Fit is king The most important aspect of buying a climbing shoe is getting the right fit. Different types of climbing shoes are designed to fit differently and manufacturer's differ from model to model. In general, if you have to go bigger than your measured shoe size to get a comfortably snug fit then that model is wrong for your foot and you should try a different model. Before ordering climbing shoes online you should go to a footwear or department store and get your feet measured on a Brannock Device(R). Write down the measurments, including your width, and use them in conjuction with this guide. Keep in mind this is only a guide and we do not guarantee a fit following this guide as we do not have your feet here to try the shoes on.
All-around shoes These shoes are designed to fit comfortably tight. There should be no room in the shoe for your foot to move around. The toes should be pushing into the front of the shoe, either straight or slightly curled. There should be one to two fingers width between the laces/straps for stretching. The heel should fill out the shoe and not lift up and down when walking, which will make a funny sound. If the shoe fits properly in the length but the gap between the laces/straps is to small then try a narrower model of shoe. In Mad Rock, Evolv, and Five Ten most people are going to need their measured shoe size.
Sport/bouldering shoes These shoes are designed to fit very tight, often uncomfortably so. The toes should be slightly to very curled for performance in edging. There should be one to two fingers width between the laces/straps for stretching. The heel should also fit very tight so that the shoe cannot slip off when heel hooking. In Mad Rock, Evolv, and Five Ten most people are going to go down half a size from their measured shoe size.
