Climbing shoes are very essential climbing material. These shoes play a vital role. Most climbers may not be able to climb without climbing shoes. Those shoes are specially made for climbing. Some climbers may have a hard time putting them on and off. Do you know, why this happens?
Well, these shoes are specialized to fit more with the feet than any other shoes. But, that’s not the case. People who face this problem often made some silly mistakes while buying them. They may have bought smaller shoes than their feet. Or the design does not suit their feet. There are other reasons why this happens to you. Let’s see the reasons for it, what to do to break into it and how to prevent this problem.
Key Takeaways
- Several easy methods to break into climbing shoes.
- Use shoe spoons to have an instant solution.
- Buy the correct shoes to prevent this problem.
What makes it Hard to Wear Climbing Shoes?
Climbing shoes may have many issues in your opinion. But one of the worst situations is to break into a new pair of shoes.
Climbing shoes are manufactured in such a way that fits your feet so well. The purpose of this specific shoe is to give you the most accuracy to feel the rocks. This shoe allows less space inside it. One main reason is that these shoes naturally need a tighter fit to allow you to touch the rocks to work your magic. This makes it hard to break in.
Also, there is a silly reason for that. Some people do not understand the concept and face consequences. They get the idea of tight climbing shoes and they buy a lot tighter shoes. This act of foolishness leads them to suffer a hard time wearing climbing shoes.
9 Steps to Break in Climbing Shoes
Do not worry if you are that person having a rough time wearing climbing shoes. There are several ways that can help you to break in climbing shoes. Let’s see what those are.
Wear shoes very often
Your tight climbing shoes need to be worn all the time. Not only for climbing, wear them inside the house as well to make them easy to fit. This practice may help you to loosen your shoes. You may have experienced this with other kinds of shoes that can fit your feet very well after using them for a few months. So, try putting them on most of the time.
Go climbing wearing them
Using your “hard to break in” climbing shoes for climbing. It may sound ridiculous. Your climbing shoes are only for climbing. But when you have this problem, you may want to avoid them with other pairs. Many others do that. But wearing your uncomfortably tight shoes during climbing can actually help to break in for the next climbing.
Repeat using the same pair
We often avoid things that are uncomfortable and not easy. Tight shoes are one of them. If you have a pair of these, you know it better. No one likes to struggle with this. Then, why do you have to use them and go through hardships?
Well, you need to repeat wearing the same pair, again and again, to make them comfortable. Do not avoid that tight pair of shoes for hard to break in. If you do, it will be unused for a long time. So, repeat using it as much as possible. Not only climb, but you can also go jogging, gym work out, and fishing putting them on.
See Also: How To Store Climbing Rope?
Rinse your shoes
Rinse your tight-fitting climbing shoes can help you to wear them easily. Washing climbing shoes is an easy way to loosen them. It works like cotton fabric. Water and washing get mixture can heat the material of the shoe to spread wide.
Use a blow dryer
The same does for a blow dryer. A blow dryer can heat up the heel of the shoes. This one is best to use this method while they are on your feet. You can also do without putting them on. But wearing them will help the break-in process be more customized.
As the shoes cool, they should have stressed and been given the ability to be remolded to fit better for the climber. Repeat this method several times as needed and they should be immediately ready for your next climbing sessions.
Use Plastic Wrap
This method is really a good one to deal with this problem. A new climbing shoe can be painful generally as of the tightness and less space between the shoe and your foot. This also causes your foot from filling the shoe properly.
To solve this, wrap a plastic bag or saran wrap around your foot, then slide it into the climbing shoe. You should immediately notice the shoes go on a bit easier, and may even feel more comfortable than before.
Wearing the shoes like this and using your own feet ensures the shoes stretch in exactly the right places. This method is most effective when you only need to stretch your climbing shoes a little bit and make it useful after applying other methods.
Wear socks
Wearing socks can help you to resolve this problem pretty much. There is a huge controversy about wearing socks with climbing shoes. But, when you have a hard time breaking into your climbing shoes, you need to come up with a better solution.
Socks with climbing shoes can solve that in an organic way. Simply, wear a pair of socks for your first few climbing sessions to get your feet into climbing shoes. The thicker socks are, the better it is to wear them. The extra volume of the socks will help to stretch out new climbing shoes.
Use of Shoe Horn or Shoe Spoon
There is an alternative way to deal with hard shoe heels to break in climbing shoes. And that is, using a shoe horn or a shoe spoon to help your feet to go in by bending the heel. To use a shoehorn, simply place the shoehorn on the back of the shoe. Then carefully slide your foot into the shoe. As your heel is slipping into the shoe, the shoe horn is coming back.
Like all other options, this one will effectively prevent damage to the back of your shoes. This is even more important for people who suffer a hard time putting on shoes very often. As for myself, since they fit so tightly, always loosen your laces. You want your laces as loose as possible, and a pair of personalized shoes that are really tight.
Buy the right size to prevent this problem
The best way to prevent this is to reconsider size, type, and shoe shape before buying. This one simple step can save time and money from all these sufferings. Buying the right climbing shoes depends on shoe size and design.
Climbing shoes are not like other shoes. Other casual shoes can be loosened enough to break in easily. They can be treated differently. But climbing shoes vary much more than that. Climbing shoes are not just shoes to wear. It makes a great impact on climbing.
Buying the right size and design for your interest will be a pain in your feet. It is also dangerous to wear them during climbing. This makes climbing shoes hard to put on and off every single time. Buying a suited size will make it comfortable to wear and prevent this break-in problem.
Personal Experience
From my experience, the best way to stretch a climbing shoe is by using a few things like your foot, a plastic bag, with a help of a shoe horn, and a bit of good old-fashioned brute force. The shoe horn is certainly the best method for breaking in a properly fitted pair of shoes or ones that are just slightly too tight.
If your shoes are just a little bit body-hugging, then try the blow-dryer or hot water method. The plastic wrap method will be your best bet for shoes that need a big stretch. Just remember, with the rinse method, the areas that stretch might not be the ones you wanted as the shoe is not being stretched around your foot.
I would not recommend getting too exploratory with your stretching experiments, as there is a good chance you will damage those lovely shoes you have just spent your hard-earned cash on.
FAQs
Are climbing shoes supposed to hurt at first?
Climbing shoes are supposed to be tight at first. But not extremely painful around your toes. Make sure your toes should feel slightly compacted in the rubber toe box, but not painfully much. The shoe should fit your heel well, with no wiggle room in the heel.
Should your big toe hurt in climbing shoes?
You need to press with all sides of the foot. Not only the big toe. The key is you want it to be snug, not painfully tight. The right shoe allows your toes to gently twist but isn’t painful to wear.
Do climbers have gross feet?
Climber feet can get pretty body-hugging from overly tight shoes. Causes bunions and hammer toe for wearing long barefoot descents, thick calluses, and blackened feet. Many climbers have feet that would make a big foot. Against all good judgment, we asked our readers to send us photos of their gross climber feet.
Does climbing mess up your feet?
In addition to bunions, corns, calluses, toe rot, subungual hematoma, and pitted keratosis, too-tight climbing shoes can cause a number of chronic toe and foot issues.
Final Thoughts
Putting your climbing shoes with tough fitting to break in is blues. This happens when there is a mindless act of not deciding which design and what size you should buy for climbing. Climbing shoes are more sensitive than any other shoes. Given methods can solve this problem differently. Not necessary to try all these and ruin your lovely shoes. Buying the right pair of shoes is better to prevent this from happening.
