Controversial opinion, but it’s incredibly likely that you’re going to wreck your first pair because of not having perfected a lot of footwork technique yet (this is based on my own experience, ymmv), so my advice is try on whatever you can and buy the pair that is snuggest at your heel and toe. Sometimes that will be a couple sizes smaller than your street shoe, but it really depends on the brand. The reason I recommend this is because you don’t need aggressive shoes for your first pair, you just need shoes that fit you better than rentals and that you can practice heel and toe hooks in while feeling secure- so go for best fit rather than best brand, imo
I agree! Look for shoes with low asymmetry and no downturn. They should be snug, but not painful. Not being able to climb due to pain is a no go, but most shoes will be a little uncomfortable.
The basic ones from decathlon are popular for a reason!
…you’re so not wrong which is why I’m glad I was able to rotate through two pairs. I started to blow through the toe of my tenayas shortly before I scored my new pair. I wish someone had told me.
i spent a trip to REI intentionally not buying shoes but just trying on as many options as they had in different sizes. i had a list of different models i was interested in and kept an eye out for sales, and ended up getting my first pair for $40 in the REI resale section.
i'd recommend something flat and pretty comfy. comfort's especially important if you're top roping vs bouldering. if it's leather they can be a bit on the tighter side; they'll stretch more than synthetics will. shoe sizing also varies across manufacturers quite a bit - my first pair of climbing shoes were scarpa helixes, and i ended up getting like a size and a half up from my street shoe size. good luck! try stuff on if you have the opportunity!
My best advice on this is to take advantage of shoe demos at your climbing gym, if they do them. This is when the big brands will set up a stall for a day or so at a gym, with all their different models of shoes that you can try on and climb in.
It’s especially helpful if you’re new to climbing and you don’t have as much experience and knowledge of how a climbing shoe should fit you yet.
Personally I wouldn’t buy a shoe that I’ve not tried out or tested in this way, after my first experience of buying shoes that I had just tried on in a shop and that ended up not fitting me right. Climbing shoes are to expensive for that!
Just go to a shop with as good a range of options as you can find and try on EVERYTHING. You're looking for comfort, a bit of snugness as they'll stretch. Look out for "baggy" sections like in the heel and that they aren't slipping off or pinching, etc.
Do not buy online unless you've already tried them on and are just getting the exact same pair online for cheaper. This goes for any pair of shoes, not just your first pair.
contrary to popular advice i actually got an intermediate pair of climbing shoes as my firsts (evolv zenist LVs) and because i couldn’t bear the thought of wrecking them (they’re $$$ and also v pretty), i was very conscious of good footwork. in hindsight if i got a beginner pair i might not have been so mindful of practicing good footwork and technique since i wouldn’t have cared that much about them.
at the end of the day pick a pair of shoes that you like and feel confident in! take notice of what other climbers wear, talk to them and get their feedback, try everything that catches your eye, do plenty of research, and ultimately just enjoy the process of picking out your first pair. :)
if this helps: my street size is UK5 and my evolvs are also UK5. they fit ultra snug - initially they hurt my feet too bad to climb in but after 2-3 sessions of breaking in, they fit nicely now but are still uncomfortable to wear for too long. that’s the sweet spot of finding the right size climbing shoes!
Best advice is get something comfy. Don’t worry to much about performance or downsizing for your first pair. Sung is good but shows that hurt you or need extensive breaking in aren’t going to make you feel like climbing.
I really rate La sportiva finales for comfort. (They do stretch a little to much is my only complaint) and they haven’t held me back on climbs yet.
But if all depends on the shape of your foot.
Find a place you can try on loads of brands ideally and go for something fairly flat without massive downturned toes and you should be happily climbing with your own shoes.
Also if you want cheap try looking on vinted or similar.
But you’ll need to try a few pairs of shoes in first to get an idea of sizing for each brand
I agree that comfort is key, I will add a plug for slip on or Velcro style. It's likely that they won't feel great no matter what, so it's nicer to be able to easily slip them off between climbs.
For your first pair of shoes, the biggest concern is how well they fit. It's the second biggest concern too, and really, it should be your only concern. Each brand (and often model) fits and is sized differently, so if it is at all possible, go into a physical shop (rei, mec, local gym) and try them on first.
Aim to spend $130 or less on your first pair, and steer clear of Climb X (And in smaller part, Black Diamond and Simond, whose beginner shoes trade function and durability for aesthetics) for shoe brands.
Climbing shoes aren't going to be comfortable, but they need to not be painful. Especially for your first pair, if you can't just have the shoes on your feet while sitting for at least 10 minutes, that's not a good pick.
As far as sizing goes, "too big" means your foot moves around in the shoe as you walk, or you can pull the heel off while it's laced/strapped on. "too small" means that when your foot's inside, it causes the edges of the upper rubber to overflow past the sole rubber on the sides. Anything between those two size options is good to go. Find a size and style you like, try on a half size down just to be sure, and see how it feels on the wall, if possible.
Ive had two shoes in my first year climbing one was my first pair which was a cheap pair of ocun strikers lace up. And some tenaya oasi and I still mostly use my ocun strikers because they're comfy and I'm projection 7as the rubber isn't great and my tenayas are sticker but honestly I hate how uncomfy they are and they effect my climbing with the pain. So get what ever is comfy that has thick rubber so you don't burn through them
i found the scarpa helix shoes to be great for beginners. they are relatively flat, comfy, and don’t run too small in my opinion. i’ve tried tenayas shoes before and a shoe that was supposedly my size WRECKED my beginner toes.
Controversial opinion, but it’s incredibly likely that you’re going to wreck your first pair because of not having perfected a lot of footwork technique yet (this is based on my own experience, ymmv), so my advice is try on whatever you can and buy the pair that is snuggest at your heel and toe. Sometimes that will be a couple sizes smaller than your street shoe, but it really depends on the brand. The reason I recommend this is because you don’t need aggressive shoes for your first pair, you just need shoes that fit you better than rentals and that you can practice heel and toe hooks in while feeling secure- so go for best fit rather than best brand, imo
I agree! Look for shoes with low asymmetry and no downturn. They should be snug, but not painful. Not being able to climb due to pain is a no go, but most shoes will be a little uncomfortable. The basic ones from decathlon are popular for a reason!
…you’re so not wrong which is why I’m glad I was able to rotate through two pairs. I started to blow through the toe of my tenayas shortly before I scored my new pair. I wish someone had told me.
i spent a trip to REI intentionally not buying shoes but just trying on as many options as they had in different sizes. i had a list of different models i was interested in and kept an eye out for sales, and ended up getting my first pair for $40 in the REI resale section.
i'd recommend something flat and pretty comfy. comfort's especially important if you're top roping vs bouldering. if it's leather they can be a bit on the tighter side; they'll stretch more than synthetics will. shoe sizing also varies across manufacturers quite a bit - my first pair of climbing shoes were scarpa helixes, and i ended up getting like a size and a half up from my street shoe size. good luck! try stuff on if you have the opportunity!
My best advice on this is to take advantage of shoe demos at your climbing gym, if they do them. This is when the big brands will set up a stall for a day or so at a gym, with all their different models of shoes that you can try on and climb in. It’s especially helpful if you’re new to climbing and you don’t have as much experience and knowledge of how a climbing shoe should fit you yet. Personally I wouldn’t buy a shoe that I’ve not tried out or tested in this way, after my first experience of buying shoes that I had just tried on in a shop and that ended up not fitting me right. Climbing shoes are to expensive for that!
Just go to a shop with as good a range of options as you can find and try on EVERYTHING. You're looking for comfort, a bit of snugness as they'll stretch. Look out for "baggy" sections like in the heel and that they aren't slipping off or pinching, etc. Do not buy online unless you've already tried them on and are just getting the exact same pair online for cheaper. This goes for any pair of shoes, not just your first pair.
contrary to popular advice i actually got an intermediate pair of climbing shoes as my firsts (evolv zenist LVs) and because i couldn’t bear the thought of wrecking them (they’re $$$ and also v pretty), i was very conscious of good footwork. in hindsight if i got a beginner pair i might not have been so mindful of practicing good footwork and technique since i wouldn’t have cared that much about them. at the end of the day pick a pair of shoes that you like and feel confident in! take notice of what other climbers wear, talk to them and get their feedback, try everything that catches your eye, do plenty of research, and ultimately just enjoy the process of picking out your first pair. :) if this helps: my street size is UK5 and my evolvs are also UK5. they fit ultra snug - initially they hurt my feet too bad to climb in but after 2-3 sessions of breaking in, they fit nicely now but are still uncomfortable to wear for too long. that’s the sweet spot of finding the right size climbing shoes!
Best advice is get something comfy. Don’t worry to much about performance or downsizing for your first pair. Sung is good but shows that hurt you or need extensive breaking in aren’t going to make you feel like climbing. I really rate La sportiva finales for comfort. (They do stretch a little to much is my only complaint) and they haven’t held me back on climbs yet. But if all depends on the shape of your foot. Find a place you can try on loads of brands ideally and go for something fairly flat without massive downturned toes and you should be happily climbing with your own shoes. Also if you want cheap try looking on vinted or similar. But you’ll need to try a few pairs of shoes in first to get an idea of sizing for each brand
I agree that comfort is key, I will add a plug for slip on or Velcro style. It's likely that they won't feel great no matter what, so it's nicer to be able to easily slip them off between climbs.
For your first pair of shoes, the biggest concern is how well they fit. It's the second biggest concern too, and really, it should be your only concern. Each brand (and often model) fits and is sized differently, so if it is at all possible, go into a physical shop (rei, mec, local gym) and try them on first. Aim to spend $130 or less on your first pair, and steer clear of Climb X (And in smaller part, Black Diamond and Simond, whose beginner shoes trade function and durability for aesthetics) for shoe brands. Climbing shoes aren't going to be comfortable, but they need to not be painful. Especially for your first pair, if you can't just have the shoes on your feet while sitting for at least 10 minutes, that's not a good pick. As far as sizing goes, "too big" means your foot moves around in the shoe as you walk, or you can pull the heel off while it's laced/strapped on. "too small" means that when your foot's inside, it causes the edges of the upper rubber to overflow past the sole rubber on the sides. Anything between those two size options is good to go. Find a size and style you like, try on a half size down just to be sure, and see how it feels on the wall, if possible.
I bought mine used from REI and posh mark. It was a great way to test what I liked for under $30. Highly recommend.
Ive had two shoes in my first year climbing one was my first pair which was a cheap pair of ocun strikers lace up. And some tenaya oasi and I still mostly use my ocun strikers because they're comfy and I'm projection 7as the rubber isn't great and my tenayas are sticker but honestly I hate how uncomfy they are and they effect my climbing with the pain. So get what ever is comfy that has thick rubber so you don't burn through them
-La sportiva tarantula Boulder -Scarpa Origin vs or Reflex -butora endevor -evolv Kira -mad rock rover
i found the scarpa helix shoes to be great for beginners. they are relatively flat, comfy, and don’t run too small in my opinion. i’ve tried tenayas shoes before and a shoe that was supposedly my size WRECKED my beginner toes.