Help needed on choosing sizing for FiveTen with almost zero availability to try them on

Hi,

I'm looking for a new pair of climbing shoes. A coach from the climbing gym I'm going recommended FiveTen. Unfortunately these are not available in any brick&mortar shops in town I haven't had any pair of FiveTens until now. I was hoping that given how many climbers are on this forum, I could get some help finding out the right sizing (I am aware there's a high risk though).

Here're some details that I assume are needed:

• foot length 26cm (usually 42.5 european )
• avg. width (99mm/96mm)
• Roman/Greek foot type
• beginner/intermediate level

Now to the questions:

- what model and what size of FiveTen should I consider?

- if I cannot get the FiveTen, what similar LaSportiva model & size should I look for?

(I've read some previous post and I hope I've been able to provide some good starting point details. I'll very much appreciate all advice and help).

-- alex

Why not ask your coach who is recommending these?  If he/she doesn't know the answers then get whatever shoe you want! 

I bot a pair of Five Ten shoes once and they helped me send my 5.10a gym project on toprope -- it only took me three tries to onsight it! #likeandsubscribe #neverstopexploring #ancestrallandsofbillgates

Very suspicious.

Alex, don't focus on FiveTen just because your coach said so. In fact that is a red flag that they don't really know what they are talking about. 

The first 3 rules of buying climbing shoes is how they fit. It's well worth a drive to the closest store and try on several brands. Brand doesn't really matter. Each brand has a shoe to meet your needs.

Your first shoe should be flat or slightly downturned and fit snug but without any pain. Don't try to buy a tight pair as your fist shoe. You'll hate it. You'll end up getting that tight pair eventually and the other pair will be your warmup shoe or all day shoe on long routes.

Send me your feet, I will put some shoes on them and you can write me back on how they feel.

Not sure the following details will help me get answers to my initial questions :-), but I'll try to explain myself. And if anything I'd kindly ask to assume any misdirection or miscommunication is mine alone.

1. these won't be my first pair of climbing shoes

2. the coach recommended something more snug and thought of FiveTen as having the sole that could help me with the current footwork training

3. he mentioned that in the past FiveTen sizing was matching the streetwear sizing

4. I've read quite a few posts on this forum mentioning that lately there might have been changes in the FiveTen sizing

5. stores in town are lacking both "breadth" and "depth" of shoes. 

Instead of choosing from the very reduced range of models further limited by the availability of size, I was hoping I could expand my options using the collective knowledge that would allow me to order online.

(- alex -)

FIVE TEN SIZE GUIDE

Historically, Five Ten’s previous line of climbing shoes often required some serious downsizing. Models like the Moccasym were renowned for stretching up to several sizes throughout their lifetimes.
The modern range of Five Ten climbing shoes, however, the design team has revised their sizing. Now, almost every shoe in their line is true to size. This means that, more often than not, the right size for you will closely resemble your normal street shoe size.
We found that most of the shoes in their range offer a performance fit when sized true, and a more comfortable fit when sized 1/2 size up.

Size Guide Chart

Hope this helps. 

If at all possible you really should make a trip to a larger city or climbing destination. Make a weekend of it. If that's not possible by 2-3 pairs and return what doesn't fit. Most online stores will do that for you. Might have to pay for return shipping but you'll have a selection to choose from.

https://sizesquirrel.com/

This is a shoe-fit calculator based on crowdsourced data. I find it to be accurate. As long as your feet aren't metal, it should help you.

Get something cool and that fits well. The stiff flat beginner shoe trope made sense when people started climbing outside where feet are smaller, but in a modern gym a soft shoe will be far more enjoyable and serve you better as you progress.

Just buy three sizes from rei, backcountry, etc and return the ones that dont fit. I do this often.

Remember that size isn’t everything. Does the shape of the last match your foot?

5.10 did change their sizing from the OG models. Now the place place to start is street show size.
I'm 14 street shoe and 14's work great as a comfy all day shoe with a thin sock. 13's are "performance" fit.