UKH

I've been climbing for a few months now, wearing hired shoes (mainly mad rock), and I want to make the leap to my first pair. They will be almost entirely used for indoor bouldering with the occasional outdoor or rope climbing, so no need for comfortable, all day shoes. I'm progressing quite quickly so something that will allow me to really test myself would be ideal, maybe downturned if possible for my price range. My budget isn't very high, around £70 would be great although I could push it a little higher. I've been looking mainly at Evolv and the La Sportive Tarantula although I've hear that they get holes easily.
Thanks.

In reply to joepye:

Your best bet is to go into a shop and try on as many pairs as possible to see what fits and what suits you best. Some shoes just won't fit your feet - for example I've yet to find a pair of 5.10 shoes which I can wear without crippling pain. I wouldn't necessarily consider anything radically-shaped at this point in your climbing either - shoes won't magically make your footwork better either, and your footwork will be better if your feet aren't numb through pain. Something vaguely technical that fits well will serve you much better than a banana-shaped torture device.

Shoes are consumable too, don't expect them to last longer than a year without serious wear if you're climbing a lot, especially indoors, and especially if your footwork is still improving. You can get shoes resoled for less than buying a new pair, but it does change the feel of them.

Hope that helps.

In reply to tehmarks:

Sound advice.

Comfy shoes rule.

Something like scarpa vapour (decathalon has cheapish) or sportiva mythos (most comfy shoes known to most) would see you climb French 7s easily. You don't need toe down shoes or ones which are too tight.

Synthetic ones smell more than suede ones.

Evlolve and chillis wear quickly. As a starter your footwork will be imperfect. This does shoes in quick too.

K

In reply to Kevster:

Thanks man, appreciated

In reply to tehmarks:

Thanks mark, I think I'll take your advice and go and try on a lot of different shoes, it's impossible to tell from the internet what they're going to fit like

In reply to joepye:

One thing to bear in mind is that different shoe brands use different sizing systems, usually either US men's, US women's, UK or European. They often display several numbers giving the size in all systems (eg Euro 39.5, UK 6, USM 7, USW 8) but usually only one figure is the actual size (often shown in larger print); the others are nearest approximations. To avoid the possibility of completely missing a size in the translation process it's a good idea to get clued up on which brands use which systems (and whether they include half-sizes - most do), and then stick to the relevant system when asking for sizes to try on. For example, don't ask to try on a Sportiva Katana (clue - they're Italian!) in a 6, and then a 6.5 if that's too tight; ask for a 39 (labelled UK equivalent 6), then a 39.5 (labelled UK equivalent still 6, although obviously bigger), then a 40 (UK 6.5). In this particular scenario it would quite possible if only conversing in UK sizes to completely overlook the existence of the 39.5, which might just be the ideal size. This duplication is due to the fact that the different systems use slightly different size intervals, so don't exactly correlate; when converted into the nearest equivalent sizes (or half-sizes) there's inevitably a periodic "bunching" effect.

In reply to Ian Parsons:

Makes sense, I've never thought about that before but I guess that's more important in climbing than in other sports.

In reply to joepye:

I find the best pair of shoes are always worn in by a few months , after 6 months they will be really comfy and after 12 months they are like slippers but starting to wear out ! Constant circle - definitely worth trying every pair you can till you find the shoe that fits perfect , no dead spaces , not too right and just feels right

In reply to joepye:

There's probably better but I bought a pair of Scarpa Vapour Vs for my second pair, after a pair of Simond cheapies, the difference was night and day. They're on offer at the Climbing Works at the moment. If they suit your foot shape I can recommend them.

In reply to joepye:

go into a decent outdoor shop (not go outdoors generally) and ask for an actual climber and try a load on. Ask for their advice and buy something you find appropriately comfortable , if it hurts to much you won't want to climb in them. BUY THE SET YOU TRY ON, as climbing shoes (5.10 especially) are notorious for having a variation in fit for any specific pair due to the manufacturing techniques and materials used.

In reply to joepye:

I've a pair of Tenaya Masai shoes for sale. Worn once indoors- as new. Size 6 1/2 or 40 euro sizing.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=5644

£50 posted