UKC

So I’ve struggled for a while now finding climbing shoes that fit. I was told once by a sales assistant in my local climbing store I had weird feet, wide yet with not much of a heel and tall between the arch and the top of the foot.

That’s quite specific I know but I’ve found the shoes stocked in my local stores don’t seem to be a great fit for me. I’m looking for something that I can wear all day out trad or sports climbing. So I’ll probably end up buying something online which brings up its own problems being unable to try them on. I’ve had boreal mutants mentions and also 510 Anasazi so I’m going to take a look at those but if anyone else has had similar issues getting shoes that fit and how to best size them when buying online.

Providing returning them is easy enough I think I’ll buy multitude sizes and return those I don’t need. 

Any help would be appreciated. 

Any photos??

All feet are 'weird'. Try and go to a decent independent shop with a large selection of shoes, i.e. Rock On, Joe Brown, V12, Climbers Shop etc. Larger stores such as Cotswolds, Go outdoor, Decathlon etc often don't have the range of shoes or staff to help if you need fitting.

Undraped, of course.

Hi,

I have a similar issue with finding climbing shoes that fit. I can try everything on in the shop (even a good climbing shop with a wide selection) and find nothing that fits.

The only shoe I have found to fit well is the La Sportive Mythos. It's a classic that's been around (unchanged) for a long time because it works. Not particularly technical, but it is comfortable and so good for wearing on long routes. The fact that they are unlined leather and adjust all the way to the toes helps with fit. They are hard to find in a shop in the UK, but easier to find on the continent and online.

Good luck with the shoe hunt.

My feet don't sound as extreme (wide forefoot, normal arch, very narrow heel), but I've found I rarely have luck buying online no matter how enticed I am by the sale price.

The ones I've found that fit me best are Tenaya Masai, do for everything I do outdoor and are comfy enough on longer multipitches and are not my limiting factor on bouldering (admittedly low grade).

Indoor bouldering I've found 5.10 team vxi very good, but that mostly because they are so soft they wrap the foot.

Narrow, low volume, very long toes and a boney heel...I hardly ever find boots to fit

Interesting that Masai's fit you, they are very narrow. I have a pair and I have wide feet and they've always been very comfortable when first put on... but later realised that this is because they are stupidly soft, not because they fit. The outside of my foot actually pushes the rand to overhang over the outer edge of the sole, making edging not ideal.

Had to go try them on to check that and your right! Only used them outdoors and I don't do much sport so I've never noticed a limitation there. I'll have to take them to the gym and see how they deal outside edging on vertical walls. 

your feet are not weird, the lack in variety in the shape of feet that manufacturers think that we have is what is weird.If you have wide feet you can pretty much give up getting climbing shoes that fit properly.

The Ocun Ozone Plus is the shoe with the widest forefoot I've ever tried in 20 years and its still way to narrow for me and it has quite a big heel.

The Butora Endeavor also comes in a wide fit version, they only sell online so you'll have to suck up the returns costs if you want to try a couple of different sizes on.

Surely if you found shoes that were wide and fitted your wide feet, the welts would squirm on holds?