Climbing shoes

Can you try on different shoes at your gym? I climb once a week at my local gym, and after a summer hiatus, I'm doing 5.9 and 5.10 routes. I don't boulder. I'm a big guy with big, flat feet (size 13 2E or 4E), so you'll never see me in a pair of those highly curved shoes. I currently climb in Evolv Defy shoes. Two weeks back, I somehow left my shoes out of my duffel bag when I went to climb and had to borrow a pair of the gym's loaners. I found it significantly harder to edge on smaller foot or toe holds with the gym loaners than I could with my own shoes. My climbing gym lets me try on shoes that I am considering buying and using them to climb a few routes, so long as I wear socks in them. I'll bring a thin pair of liner socks for that purpose. Maybe you can do something similar to determine if you're ready for a more technical shoe, and which one feels right for you.

If you haven't blown out the suede and have just worn down the rubber you can send them to a reputable resoler and bring them back to life for 40-50 bucks. I am on resole number 3 on my Muiras and they probably are good for at least one more. This is trad climbing use, lots of cracks on granite and quartz monzonite. If you are primarily bouldering the steep stuff, you might consider an upgrade to a model that is designed for that terrain and features a down turned toe. Examples: La Sportiva Solution, Genuis. The Mythos is a good shoe (I have 2 pairs) but more of an all round performer, loved by climbers with wide feet because the unlined suede really stretches. As you refine your technique and build power you will eventually reach the point where you will appreciate the performance of a higher end shoe like the two mentioned above. You made the right call with starting out with the Nagos. As your foot technique improves the wear and tear on the shoe usually lessens as well. Climb safe and have fun. It is an amazing sport and the real stone is 10x the fun.

When you wear out only the sole of the climbing shoe … Not the rand And when yr footwork is as good as it can get with those shoes If yr scrapping yr shoes (as witnessed by worn rands, holes or scrapping noises on the wall) .. And if yr pulling with yr hands on anything less than overhanging climbs … Work on ur footwork first Remember the hands simply hold you to the wall while yr feet PUSH ;)

what grades are you climbing right now? For your second shoe I'd recommend going for an all-around shoe as you're early in your climbing career. Tenaya makes the most comfortable shoe I've ever used while still giving great performance. The Tenaya Tatanka are a great mix of comfort and performance. Go to REI or a gear store and try on as many shoes as you can to see what feels good. The Solutions are pretty much the gold standard for overhang bouldering but I'd wait till you're climbing hard routes.

Everyone blows out there first pair of shoes or two scraping there feet across the wall and moving them around on holds. It takes a while to understand what good footwork is and to develop the muscles to perform it. The mythos probably wouldn't be an upgrade. They are a really old shoe design that uses cow belly leather that just keeps stretching through the life of the shoe. The plus side of this is that they can fit almost anyones foot and can be really comfortable for long easy routes. The downside is that they quickly stretch past the point where they offer the good edging power unless you size them really tightly to begin with. I would try to go to a shoe demo day where a manufacture's rep brings shoes to a gym/crag for people to try or a store/gym that lets you try the shoes on an actual wall. Just feeling how different shoes fit and effect your footwork will educate your climbing and help answer this question. You probably are ready for a different pair of shoes but your main goal should be to find something that fits your foot really precisely. Beyond that I lean towards lined or synthetic velcro shoes which tend to be a little bit more performance oriented then entry level lace ups. A lining or synthetic upper material will help limit the shoes stretch compared to unlined leather. This will prolong the useful life of the shoe but you want something that fits well initially.

Don't toss those shoes; resole them! They won't be as good as new, but it doesn't matter for gym climbing. The Nagos fit me very very well so that is all I have been using for the past 6 years. The Mythos are not an upgrade.