UKH

Hello,

I've been trying fairly unsuccessfully to find a new pair of sport/bouldering shoes over lockdown (I know trying on is key but my current ones are in tatters unfortunately) but have consistently been struggling to find a pair which doesn't cause my toes to push up painfully against the roof of the toe box. I think the issue arrives from the fact I have extremely narrow feet but very long toes, meaning in order to get a properly tight fit elsewhere in the shoe, the toes can end up cramped and very painful when bashed/toe hooking.

I'm currently trying La Sportiva Solutions, which seem to be better than some others I've tried but my big and second toe are still pushed fairly tightly against the roof of the toe box meaning they're a little painful at this point. They are totally unworn however and I was wondering if this is something I can expect to improve as they wear in or if someone has simarly weird feet and has any suggestions on shoes? I'm a women for reference.

Any advice would be very appreciated, thank you!

I'd say I have narrow feet, which are very boney, although my toes are I think a proportional length. I've had issues with pressure over toes in the way that you describe. Something that has really helped in my case is applying zinc tape over they toe areas where the skin was getting sore. It's really made the difference in terms of comfort and avoiding skin breakdown. The stiffness of zinc tape I think partly helped. Thought I'd mention in case it's something that might help you.

Are your feet also flat with not much of an arch? If so, they might be similar to mine, which don’t suit downturned shoes like Solutions at all. If so, I’d try Katana velcros, as they’re fairly narrow with a flat profile, but they also have a bit of assymetry for edging on sport routes or boulders, and easy to take on and off. I wear mine for everything. Also, look at the new La Sportiva Kubo (not out yet though), as they look similar to Katana but better for bouldering.

If your feet do have an arch you should probably persevere with the Solutions and see if they get better after wearing in, as they should eventually break in a bit more and stretch a little. If you find you can’t comfortably stand on an edge with them without your toes hurting, however, I’d go for something flatter.

Whilst I can't recommend something to try, long, narrow, low volume feet generally suit an Italian last.  Since shops are shut (mostly, not sure about Go Outdoors) and trying on impossible, your best bet might be to email a local shop.  Taunton Leisure have a Bristol branch and in my experience their staff seem to know their stuff, so why not drop them a line outlining the problems you've stated, the shoes you've tried without success, the size of your feet and anything else relevant and see what they say.  Include your phone number too.

Of course, an enterprising member of shop staff from one of the many good shops more distant from you could also drop you a pm through this site too, hint hint.

T.

I have very narrow feet, long toes and high arches. I can’t really get any Velcro or slip on shoes to fit properly. Scarpa Vapour Lace, on the other hand, fit me perfectly. 

I wear Ocun Pearl LU and UnParallel Sirius Lace LV. I find lace up shoes mean I can tighten the shoe to compensate for the larger (comparative) sizing for my long toes. I also have very narrow, long feet.

Have you tried simply buying some shoes that might be a bit slacker in the foot but comfortable in the toe area.

I don't know how long you've been climbing or at what grade, but I've always been advised to buy shoes that were too small, after a while I decided to buy shoes which were comfortable instead, my grade increased, because I was climbing much more and longer than I previously could.

Having said that, there are shoes which are far too sloppy if I buy for length comfort.

If the grades on your profile are update I reckon the solutions are probably overkill, they’re pretty hardcore really.

If they’re the right sort of fit other than the aggressive toe section then I’d checkout something like the Katana.

Its taken me years to get this right, and I also have long narrow feet.  I have found for this foot shape La Sportiva seems the way to go.

I will echo what others have said, Katanas are great and comfortable.  I use Velcro's indoors and Laces outdoors, they are completely different shoes in how they climb, but are the same (ish) foot shape.

Solutions are way over the top for nearly everyone, as they are one of the most aggressive shoes out there.  Its not the shoe that makes the climber, but the footwork, which needs a boot that does not hurt when you are using it.

I have no issues (from the shoes) in climbing 7b indoors in Katana Velro's and E4 outdoors in Katana Laces.  If your climbing hard then the Velcro is not an outdoor shoe, its not stiff enough to edge successfully on tiny holds.

If your climbing below VS then anything well fitted and comfortable will do.  At these grades you are often crack jamming with your feet, which I might find even a Katana a bit much.

Its hard to do at the moment, but you really do need to try them on, and go to a proper climbing shop like Dicks in Bristol where they know what they are talking about.

Hi Rebecca, I also have narrow feet with weirdly long big toe! Also low profile - not sure if that's you. I've found velcroes and slip ons never fit, so I stick with lace-ups. I even have a leather punch and have resorted to punching new lace holes so that I can lace tighter on one occasion.

I've found Red Chilli's tend to work well for narrow feet. I also like the Tenaya Masai. Like Cobra_Head, I tend to prioritise comfort (within reason) and have accepted that a lot of 'performance' shoes just won't work for me.

Good luck! 

My daughter (and me) has always struggled with shoe fitting.  Long thin feet.  Long toes and quite shallow.  Trust me, she is a good indicator because she refuses to accept poor fitting shoes.  She has tried scarpa, tanaya, EB, etc over the years. 
 

She has a lot of LaSportiva shoes and it’s gone something like this.

Futura - took ages to get them comfortable. She just couldn’t get on with them.  She has a pair but they are near the bottom of the pile for choice.  They ticked all the boxes too.

Solution - her go to technical shoe.  She likes the ball heel. Not comfortable as such and they are taken off quickly after a climb but she trusts them and for a technical shoe the discomfort is acceptable

Solution Comp - unfortunately she hasn’t got on with these as I thought they would be better than the Solutions. The heel is not as good for her, they are uncomfortable for her and they are pretty low on the list.
 

Skwama - her eyes lit up on these.  They are comfortable after a short break in period.  Technical enough for most stuff until she gets the Solutions out.  These are doing 50% of the work these days.

Theory - Wow, what a shoe.  Ok it’s the new generation soft shoe but it’s very capable in most indoor settings and is the most comfortable shoe she has ever tried.  1st time on she climbed for 2hrs in them.  She would climb in these every day if she could.  I ask her to take her shoes off to give her feet a rest and she replies why bother I have slippers on.

Shoes are very personal but this highlights, even with an entire brand at your feet, they still have some that work and others that don’t.  If I was recommending one shoe to do it all it would be the Skwama

Persist with them, and see if they adapt to your feet. In the past I've put tight new shoes on with socks and worn them sitting around to stretch them a bit, and have had shoes go from crippling to fine with a bit of time. They will eventually mold to your feet to a certain extent. Solutions are very aggressive so don't expect stand around comfort. 

Tenayas look like they might be good for the slender footed as well.

Thank you, that's really helpful, I'll definitely try that 

Ah ok, I think it sounds like I am fairly similar to your foot type. Lots of people have been recommending the Katanas, thank you.

Yes this has been my experience as well, the struggle has been to find a shoe which fits the whole foot which often means downsizing to a point which is uncomfortable.

Thank you this is all really helpful, I'll probably try emailing Dicks like the above person suggested.

Thank you, all really helpful!

They're a little out of date but not as much as I'd like haha! I'm climbing low 7s so you're probably right that the Solutions are a bit above my pay grade, I was hoping the fact they're designed for narrow feet would be worth it!

I have exactly the same foot shape/shoe issue, and have rarely got on well with conventional models. My current (well, for some time now...) shoes are 5.10 moccasyms (for grit, I do buy them tight though) and Anastasi LVs (for everything else). One good thing to say about the Addidas site, is that all their shoes come with a free postage return label, so you could conceivably buy a bunch on different sized pairs, and keep the Cinderella pair! The Anastazi Pro LVs were a terrible shape for my feet (hardly LV at all tbh), and all that toe rubber meant it was never going to stretch to fit.

I still think all show manufacturers should specify foot length rather than shoe size (which is pretty meaningless in the climbing shoe world).

Good luck, and let us all know what works.

Thank you, I hadn't considered either of those yet so I will definitely check them out.

Just to add, in my early days, I had shoes which I thought would adapt to my feet, I don't think they evey did, apart from the inside where my toes and foot indented the sole. I tried for quite while to persevere, 12 months+ and what happened was my feet changed to match the shoe. When I realised my toes were being deformed, I decided comfort was the way to go.

Evolv made some version of a lace up I think called the ashima which were said to be very narrow 

Well, my feet are wide and Katanas used to be perfect.  They've significantly narrowed the last...so maybe my (much lamented) loss is your gain?

Familiar struggles. 

I don't get along with them for other reasons but Tenaya Tarifa's have an unusually narrow forefoot, worth seeking out perhaps. 

Solutions are fine for low 7's. They're an excellent shoe and will really let you work small footholds hard. 

The pressure you're experiencing is normal for a more aggressive shoe and will improve as the shoe stretches (2-3 sessions). If the shoe is fully comfy from the start then it will be too big once it breaks in so to me it sounds like you're in the perfect place right now. 

Have fun with them, they're a brilliant shoe 😁 

Thanks so much to everyone for the advice, if anyone is having the same problem as me and was wondering what I went with, I decided on Katana Laces after also trying Unparallel Sirius LV's.

Whilst I think I could have got the Solutions to work had I preserved, the Katanas were a much more natural fit like many people suggested they might be. Thanks again!

Ocun Pearl LU are good for narrow feet, and especially if you have 'Egytian' foot shape. I have long toes and they fit me well. 

Hey Rebecca,

Have a look at Tenaya Oasi LV, Tenaya in general are low volume, narrow shoes and the Oasi LV takes this even lower!