Why is it not wear socks with Climbing Shoes?

wear socks with Climbing Shoes: You may have noticed that you are the only climber in the climbing gym who wears socks in his boots. Should we be worried? Is it dangerous to wear socks with Shoes? Does this make you a joke? 

Should you wear socks with Shoes?

In general, socks should not be worn over climbing shoes. Socks create extra padding between your feet and your shoes, and that’s the last thing you want because they will reduce sensitivity and make your feet sluggish.

This is the main reason why experienced climbers don’t wear socks (although there are exceptions).

Reasons why you shouldn’t wear socks with Shoes

Climbing shoes should be worn tightly.

In our article on choosing climbing shoes, we explained that climbing shoes should be worn tightly. During the adaptation period, it should be painful and the toes should be at least slightly bent. This is what anyone shopping for mid to high quality climbing shoes should do.

But if you wear socks inside your Shoes, you can be as tight as you want, but you won’t get any of the benefits associated with them.

Additionally, if you wear sneakers with socks, you will never be able to take them off because they don’t fit you well enough when you decide to go barefoot.

Senses and sensitivity

The most important reason not to wear socks in sneakers is that they significantly reduce the feeling and sensitivity of your feet inside the shoes.

The reason we use narrow climbing shoes is to leave as little space as possible between the rocks and your toes. This sensation allows us to perform precise foot movements. This gives us the ability to succeed and bend to successfully resolve our problems and paths.

However, if you wear socks inside your shoes, foot movements will be slower. By doing this, you are essentially stunting your growth as a climber.

Your feet will sweat

Climbing is an intense sport that will make you sweat quickly. Our feet sweat especially when we wear Shoes. If you wear socks in your climbing shoes, your feet may sweat, which can make the socks wet and slippery, which can be dangerous.

Some climbers use socks as an excuse to get their feet sweaty. But if you wear socks in your sneakers, your feet will sweat more and your shoes will smell more.

avoid looking

You’ll probably get pointed fingers and funny looks in your direction if they see you wearing socks with mid-level or performance-oriented climbing shoes.

If you’re one of those people who doesn’t care what other people think, keep doing what you want. But if you want to avoid this feeling, choose a size adapted to your foot without the need for socks.

Again, this only applies to mid and high shoes. No climber would be surprised to see someone wearing socks in a rental or beginner’s shoe, but please don’t put your socks inside out in a pair of shoes…

When is it legal to wear socks over Shoes?

shoe rental on site

Rental shoes have hundreds of different climbers’ feet. It’s full of germs, so going barefoot is the last thing you want to do! Additionally, rental shoes are designed for beginner climbers who simply don’t need the sensitivity that barefoot climbing provides.

Indoor shoes for beginners.

Although I recommend that you start wearing tight shoes right away, preferably barefoot, you can also wear socks in your beginner shoes. After all, when you start climbing, the most important thing is to feel good in your shoes.

So, if comfort is very important to you and you don’t like the feeling of walking barefoot in beginner running shoes, then go for it. Nobody judges. As long as you don’t use solutions 😉

Inside big old boots

If you have an old pair of running shoes that are a little too big (i.e. neither store-bought nor handmade), you can wear socks and use them every day.

No, I’m not saying you need to buy climbing shoes a size larger so you can wear socks. But if you have a very large pair, this might be a good use.

During filming

Once you start to reach intermediate and advanced levels of climbing, you will likely purchase climbing shoes that are a little smaller than the size of your road shoes. These shoes take time to adapt. During this time, climbers often wear socks inside their shoes to help them stretch better.

One of my favorite ways to wear new climbing shoes is to wear them with socks and dry them in the dryer while watching TV or writing. Who knows, maybe I’ll put on some climbing shoes now.

When is it unacceptable to wear socks in climbing shoes?

Although socks should not be worn with climbing shoes other than beginner shoes or climbing shoes, the only time they would be considered completely unacceptable would be if the socks were worn inside shoes sport.

Athletic shoes should be worn aggressively to get the most out of them. You’ll need to size it to fit like a glove (or sock). Why the hell are you wearing socks? There is no room for sensitivity when wearing socks and the features that make the shoe so durable become virtually useless.

Conclusion

We hope you’ve learned everything you need to know about wearing socks with sneakers. This is considered acceptable for beginner and junior shoes, but should generally be avoided.

If you’ve climbed in socks before, you should try going barefoot during your next session. You will notice that you have a lot more feel and feeling and, who knows, your leg movements might improve.