Indoor vs outdoor climbing shoes reddit. I mainly boulder around V3s and rope 5.
- Indoor vs outdoor climbing shoes reddit. When I started climbing, I was 6'2, 240#. Indoor climbers usually suffer outdoors due to technique and stylistic differences and outdoor climbers usually don't have the raw power and gymnastic strength of indoor climbers. Solution comps are what I use. The short answer is yes, you can use the same pair of shoes for indoor vs outdoor climbing. There are things you do outdoors that you rarely do indoors: smearing, stemming, crack technique, tiny edging. A subreddit for the indoor bouldering community. Both are great performance shoes, at the cost of some level of durability. Ultimately, the choice between indoor and outdoor climbing comes down to personal preference and the type of adventure you are seeking. I would mainly be using them for board climbing and bouldering (both indoor and outdoor). But even the cheapest climbing shoes are miles better than rentals. They feel really well balanced between soft and stiff. As skiiers like to say, run what you brung. Solution comp is the best all rounded bouldering shoes in my mind, while the theory is excellent for slab smearing. Jun 12, 2025 · We put 23 pairs of climbing shoes to the test on boulder problems, sport climbs, and traditional routes. From advice on which gym to visit to videos of world cup IFSC climbers, you can find it all here. Building the first version of this list was simple: we simply asked ourselves which shoes we wanted included, then pulled from the reviews we’ve written over the years. A close second is the Genius. Personally think it looks nice and Velcro closure is really nice to have for between climbs. May 3, 2024 · Many people wonder if you can use the same pair of shoes for rock climbing indoors and climbing outdoors. Amazingly comfortable, slender and a wicked toe with a slight downturn. For modern indoor I find the rubber lets these shoes down, there are stickier compounds for indoor climbing like stealth rubber and unparallel supreme rubber. Generally your footwork is not good enough to make shoes last within the first year or two (at least, but with exceptions of course) of climbing, and you'll find that any plateaus you reach are not generally going to be improved by a better shoe - a new one maybe if your shoes are really worn, but not necessarily a better one. However, outdoor Solution Comp performs better in sticking to almost anything. I tell people that indoor climbing and outdoor climbing are two different sports. Like, millimeters below the Muira. The only reason where I ever actually felt a difference was leading 11d+ after a really good sweat. 9-5. The reason is that gym holds are way more abrasive than rock, and they'll usually polish your shoes' rubber to an almost mirror finish. I use them bouldering, top-roping, sport lead, trad, indoor, outdoor, every kind of rock, every temperature. Anything related to indoor (and outdoor) goes. Find one that fits you the best, pretty much anything is an improvement over the very entry level. With a good, specific resole, they'll last me an entire outdoor season or an indoor winter. , UK, and Europe. I am hoping to buy a pair of women's Miura VS for sport climbing which could also serve as my all around shoe. These were our favorites. The UP moccs I'm wearing are a godsend which I use for indoors if that helps. They have broken in now and are pretty comfortable but one thing I would note is that different shoes will feel good for different things. Jun 23, 2024 · Indoor climbing provides a convenient and accessible way to practice and improve your skills, while outdoor climbing allows you to challenge yourself in diverse and breathtaking landscapes. Make sure to clean and lubricate your climbing shoes every time you use them to keep them in good condition. Only thing with these is that they feel thinner. Normal climbing shoes without a rubber are not made for toehooking and will be short lived if you do that, depending on your level of experience and style of bouldering. I would only recommend you buy shoes that you can try on, ideally from a climbing gym that will let you try on a pair and then go step on a hold. 10 outdoors. Climbing gyms often have slightly better selection than generic outdoor stores, and often will let you try the shoe out in the gym before committing to purchase, but your mileage will vary. In general one could say that softer shoes tend to perform better inside compared to a stiffer pair, due to the style of the climbs. What do you mean by all rounders? It seems that the definition is changing. 1. I often try both when getting a new shoe. Even more, I won't know WHICH V6s you can send outside. ) On the other hand, if you are very comfortable outside you might find indoor climbing much harder (due to lack of friction for shoe scumming, for example) But at the end of the day I would Seems most people like other shoes for indoor bouldering better. . I find that outdoor climbing makes you use your feet a lot better indoors however. Either way, I agree. That said, for indoor, especially bouldering the softer the rubber generally the better, so xsgrip 2 from La Sportiva/scarpa. I'm wondering if the scarpa Drago would be a good first soft shoe, or if it would be too demanding on my toes and overall foot strength? Nov 11, 2023 · Nothing beats climbing on real rock, but if you want to perform at your best, you're going to need the right kit for the job. 5 Skwama and really like them for most things but am looking for shoe recommendations to be a bit more of a slab/warm up/edging casual shoe. Muira - Standard outdoor shoe, slabs and face climbing but does everything. 4M subscribers in the climbing community. But on some outdoor climbs/boulders I’ve used my softest shoes, and sometimes a stiff pair is nice in the gym! When standing on a smear I tend to use soft shoes, when standing on edges I use Different shoe types for rock and indoor climbing? I'm still kinda new to climbing, started about a year ago with bouldering, since 4 months im really into climbing and recently i started wit outdoor climbing. Nov 16, 2023 · This is the preferred style for indoor shoes because gym climbing is significantly more dynamic and three-dimensional than traditional outdoor rock climbing. Because indoor climbing itself doesn't support consistency-- accuracy OR precision-- in grading, which itself is an outdoor climbing characteristic. Outdoor climbing is more important to me, and is more stylistically varied, than indoor climbing, so I have a few pairs of shoes for different disciplines outdoors (crack, long multipitch, sport), plus a cheap pair of beater shoes for indoor climbing. Most people prefer soft downturned toes on shoes for indoor overhangs. Overall There is no need to have different pairs of shoes for indoor vs outdoor rock climbing. Something to keep in mind, especially if you’re climbing 4x a week (awesome!!!) is that both the solutions and theory’s will wear 2-3x faster than your katakis! Keep your current shoes (or get something super cheap) to wear as a warm-up/cool down shoe to extend their lifespan! The BD Momentum is the only shoe I’ve seen much of, as it’s a pretty solid and affordable shoe for newer climbers. It's a tough choice but consider going for that $200 upgrade to start with. The home of Climbing on reddit. Top contenders right now from looking around the web seem to be Dragos, Instinct VS, Solution Comps, Otakis, and Hiangle Pros, but I'm open to being sold on something else. The website shows that the boulder ones have a rubber on the top of the toebox, which makes the shoe more resistant to toehooks. A subreddit dedicated to discussing and reviewing climbing shoes. S. Mar 21, 2022 · Most gyms don’t grade their problems to replicate outdoor climbs. Is there a difference in indoor vs outdoor climbing shoes, are there known hybrids if there are considerable differences? There are no real differences between indoor and outdoor shoes. Does anyone have strong opinions about Evolv Shamans vs Evolv Phantoms? I've been using Butora Acro (wides) for the last 3-4 years and I'm looking for something with a little more sensitivity with the same level of edging power. Unpopular opinion, if you are still learning techniques and climbing lower grades, get a cheaper pair (La sportiva Finale, or something) to climb on V2s and practice V5s and wear your solution comp when 691 votes, 162 comments. I am also thinking of getting a second pair for bouldering (indoor and outdoor or for specific projects with toe hooks or on steeper stuff). Recently got my first climbing shoes and went for LS Zenits. Here's everything you need to know about outdoor climbing shoes. 11. I currently rent shoes, and use an indoor climbing wall, but I have a lot of friends that like to climb outdoors. Nov 13, 2023 · This article compares and contrasts indoor and outdoor climbing shoes, highlighting the key differences and considerations for beginners. The Katanas are much more versatile though, they’re my go to outdoor shoe because they do pretty much everything well instead of being purpose built like the Solutions. My current shoe is a 39. I mainly boulder around V3s and rope 5. For me, indoor climbing (80% of what I do) is mostly just about training for getting outside. Your reddit source for New Balance new releases, news and discussion. In general I find outdoor grades to be more consistent within an area and then within a region than gym grades (even on problems within the same gym. With climbing popularity on the rise, so is the list of climbing shoes that feature new technologies, and For me medium stiff shoes (instincts, mastia, phantoms) are amazing bit board climbing and overhangs outside while my softer shoes (iati, instinct vsr, solution comp) are great for smearing. Mar 23, 2023 · The best rock climbing shoes for bouldering, sport climbing, trad climbing, plus everything you need to know before buying a pair Apr 16, 2025 · We tested 27 climbing shoes for men from La Sportiva, Scarpa, Black Diamond, evolv, Five Ten, and more to find the best shoes for you, no matter how you The past 6 pairs of climbing shoes I've purchased has been the Instinct V or VSs. Good all around indoor bouldering/sport shoe for an intermediate? Looking for a shoe I can purchase online from REI, just because of their fantastic return policy. I found that, because my strength was lacking at first, I worked more on technique. It's great to hear that you are happy with your Theories, I'm kind of leaning towards the solution comps rn because I want to start sport climbing too , but I'll have to try them out in RL I guess. However I don’t think there’s a lot of higher performing shoes from BD that do something better than other climbing shoe brands like la sportiva, scarpa, etc. Indoor Lead climbing shoes Hello, I absolutely love my Katana Laces to sport climbing outdoors, but every time I’m climbing indoor in the gym (either lead climbing or steep wall circuits) I feel bad as I’m aware I’m probably ruining the edge of my shoes (and I’m also aware they’re unnecessarily rigid for the gym). No matter how many times you’ve climbed indoors, just know that your first time outdoors will present a number of challenges you didn’t expect. Jun 1, 2023 · Are indoor and outdoor climbing shoes different? Although shoes designed for indoor use tend to be softer and more sensitive, you can still climb effectively in those shoes outside. I’m going to say the issue is that you only started 2 weeks ago and jumped straight into buying some shoes, should have stuck with rentals for a bit longer to get through the fundamentals and let your feet become accustomed to wearing climbing shoes. Feb 18, 2025 · The best indoor bouldering shoes on the outdoor market in 2025 From the 2020s until the present, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the indoor climbing gym industry saw substantial growth in the U. I'm sure having more shoes can be nice, but definitely not required. Miura VS - steep outdoor shoe Miura XX - project sending shoe, generally steep (sized down) Katana Velcro - multis (quick on/off) and easy climbing (they’re sized up compared to my miuras) TC Pro - cracks / trad shoe I have only climbing in relatively hard shoes (Scarpa Vapor), but am looking to move into some softer shoes, to improve technique and foot strength. The problem is the reliance on climbing grade indoor, they are so different from outdoor that it's very hard to compare. It makes a huge difference how a shoe feels on vs off the wall. May 3, 2024 · Certain styles of outdoor climbing – specifically, crack climbing – can also be very destructive on shoes. They tend to get holes Nov 17, 2023 · The shoe that's best for you depends on your body type, climbing style, the type of rock you climb on, and how much you want to spend. And yes we are scared of falling. Apr 16, 2025 · So we thought we’d compile a list of our favorite sport climbing shoes—the shoes that our editors and testers choose to climb in when we’re not testing new shoes. I used to buy them a half size down, but recently, I've been using my street shoe sized pair. I am semi-decided on a new pair (s) and am just looking for opinions on this decision. Depends on the gym, and how comfortable you are outside. I regularly send indoor V5-6 and project V7-8 (all in LS Finales because they’re my gym beaters), indoor sport is rare due to access but have hit 5. Although indoor gym climbing and outdoor rock climbing do have some pretty significant differences, shoe design isn’t one of them! I like overhangs better ( cause i can compensate my lack of technique with strength) and trying to improve on slabs an coordination boulder. Here's your guide for comparing indoor to outdoor bouldering grades. That really helps for standing on large volumes. My skwamas are going out for their 2nd resole today while I am out of climbing for a bit cause of my A2 pulley. I tried on a pair of Shamans--half-size down--and they felt pretty good but Oct 16, 2019 · Rock climbing outdoors for your first time can be intimidating and dangerous. My girlfriend got Scarpa Veloces and they are insanely sticky and excellent at pretty much any terrain (compared to rentals). If you can, find a store near you (climbing gyms will often sell shoes, if you're in America there's probably an rei near you) and try on different brands, since each will fit differently (different toeboxes, different heels, etc). Most serious climbers will end up with a few different pairs of climbing shoes over time, but if you are a beginner just dipping your toes in, don’t feel pressured to run and buy a new A subreddit for the indoor bouldering community. They are meant for indoor but perform very well on steep outdoor for me the tension in the theory gives them the edge as they edge better and have a more powerful toe if they fit well. Yeah my Finales will probably live on as my outdoor shoes if I do the jump to a high end indoor climbing shoe. I don't "count" indoor grades. I’ve gone through dozens of shoes doing everything Climbing shoes are designed for indoor use only and should not be used outdoors. Nowadays, gym culture has taken over and some people seem to have narrowed it down to different types of gym climbing, or indoor/outdoor sport climbing and bouldering. I've been using shoes widely considered a multi-pitch trad shoe for everything for years. Thanks in advance for any recommendations or suggestions! TLDR: I exclusively indoor boulder. Especially since a lot of gyms in the US "tweak" the difficulty to not have beginner stuck on the V0/V1 (which, as you saw, is a quite decent level already outdoor). Mostly indoor but also outdoor when I am able to. Moreover, in the past 15 years, indoor bouldering has exploded in popularity. You've been climbing for a few months, don't concern yourself with the model of shoe. Chances are high that you’ve tried indoor climbing, maybe once or maybe three times a week all winter. In most climbing gyms, the bolts are spaced close together, the We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Its honestly preference based. Solution Comp are better for edging and precision, Skwama are softer and better for smearing (mainly in indoor volumes), being for me the best for all-around, it is very rare for me to find and edge indoor I can't stand with me Skwama. You should always have like 6-7 different pairs of shoes lol, tight soft shoes, tight edging shoes, multipitch medium shoes, end of the weekend upsized soft and edging shoes, the freshie sending pair, and a lucky pair for good measure. Jul 30, 2015 · I am looking at getting some shoes to start rock climbing, and I had a few questions about the shoes. My cardio was decent from doing indoor soccer once a week on a team where available substitutes were rare (50 minutes of nothing but wind sprints will get anyone into shape), but my upper body strength was pretty pathetic. You actually want to have a different pair for indoor and outdoor climbing. i wear a size 11 sneakers and 9 climbing shoe. They do have lots of Outdoor climbing shoes? Hello girls! I've been trying to find an all around shoe for outdoor use. Softer shoes will conform to those big plastic holds and smear on the sandpaper-textured wall with ease. I'm currently wearing the Muira VS and find them a bit too stiff and aggressive for me - so I might return those. A beginner pair of climbing shoes will run you about $100 and a high quality pair will be around $200. It used to mean multi-pitch, single-pitch, trad, sport, bouldering, gym, etc. Now i have to buy new shoes since my first shoes are pretty run down. xwad vqe rozih wslhywd uwtwe lcssrfx phtsnh oauhcu hzwqno xeml