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.
It can take anywhere from a few sessions to a few weeks to break in climbing shoes. The amount of time it takes also depends on the fit and stiffness of the shoes. Some climbing shoes may be more comfortable from the beginning and require less breaking in than others.
Many climbers choose to climb just a few routes each session in new climbing shoes, and to gradually increase the amount of time spent in them. This will extend the time it takes to break in the shoes, but, if the shoes are unbearable to wear, it may be a good option.
Definitely! Putting some chalk in your climbing shoes can do wonders in preventing and eliminating bad smells. The chalk also helps make the insides of the shoes a little bit softer and more comfortable.
Putting chalk in your shoes, and even some on your feet, can also help absorb any moisture that may be present in the shoes or on your feet. This can help prevent bad smells, since the main cause of these smells is bacteria. Bacteria thrive in warm and moist conditions, so sweaty and warm climbing shoes are a perfect place for them, and it results in very bad smelling shoes.
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.
Yes, climbing shoes do tend to stretch after a few weeks of use. Synthetic climbing shoes usually stretch just about half a size at most, and many times do not stretch at all, while leather shoes normally stretch between half a size to 2 full sizes.
This should be taken into consideration when buying climbing shoes, since if you get synthetic shoes and size down 2 sizes, expecting them to stretch 2 sizes, you are in for a disappointment since they will at most stretch only about half a size. The same goes for leather shoes, if you don't take into consideration that they will stretch and don't downsize, you will end up with very loose and floppy shoes.
You should not be able to free wiggle your toes within climbing shoes. Your toes should be slightly bent downwards to give you better accuracy and the ability to apply the required amount of pressure and force from your toes when standing on small foot holds. If your toes wiggle within your shoes, you may not be able to actually apply the amount of force you need.
If your toes freely wiggle within your shoes, they may be slightly too loose, or the shoes may just not fit the shape of your foot.
It is completely normal for your toes to feel sore in climbing shoes, especially if you are a beginner, and you are not used to them, or if you have downsized your shoes a lot. Everyone can have different toes that hurt, the big toe is a quite common one.
Though some amount of pain is considered normal, if you have throbbing pain that lasts even after you take your shoes off, then you may either have shoes that are too small and tight, or the shoes just don't fit the shape of your feet.
Finding the right climbing shoe that actually fits your feet is crucial. Not only to find the right size, but also the right shape, one that will fit your feet. This can really help ease most of the pain and discomfort that comes with climbing shoes.
Climbing shoes are small and much less bulky than everyday shoes to provide better precision, accuracy, sensitivity, and grip on climbing holds. In addition to this, the tightness and minimal material of the shoes, and the minimal dead space within the shoes, allow them to support the climbers and hold their weight when they need to stand on tiny foot holds.
Climbing shoes are created specifically to help maximize how climbers use their feet while climbing. For example, if a climber would need to do a heel hook on a small hold, in larger, everyday shoes, the climbers feet would just slip off the hold rather than actually hold their weight.
This is because normal everyday shoes have a lot more soft rubber on the bottom of the shoes, and a lot of dead space between the shoe and the foot. This soft rubber prevents climbers from being able to actually put their weight on small climbing holds, because the rubber is too soft to actually have any kind of grip on the holds, and it's too soft to hold the climbers weight, so the shoes just slip right off.
The dead space in everyday shoes is also an issue for climbing, it reduces the shoes effectiveness in certain moves such as heel hooking.
This is why climbing shoes are typically very tight and small, it just gives climbers the best support for their footwork.
Before lead climbing, you should at least have some experience in climbing and know the basics. Depending on how and where you want to learn lead climbing, you may be required to have some climbing experience. This experience could be a certain amount of time climbing, climbing to a certain grade, or just being familiar with climbing in general, climbing holds, and how to move on the wall. Some places are stricter than others.
If you really want to start off well, it is recommended that you get used to climbing before. This can either be from top rope, some sort of auto-belay device, or bouldering. The more experience you have with climbing, the better and easier it will be to learn lead climbing.
In terms of what level you should be climbing before you can do lead climbing, there is no rule for this. Even if you are a beginner climber, you can lead climb. Still, it is recommended to have experience in climbing before starting with lead climbing.
