So you’ve caught the rock climbing bug and it’s time to buy your first pair of climbing shoes. New gear is exciting but it can be overwhelming knowing where to start. Climbing is a sport with many sub-disciplines, reflected by the many different climbing shoes on the market. So, how do you know what are the best beginner climbing shoes for you?
One of our big goals here at The Adventure Junkies is to make your life easier when it comes to gear shopping. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to choose entry-level climbing shoes and show you our selection of the best models of the year.
The Ultimate Guide To Find The Best Beginner Climbing Shoes
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CLIMBING SHOES 101
5 Things To Consider To Find The Best Beginner Climbing Shoes
1. Fit
The most important consideration when choosing the best beginner climbing shoe is fit. Every person’s foot shape is different. The shape, width, volume and heel depth of your foot can all affect how comfortable you are in your new kicks. The only way to find the perfect shoe is to try on as many models as possible, so hit the shops and be patient! Your shoe should fit snug and comfortable, with no dead spaces, hot spots, or painful areas. Start with something that feels great so you can truly love it.
2. Downsizing
You’ve probably heard other climbers discussing downsizing from their street shoe size and complaining of cramped and bent toes. Downsizing helps to keep your feet immobilized in your shoes. A lack of wiggle room can increase precision and power needed for finessing those tiny foot edges or pulling hard with that heel hook. Be careful not to downsize too much though – your climbing shoes should never be so painful that you dread your evening session at the local gym for fear of putting them on.
3. Stretch
To complicate things, some climbing shoes stretch, but others don’t. Once you’ve downsized from your street shoes to a comfortable, snug fit, you need to know whether your shoes will bag out or not. The length of your climbing shoe from heel to toe will never change. But, a shoe with an unlined leather upper can stretch up to 2 sizes after being broken in. A shoe with a synthetic lining will remain comparable to how it felt right out of the box. While some people prefer wearing their shoes with a light sock, climbing shoes are designed for bare feet.
4. Men’s Vs Women’s
Several climbing shoe models have a “sister shoe” which has been tweaked to better suit some women’s feet. Besides being your source for pink or purple climbing footwear, these shoes tend to be lower volume and often slightly narrower. Learn about the shape of your own foot – many dudes with low volume feet swear by these models too.
5. Shoe Shape
Every shoe we’ve suggested in this article is flat lasted. Flat last shoes are comfortable and easy to wear all day with little suffering. When you’re first starting, it’s a good idea to rule out the powerful shape of a hooked downturned shoe. Technically aggressive, high-performance shoes will come in useful with more experience, when you’re ready to expand you climbing style.
6. Velcro vs Lace-up
There are two main ways to tighten climbing shoes – velcro or laces.
Velcro shoes are easier to take on and off. Some tighten just as well as their lace-up counterparts. Velcro shoes are great for bouldering, gym or sport climbing because you’ll be switching from your regular shoes to your climbing shoes often.
Laces-up shoes have several advantages – they are more adjustable, this allows you to get the tightness exactly how you like it. An obvious downside is they are slower to put on and take off.
Photo by http://ift.tt/2e3QNXg
CLIMBING SHOES REVIEWS
Top 10 Beginner Climbing Shoes Of The Year
BUTORA ENDEAVOR
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon
WOMEN’S VERSION: Women’s Butora Endeavor
CLOSURE: Velcro Strap
UPPER: Leather with hemp lining
RUBBER: Butora F5
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: Korea
PROS: This shoe comes in both a wide and narrow fit.
CONS: Company is less well known so may be harder to find.
SCARPA HELIX
WOMEN’S VERSION: Scarpa Helix Women’s
CLOSURE: Lace-up
UPPER: Unlined leather
RUBBER: Vibram XS Edge
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: Italy
PROS: Reliable rubber and higher sensitivity. Lace-up closure allows for control of sizing around foot.
CONS: Lace-ups take longer to put on and off.
SCARPA ORIGIN
WOMEN’S VERSION: N/A
CLOSURE: Velcro Strap
UPPER: Unlined leather
RUBBER: Scarpa Vision
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: Romania
PROS: Dual strap closure allows for quick on and off and a secure fit.
CONS: Relatively new proprietary rubber with little public recognition and unknown reliability.
LA SPORTIVA TARANTULA
WOMEN’S VERSION: N/A
CLOSURE: Velcro Strap
UPPER: Unlined leather
RUBBER: La Sportiva FriXion
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: China
PROS: Asymmetrical shape brings more power to the big toe and helps beginners progress. Comfortable. Similar lace-up version available.
CONS: Lower end performance.
LA SPORTIVA FINALE
WOMEN’S VERSION: La Sportiva Finale Women’s
CLOSURE: Lace-up
UPPER: Unlined leather
RUBBER: Vibram XS Edge
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: Italy
PROS: Thicker rubber will make the shoes last longer.
CONS: Reduced sensitivity and possibility of feeling clunky.
EVOLV DEFY
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon
WOMEN’S VERSION: N/A
CLOSURE: Velcro Strap
UPPER: Synthetic Synthratek
RUBBER: Evolv TRAX
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: USA
PROS: Asymmetrical shape brings more power to the big toe and helps beginners progress. Shoe is vegan.
CONS: Synthetic lined shoes can become smellier over time. Lower edging performance.
EVOLV ELEKTRA
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon
WOMEN’S VERSION: N/A
CLOSURE: Velcro Strap
UPPER: Synthetic Synthratek
RUBBER: TRAX high-friction
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: USA
PROS: Women’s specific model. Asymmetrical shape brings more power to the big toe and helps beginners progress. Shoe is vegan.
CONS: Synthetic lined shoes can become smellier over time
MADROCK FLASH 2.0
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon
WOMEN’S VERSION: N/A
CLOSURE: Velcro Strap
UPPER: Lined leather
RUBBER: Mad RockScience Friction
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: China
PROS: Comfortable and affordable.
CONS: More space in heel and arch, could lead to lower performance. Few retailers.
FIVE TEN ROGUE VCS
WOMEN’S VERSION: Five Ten Rogue VCS Women’s
CLOSURE: Velcro Strap
UPPER: Unlined leather
RUBBER: Stealth C4
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: USA
PROS: Lace-up version also available. Reliable all-around shoe.
CONS: Well-known issue of blue dye transferring to feet.
SO ILL KICK
WOMEN’S VERSION: N/A
CLOSURE: Velcro Strap
UPPER: Unlined leather
RUBBER: SoiLL Dark Matter
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: USA
PROS: Small company Kickstarter innovation. Slightly arched shape helps beginners progress.
CONS: Low stock, less well known, harder to try on before hand.
Now We’d Love To Hear From You! What Do You Think Are The Best Beginner Climbing Shoes?
Disclosure: The Adventure Junkies is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost for you. We also use other programs like REI, LeisurePro and others to keep our site independent. You can read more about how do we review here.
The post Top 10 Best Climbing Shoes For Beginners appeared first on The Adventure Junkies.
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