Caring For Your New Climbing Shoes
Happy new shoe day! Whether it's your first pair of shoes or your 18th, we hope you find some of the hints and tips below useful in making the most out of your shoes.
Climbing shoes are not cheap and can be uncomfortable to break in, so here are our top tips on making the most out of your climbing shoes.
You can see our full range of world-class climbing shoes here.
1. Keep them dry
Climbing shoes absorb water if they're dunked in water when deep water soloing, or if your feet are sweating while you're working hard on that pesky slab.
Either way, a shoe that's damp and left in a confined space is going to smell very quickly. If left for a significant period of time, they can grow mould, bacteria or fungus!
Air drying your shoes after a climb by clipping them on the outside of your bag will not just tell the whole world you're a cool climber, but will also make sure they dry out and no nasties decide to make their home in your shoes! It really does help the smell.
2. Clean feet mean clean shoes
You might not realise it, but washing and drying your feet properly before putting your climbing shoes on will help reduce bacteria in the shoes and help reduce the smell.
Bacteria can break down the internal fabric; you may find they fall apart from the inside out!
3. Good technique saves money!
The better your technique and the less you drag your toe, the longer your shoes will last. Indoor walls are basically sandpaper, and outdoor rock isn't much better!
If you drag your toe repeatedly against the wall, you're going to burn through the rubber very quickly. Good footwork literally saves your shoes!
4. Avoid extreme temperatures
It can be tempting to leave your shoes in the car when you're not using them, but your car will get very hot and also very cold at different points of the year.
The glue used during the production of climbing shoes is sensitive to extreme temperatures. It can make the glue fail and also make the rubber go prematurely brittle.
Constant exposure to sunlight can also fade the fabrics and make them brittle, so they are more likely to split.
5. Use a shoe deodoriser
If you find you have very smelly shoes, you may want to use a shoe deodoriser. This can be in a spray form (like Friendly Foot) or something like Smell Well pouches or the classic Boot Banana.
If you're using the pouches or bananas, it is recommended that these be removed and air-dried when not in the shoes. This stops moisture from getting trapped in the product and, in turn, your shoe.
6. Fit check
Are you wearing the right shoe? It may be a case of shoes not being the right fit for you. You may find you put a hole in the rubber very quickly because the rubber is soft.
As a general rule, the heavier the person, the stiffer the rubber needs to be for the longevity of the shoe.
7. Don't be salty
Don't be salty about cleaning your shoes. If you go out sea cliff climbing, deepwater soloing or just at the end of a hot summer trip, it is a good idea to give your shoes a clean.
Salt is highly corrosive to climbing shoes, so if you expose them to the sea or a lot of sweat, they may go a little crusty.
To avoid this, use a clean soft brush (nail brushes are ideal), remove any laces you can, and, using warm water, scrub the outside and inside of the shoes.
Don’t submerge the shoes; there are a lot of layers to climbing shoes, so moisture can get trapped. Just a surface clean with warm water (and NO detergent) will freshen them up and remove that crusty salt.
8. Resole not Replace
Don't just replace them, resole them! We resole our rental shoes, and there isn't a single shoe we sell that you can't do that with.
Most shoes can be resoled multiple times, and it saves you from having to wear them in again. We would recommend Northern Resoles and Llamberis Resoles.
You can connect with both online and both have lots of handy information for when it's time to resole them.
Check out our full range of world-class climbing shoes here.
At Depot Climbing, once you have climbed in your shoes, they cannot be returned for hygiene reasons.
If you have only tried them on and they are still in perfect condition, you have 28days from the point of sale.
If you have any questions, the full returns policy can be found on our shop website under the information tab.
Any legitimate manufacturer faults are guaranteed through us, so pop back in store and speak to one of our team or email the shop team, shop@theclimbingdepot.com.
