep em on longer than needed.
I would take them off now and then during your sessions if you sweat a lot just to let them dry some to keep the funk at bay.

I climb in lace ups sometimes at the gym and typically I just dont tie them, I leave the laces loose and tie the excess into a little bundle. That way i can just kick em off and put em on easy. I only tie em' down when the climbing gets hard.

The only disadvantage aside from discomfort is that it will soften the sole more quickly, and if you have downturned shoes will flatten them out. Not a big deal with comfy flat gym shoes. Go a step further and wear some socks in them for full plush.

Daniel Jeun wrote:

I toprope or boulder in gyms with neutral shoes. They don’t really hurt my feet so I walk around routes or problems while wearing them. Am I supposed to take them off any time I’m not on the wall? Also, if you’re wearing moderate shoes with laces, would you take them off between climbs since it’s a lot of work to put them on and off??

Definitely take them off if not on the wall. If you can walk around in them they’re probably too big!

Walking around the gym in comfortably-large shoes is a very typical behavior for people who wear those shoes (and hence, the signs on the doors of most climbing gym bathrooms, imploring people not to wear climbing shoes into the bathroom) 

Yes, if you are comfortable, you can walk around the gym in them, even if it would wear them out just a bit faster.

When climbing outside, walking around the base of the climb in your climbing shoes it going to pick up mud and sand, which would then wear out the holds, and polish the rock on the climbs you are going to do much faster, so it is not a good idea.

And yes, I have shoes with laces, and I take them off between climbs, even in the gym. Tying shoelaces isn’t that hard, or time-consuming. 

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I don't walk around in climbing shoes outdoors.  In the gym, if my shoes are too tight to walk around in, they are probably hurting my feet all the time.  If a slight gain in performance is worth  painful climbing to you, go for it, and plan to take off or loosen your shoes when not climbing. I would suggest that as the years roll on and your feet suffer from the abuse, "performance fit" will lose its appeal.

I wear lace ups and take them off between gym routes, sometimes every other route. Honestly it only takes a few seconds extra versus Velcro. My issue is mainly sweat control though, my feet sweat, and airing them out as often as possible keeps the shoes from stinking and my skin from softening up.  I know plenty of people that never take off their shoes.  I also know plenty, well a couple, of people whos climbing shoes should be send to burn in the sun and should be considered a WMD the smell so bad.

Daniel Jeun wrote:

I toprope or boulder in gyms with neutral shoes. They don’t really hurt my feet so I walk around routes or problems while wearing them. Am I supposed to take them off any time I’m not on the wall? Also, if you’re wearing moderate shoes with laces, would you take them off between climbs since it’s a lot of work to put them on and off??

In my gym youth climbing team members do not take shoes off during the whole climbing session, roughly 2 hours. They walk between routes, even run sometimes. They wear shoes that are more aggressive than what I have, they climb harder than I do.

For gym climbing I wear what could be described as moderate shoes with laces - Evolv Geshido, take them off between climbs - my feet get sweaty relatively quickly, taking shoes off between routes gives them a chance to dry out a bit.

It is really difficult to comment whether your shoes fit well - we don't know what your feet look like in those shoes, we do not even know what shoe brand/model you are wearing. Generally, when climbing shoe fits well, there is not much discomfort - I can wear Evolv Shamans for extended periods, but would definitely not walk in them - see comment up the thread regarding changing shoe shape. And, walking in highly cambered performance shoes just doesn't feel right.

Please don’t wear them into the bathroom!

Don Frijoles wrote:

Bachar wore comfortable shoes and tube socks when he soloed many test pieces, but any REI employee will tell you that it's impossible to climb anything hard unless your shoes are painfully tight.

Well, John B is no longer with us, while REI is doing just fine. So who ya gonna believe, huh?

Don Frijoles wrote:

Bachar wore comfortable shoes and tube socks when he soloed many test pieces, but any REI employee will tell you that it's impossible to climb anything hard unless your shoes are painfully tight.

Bachar soloing The Gift…no socks and wearing first generation Boreal Lasers. Really good shoes for the early 90s (with very aggressive downsizing), but also one of the most uncomfortable models I ever put on my feet. 

But can you climb in walking shoes?