How Many Pairs of climbing shoes Do You Really Need?

You may have seen YouTube videos or Reddit posts from professional climbers showing off their collection of climbing shoes. They can often offer you a variety of shoes in different shapes and sizes. This might make you think: do you need more than one pair of sneakers? And if so, how many pairs do you really need?

What is the ideal number of climbing shoes you should own?

Ideally, a climber who enjoys multiple styles of climbing (traditional, sport, rock climbing) and wants to succeed at a high level should have a pair of shoes tailored to each style.

Therefore, if you like sport climbing and rock climbing, it is best to have at least two different climbing shoes as these styles require different types of climbing shoes.

Add rocks to the mix, especially indoor rocks, and you could end up with 3 different pairs of climbing shoes.

Some climbers also have additional, cheaper shoes designed for training. Then this is your answer. Ideally, you should have a pair of shoes for each climbing style.

Why spend money on more climbing shoes?

You might think that using multiple climbing shoes is a waste of money, but that’s actually not the case. If you have several pairs of traditional climbing shoes and another pair of climbing shoes, you will also share the wear and tear on those shoes.

While regular climbing shoes last up to 6 months, if you have two pairs of climbing shoes, you can use them both for up to 12 months.

This is especially true if your main climbing shoes are soft. These boots actually wear out quickly and you don’t want to get mediocre performance on long vertical runs and have them wear out faster. You should instead invest in a more durable pair of climbing shoes.

How many pairs of climbing shoes do you need?

To know how many pairs of climbing shoes you need, we need to take a number of factors into account.

First I would like to tell you that if you are a beginner climber, all you need is a pair of running shoes. Beginner shoes are tough, durable and work well for all climbing styles. As a beginner you don’t have enough experience yet to benefit from climbing shoes, so you don’t want to waste money buying different pairs.

Only intermediate and advanced climbers remain.

If you consider yourself an intermediate climber, you will probably practice one or two climbing styles at most. In this case you can easily choose a versatile climbing shoe that combines both models.

Examples include Scarpa Vapor V and La Sportiva Otaki. These climbing walls are suitable for both rock climbing and sport climbing.

Both have a flexible midsole and stiffer outsole, which allows them to fit into larger running shoes while also allowing for smaller strides. This is also an ideal mid-rise shoe.

Next we have the advanced climber. If you are at this level of climbing, you will need to look for specialized high-performance shoes for each climbing style you follow.

For example, you can buy a pair of La Sportiva TC Pro or Scarpa Maestro for traditional climbing, a pair of La Sportiva Solutions for sport climbing and a pair of Scarpa Drago for rock climbing.

Or you can stick to one pair and get a reliable TC rig for traditional climbing and a medium-flex solution for rock climbing and sport climbing.

Conclusion:

We hope this answered your question. Most beginner and intermediate climbers will do just fine with a pair of shoes that can work well in a variety of climbing styles. Whether you’re an advanced or experienced climber, you’ll benefit from high-performance shoes designed for each individual climbing style. This way you will get the most out of your climbing shoes.