Climbers Point

It depends on your goals, the purpose of the shoes, and on your feet. If the shoes are meant to be more of a performance fit, then they should not be too big or loose. If they are meant to be a comfort fit, or shoes for warming up and for easier routes, then they can be slightly bigger if you feel it's necessary.

All of my climbing shoes are half a size bigger than my street shoe size, and this is a performance fit for me. I have flat and wide feet, and have found that going up half a size is the perfect fit for me. It's not loose, but it also isn't painful.

Also consider that if you are buying leather shoes, they will most likely stretch by half a size up to 2 sizes, so if they are half a size bigger when you buy them, they may very soon end up being over a size bigger, or more. So the type of shoe you are wearing also matters when answering this question.

Whether wearing climbing shoes that are too big, or bigger than the actual size you need, is ok, depends on your goals and the reason why you are wearing shoes that are bigger than you need.

Many climbers have shoes that are specifically for warming up on easier routes. This allows them to get their feet a little bit warmed up and ease into wearing the smaller and tighter climbing shoes. It also allows them to climb more comfortably without the feeling of pain or discomfort that comes with smaller climbing shoes.

For warm up routes, it's normally ok to wear bigger shoes, as you probably will not need the precision and performance of the smaller and tighter shoes. If you are planning on wearing bigger shoes for harder routes, or for projecting routes, you may have a hard time as the bigger and looser shoes can reduce your performance, especially if you are working on hard routes with small foot holds that require a lot of precision and the ability to apply a lot of force to your toes or heel.

In the end, it really comes down to experimentation. Experiment with different shoes and different sizes, match them to your goals and purposes, and find what works best for you.

Are the shoes leather or synthetic? The answer to this makes a huge difference, since synthetic climbing shoes only stretch up to about half a size at most, and may not even stretch at all. Leather on the other hand stretches much more easily and can actually stretch up to 2 size more.

I once bought synthetic climbing shoes that were about 1 size smaller than I needed, and no matter what I did, they would not stretch even the slightest. I had them for a few months until I decided to sell them. I have 4 other pairs of synthetic shoes and none of them have really stretched at all.

For leather shoes, there are quite a few methods for stretching them. These methods may also work for synthetic climbing shoe, though much less than leather.

Some of the common methods are:

• Washing your shoes with warm water and then walk around in them to help them stretch
• Putting your shoes in the freezer to help expand the shoes. Once they are defrosted, put them on and walk around in them
• Warm up your shoes with a blow-dryer on low heat (not too close and not too hot!), put them on and then walk around in them
• Stuff your shoes with things that will help them stretch
• Take your shoes to a tailor to get them stretched (could work well for synthetic shoes also)
• Just wear them and climb in them, if they are leather, they will loosen up while climbing

As mentioned, with synthetic shoes, you may not see so much stretching. With leather shoes, you will probably see more stretching, and soon. The main suggestion is to just climb with them. If you can, warm them up slightly with a blow-dryer or a heater of some kind before you put them on, and then start climbing in them. The heat and the movement while you climb will stretch them slightly so that they will at least be bearable for that session. As you climb in them more and more, they will continue to stretch.

Important:
Before doing anything with your climbing shoes, it is very important to check what they can and cannot handle. Too much heat may melt some of the glue, which is obviously not going to be great for the shoes. That, along with other methods such as washing them in the washing machine, which could damage them, should be checked with the manufacturer.