Climbing shoes should fit snugly, but not painfully. Here are some key points to consider:
1. **Toe Position**: Your toes should be very close to the front of the shoe¹. They should touch the front of your climbing shoes and can even bunch up slightly³. However, they shouldn’t curl or cramp excessively⁵.
2. **Shoe Movement**: The shoe should fit well enough that there isn’t much movement¹. All parts of the inside of the shoe should fit closely around the foot¹.
3. **Heel Fit**: Pay attention to any baggy spots, often around the heel¹. These can cause the shoe to move around the foot and you can slip off holds¹.
4. **Comfort**: While climbing shoes are not meant to be comfortable in the traditional sense, they should not be constantly painful¹. If you are new to climbing, you should get flat, beginner climbing shoes that fit tight but right¹.
5. **Material**: More modern shoes are either lined, made of synthetic non-stretchy materials, or have a large amount of rubber. All of these minimize stretch, making it important to get the fit right the first time¹.
Remember, there are hundreds of designs made for different foot shapes, so not all shoes will fit all feet¹. It's crucial to find a pair that suits your foot shape, climbing style, and level¹..
Source:
(1) How Should Climbing Shoes Fit? No More Painful Pinkies - Climber News.
https://www.climbernews.com/how-should-climbing-shoes-fit/.
(2) How to Fit Climbing Shoes: How Tight Should They Be?.
https://www.thewanderingclimber.com/how-tight-should-climbing-shoes-be/.
(3) How Tight Should Climbing Shoes Be: 8 Tips for Finding the Perfect Fit.
https://itclimb.com/climbing-shoes/.
(4) An Uncomfortable Truth: How Climbing Shoes Should Really Fit.
https://climbingblogger.com/%ef%bb%bfan-uncomfortable-truth-how-climbing-shoes-should-really-fit/.
(5) How Should Rock Climbing Shoes Fit In 2023 (Video Guide).
https://shoefetcher.com/how-should-rock-climbing-shoes-fit/.
(6) en.wikipedia.org.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climbing_shoe.
