Beginner climbing shoes reddit.

Beginner climbing shoes reddit A lot of people seem to like tarantulace as a starter shoe so maybe check those out. You need to get the right shape for your toes. Highly recommend it. As a beginner, all that matters is learning technique and getting stronger. —the Tarantulace is a comfort-first shoe with an unlined leather upper, a mildly asymmetric shape, a stiff last, and a relatively roomy toe-box. 5 street shoe and my current comfy pair of gym climbing shoes is a 39. Beginner climbing shoes prioritize comfort over aggressive performance. Also surprisingly durable for a high performance shoe, lasted 8 months before I resoled them could have probably pushed it another month or 2. Yeah, buy whatever shoes you want, there’s no rule against “beginners” having good shoes. Why spend that money when it's not necessary? Noting that some people that buy very expensive, very sensitive and soft climbing shoes to climb indoors potentially own more than 1 pair - and they aren't using these pricey shoes for every send. That said, upgrading from your beginner shoes isn’t best measured by time, but rather by the grades and terrain you are climbing. Also: they should be uncomfortable and my toes do bend- but I would argue they shouldn't hurt. - if you like climbing enough to want to buy your own pair, decathlon sells dirt cheap climbing shoes. Get cheap beginner shoes to learn footwork, but don’t expect a five star, “perfect allrounder” shoe. 5 star sensitivity with 5mm of frixion rubber? lmao. Now I used them for high volumen sessions only. The 10 Best Beginner Climbing Shoes. I'm exclusively bouldering and rope climbing in the hall, and was thinking about the Vegan Skwama von La Sportiva. I'm also an intermediate beginner -> normal feet with small heel and long toes, strongly egyptian. Also I've been gifted some banana fingers vouchers for Christmas so ideally a shoe I can buy from there. And don't buy anything hyper aggressive as your Normally my shoes are size 40, I bought climbing shoes at 41, I tried shoes at 43 that my feet still weren't able to fit in. So I have been climbing for a few months in rental shoes, and looking to get a proper pair. Have a friend that is getting hooked on bouldering so he is contemplating some shoes to avoid them sweaty rentals. I get several years of fun out of a pair of climbing shoes, in fact the Scarpas I was climbing in 25 years ago are still OK. Fit is more important than almost all performance enhancing features. If you have a local climbing gym, REI or similar sports store that sells climbing shoes, definitely go try a few pairs on. So I went out to buy some climbing shoes. I tried different entry level shoes - since my main goal is a shoe that is reasonable comfortable for a 3h session, has good grip and has a good amount of rubber, will last a good amount of time and I should feel comfortable doing toehook, heelhook and stand on some small footholds. – Overall Best – La Sportiva Tarantulace – High End – La Sportiva Finale – Excellent Vegan Shoe – Evolv Defy – Best Design – Black Diamond Momentum – Best Budget Beginner Climbing Shoe – Mad Rock Drifter Sep 16, 2024 · La Sportiva Tarantulace. I prefer top-rope over bouldering and currently am not planning to ever climb outdoors. Don't focus on the brand too much. I've tried on everything at REI and found that my heels were getting rubbed raw from standing on my toes to test flexibility. For me, with climbing shoes, there's no substitute to going to a store and trying on different models and different sizes. There are some really good shoes out there for beginners that don’t break the bank either, such as the La Sportiva Tarantula. At our level its not that important to downsize aggresively etc. But go to a store. I spend most of my time sport climbing indoor, maybe around a 70/30 split of the time, where I engage in bouldering more often than top/lead climbing. Was pretty close to quitting with other shoes. No use having a great shoe that doesn't fit you well. In terms of fit, they were snug and with only a slight gap in the heel. Also, i would recommend a beginner shoe that would still be good after resoling it, still serving a purpose. Nov 11, 2023 · In my opinion, nobody really stays a beginner for long in climbing. I've been climbing for about 4-5 months now and climbed my first V3-V5 yesterday. I am climbing pretty consistently V4 on the slab and V3 (super close on a lot of V4) on the over It's unsurprising that beginners/intermediates like them because basically anything is better than a flat, hard beginner shoe, but that doesn't mean it's good for what you need, it's just that the bar is super low. I can climb about V2-V3s and a few V4s but it is tough to progress with the rentals. I think climbing in general purpose shoes is totally fine well into 5. 10 moccasin to start. But yeah, thats just like my opinion, man. For beginners, a well-fitted shoe prevents unnecessary strain and improves technique development. First climbing shoe was the Tarantula Boulder - pretty solid and comfortable shoe, but not enough tension and not much sensitivity under my toes, also not the biggest fan of the Friction Black rubber. They're saving them for the high grade, steep routes where their advantage is clear. When it comes to picking out climbing shoes for beginners, comfort and price are key. AFAIK the italian brands are rather expensive in the states. Unlike regular shoes, they have a snug fit and sticky rubber soles to help you securely grip holds. The "beginner friendly" term is very vague because of this. Sizing is very important for climbing shoes. I found a pair of my fav shoes just a few months ago there. IE, get whatever "beginner shoe" is most comfortable. My normal shoe size is 13 in US sizes and I got a size 13 pair of Defys. 999999. Roman Feet. But considering you are climbing for a few months and climbing v4s, it's not like you are complete newbie. The first day I went climbing, I fell in love with it, got my gym pass and ran to REI to get my own shoes. Comfy shoes are likely to get you climbing more, performance shoes aren't gonna turn you into Adam Ondra all of a sudden Also understand what you're buying, performance shoes doesn't mean better in every way or better for everything. It honestly doesn’t matter as long as it fits your foot well. I was wearing Millet Easy-Ups prior. Hey, so primarily youre gonna want a shoe thats comfortable. I've had the Scarpa Velocity climbing shoes in the beginning in the size 37,5 (my regular shoe size is 36,5 to 37) and even though they are a size/half a size bigger than my regular shoes, I still experience horrible pain in my big toe (the toe seems to curl up in the shoe and since I'm alpine climbing, when there comes a part, where I need to And a beginner model that isn’t designed as a rental probably has much better features without the need to sacrifice feature quality for durability. 5EU. 12/V6. I have tried on a pair of Scarpa Velocity (the newer version) in my local gym, and it fits quite well. Only thing I'd recommend to you as opposed to an actual beginner is to lean towards softer shoes if possible, since this will make overhangs more doable. I wear a 42. At the same time, experienced climbers can use those shoes, if they are simply out of budget, or need a warm up pair. (1) Comfy (2) Good for climbing easy stuff (3) Good for climbing hard stuff (4) Not too aggressive but not too flat (shoe’s curve) (5) You never need another shoe Reply reply throwaway70357 I am about to replace my beginner climbing shoes as it was a hand-me-down (albeit it was a decent fit at that point of time) and its starting to feel loose. If we have a sliding scale of climbing shoe "goodness", where 0 is the shoe you could build out in the woods, we're talking some leaves crammed in between your toes and tied on with some green twigs, and the best climbing shoes money can buy, the pinnacle of footwear engineering and design, is a 10; your "begineer" shoes are like a 9. I happen to agree with Steve from the bad beta podcast. I guarantee that there’s a perfect shoe on my shortlist for every type of climber. If I'm not sure or it's going to be a long day where I can bring only one pair of shoes, pinks ftw. For harness I used the black diamond momentum… got it at REI for 64 bucks. I'd recommend a shoe like the 5. K. Aggressive shoes are for hard climbing. One thing to note is that if you are a beginner in climbing, it probably makes sense to buy a "beginner" shoe (e. I wouldn't change anything about how I started tbh. Try which shoe is snug without being painful and go for it. I'm still using my beginner shoes that I got from a sports shop called Decathlon. For what it's worth, the previous Spirit model was my outdoor shoe for about 12 months of climbing 5-6 days a month, mostly on limestone and conglomerate with some granite and sandstone thrown in, and the first few months were on beginner footwork :) Blew the rands a few weeks ago, sole was pretty worn but it may have lasted another month . 5 and I want to down size another half size in my left foot since my feet are different sizes. If I was climbing a hard overhang with lots of tiny foot features, I'd reach for my Katanas and be a little bemused using my mocs. Most beginner oriented shoes will also last a bit longer, because usually the rubber is thicker and a bit less soft. There's a great variation in shoe sizing. There's nothing wrong with using more intermediate shoes as a beginner. You'll want your first pair to be snug, maybe a little uncomfortable, but not painful. and I always go to Rock On at Mile End Climbing wall, they’ve never let me down when helping me pick a new pair of These were my first pair of climbing shoes. Veloce's are a beginner shoe in the same vein as the Mantra but worse. Brands like Scarpa and La Sportiva have some solid options. I know they’re a beginner shoe. In Bosnia, the selection of these shoes is limited and overpriced, so my only option is online stores like banana fingers and epictv( bergfreund doesn't ship here for Climbing shoes are a little different to street shoes. LS Tarantula, Scarpa Reflex, Evolv Defy/Elektra, Tenaya Tanta, Boreal Joker, Five Ten Kirigami, etc. Hi guys looking for recommendations for a fully synthetic shoe beginner to intermediate have been climbing in basic decathlon shoes on and off for about a year or so and like the look of Scarpa veloce and unparallel souped up. I'm searching for a pair of vegan climbing shoes (don't judge me, guys and gürls); I'm a beginner with an enormous street shoe size of 38. Go to a gym and try climbing using the rental shoes. The best-selling Tarantula climbing shoe is reinvigorated with additional features to help beginner climbers focus on bouldering and more complex climbing movements. Get what fits your foot well. They normally retail for $199 and I found them for $50 and they looked A stiff shoe makes it hard to feel your feet and prevents you from learning how to really use your feet and will promote sloppy footwork. I can downsize that much because I want the climbing shoe to fit that tightly and I need to try on 20+ climbing shoe models to find the perfect toe box shape. You might also want to check out other brands. Have a look at your local REI in their used shoe section too. If you Nov 6, 2023 · It is probably the most popular crack climbing shoe ever and was the first shoe ever to use a slingshot rand. g. It's a tough choice but consider going for that $200 upgrade to start with. As a beginner, it's also better to fit for comfort or a snug but not painful sizing as the shoes will stretch out over use. The shoe you pick will have virtually no consequence to your climbing. When I first started I didn’t like the idea of buying a “starter” shoe like the tarantulaces (a very popular starter shoe) because I knew I was going to outgrow a starter shoe quick, the groups I climb with are advanced climbers and go climbing 3-4x a week so I learned very quickly. Edit: also, this review is wild. I've seen good things about the Evolv Defy VTR and they're currently on sale for £55, but also read that they're smelly! Nov 6, 2023 · Therefore, many of the shoes on my shortlist avoid the typical super-stiff beginner shoe construction and offer a middle ground between the two extremes. I’m in the U. My local climbing store only seems to stock a lot of butora and scarpa. If they all fit your feet equally well: The striker is going to take you further in indoor bouldering with slightly softer construction and grippier rubber versus the regular tarantula. Pretty much all brands build shoes for different feet nowadays. Hot take: beginner shoes suck and get away with it because reviews come largely from folks who started climbing in them and then stopped before moving on to other shoes. My gym grades: White: V0 Yellow: V0-V2 Blue: V1-V3 Purple: V2-V4 Black: V3-V5 Red: V4-V6 I can comfortably climb the purples (V2-V4). Additional Toe Rubber increases durability and toe-hooking capabilities, and an updated heel helps facilitate heel hooking. I've been climbing for 4 weeks and am climbing 5. That is why climbing shoes classified as beginners' either have quite durable front or are just cheap enough so people won't be mad about killing them fast. The price tag is okay, however, I read that those shoes are There’s so many: La Sportiva Tarantulace, Scarpa Origin, Evolv Defy, Black Diamond Momentum, Scarpa Helix, La Sportiva Finale, etc. it has nice padding and easy slider adjust. Beginners should get a cheap beginner shoe. There's no predicting how it's going to fit. I had scarpa helixes I returned. And I'm Male. I'm almost 2 years into climbing now, indoors and outdoors experience. A downturned shoe isn't versatile and unless you are really just climbing steep boulders all the time will probably be overkill to start with. The wide toe box saved my interest in the hobby. com Feb 17, 2021 · Our top picks for the best beginner climbing shoes at the cheapest place to buy online. I found myself having to size up to account for the wideness of my feet. I would classify them as normal/medium width. I got them in 8 UK and wore them with socks. I have narrow heels and have always had issues with my shoes chafing my heels. Since you're shopping online, finding a pair that feels good right off the bat is super important. for a good pair of starter shoes I would recommend the LA sportiva tarantulace (90 bucks), they fit comfortably and break in easy they have laces which I liked because if felt more secure… beefy toe pads and good heal pad all around solid shoe Try on the shoes. Just depends on your budget. With either, you’re probably going to eventually want to upgrade to an intermediate shoe long before your beginner shoe is worn out. If I was climbing a long splitter, mocs every day. Beginner shoes and cheap, durable all-round shoes are the same thing. I don't want to purchase online as I want to nail the size perfectly. Normally, it means the neutral stiff shoe, which forgives bad fit because of its structure. A beginner pair of climbing shoes will run you about $100 and a high quality pair will be around $200. They were a good beginner pair, but I found them to be too soft and not great at edging. Feb 26, 2025 · Climbing shoes enhance grip, foot positioning, and overall climbing efficiency. Idk why people downvoted this comment, starting with the sensitive good shoes for bouldering is the only way to get used to sensitive shoes for bouldering, you can get in tarantulas or some other stiff shoes with no downturn and when you feel like you can climb better but your feet aren't helping you as much and you go for performance shoes you're almost back to 0 because you climb different The rentals I have had were hit and miss. I started climbing about a month ago, enjoyed it instantly and am now looking to buy my first pair of shoes, mainly looking for an all-rounder as I still need to learn a lot of technique. The cheapest shoe on this list—and, consequently, one of the best-selling climbing shoes in the U. Fit is the most important aspect of climbing shoes, so start there if you didn't already. Climbing shoes for beginner I'm a total beginner and looking to get some climbing shoes, mainly for indoors, but hopefully for some outdoor trips. New shoes aren't comfortable like rented shoes which were broken in by 100+ of feet. Get a decent middle ground (in terms of geometry and specialization) shoe and fit it properly, then have them resoled when you inevitably blow through the toe box as you The solution is still my favorite sport climbing shoe that I have tried, precise and makes me feel confident on even the smallest feet. I'm still a beginner obviously, so comfort is pretty important as I'm learning. REI has 20% off sales and coupons quite often that apply to those $200 shoes. At the beginning level, everyone's technique is generally bad so shoes don't matter that much. S. In fact, after a month or two of visiting the gym, I’m willing to bet you are ready to graduate to a pair of intermediate climbing shoes. 8s. There are lots of shoes for more beginners, maybe a tarantula Boulder or a scarpa origin VS. This month I started this beginner alpine climbing course and now that the course is over I want to train more with this group but I need some climbing shoes and here's the prob. The brands you can try on locally are better than the "best" brand or shoe you can get. On that note: I had good experiences with La Sportiva Tarantulas and Evolv Nighthawk as comfy beginner shoes. Super comfortable soft shoes that were flat. I say live large and buy the shoes that make you happy! What I'm trying to say is don't spend absurd money for marginal performance gains as a beginner. Nothing special just £40 climbing shoes. They hurt my feet less than any climbing shoe ive tried. But my advice would be to go and try some shoes on! If you can find a place with a good amount of shoes in stock and someone used to looking at and choosing climbing shoes for climbers that’s the best option. ) because you will likely have poor footwork (which means you will burn through the rubber quickly) and you will likely not be See full list on climbinghouse. Maybe Evolv or UnParallel. For starters, check out some all-around climbing shoes that offer all-day comfort. Which then made the shoe too long and I lost a lot of grip in the toes, or dealing with a very tight shoe that was borderline cutting off blood to my feet. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. I bought the La Sportiva Tarantulace. Seconding these as a beginner/intermediate. Get that. Finally, climbing shoes simply don't last so it could be a bit of a waste to get an expensive pair now. Going into the store, I can say that I indeed did my best to walk out with (edit: not But any of the shoes are climable almost anywhere. try to get a feel of which brand and shoe most likely fits ur foot shape, if possible, try them on. I've been in the position of wanting a specific shoe, which "on paper" was going to be ideal for me: I've already had good experiences with shoes and sizing of that brand, reviews and anecdotes were excellent, etc. So if you're looking to get these shoes try to find a place you an try them in person or at least a place online that has free returns so you can try a different size. Those are beginner shoes but with features such as a toe patch for toe hooking that give them the ability to do more competition style movement like fancy shoes without the extreme niche fit or downturn. Lastly, try on the shoe before buying it or buy it from an online retailer with free returns. I boulder a lot so I have a pair of fancy $200+ aggressive shoes, but unless I'm climbing above 12-, I don't use them. I bought the vsr after 3 month of climbing and they feel 1000 times better than the average beginner shoes, I went with my street shoe size, a good pair of climbing shoes does make a big difference, especially in the gym, If you have a wide foot they should fit you well We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. I myself have been climbing for a bit more than half a year and have been using La sportiva Zenits which has been enough for me (climbing up to V5, projecting V6), although I do not have anything really to compare to so would love some input on what to recommend! These shoes I needed to buy them at 9 1/2 which is a size I didn't buy for even my first pair of climbing shoes as a beginner when I was looking for comfort over most things. The Mocc isn’t a high performer by any stretch of the imagination, but it isn’t exactly a beginner shoe either. I bought the cheapest ones just in case I wasn’t going to stick it. To be honest, if you are climbing because you saw free solo: - don't buy shoes. With climbing shoes there's no way I'll be able to buy online or just from recommendation. Most important is that they fit you well. mlfeqx okmxh slpgitn gcjc gmacmkzo qvlx lra uwyewh fjpa ngjumh zha cotz blq wjfyc wndiha