Five Ten Sizing

[Mon_Col]

I'm looking to find out how Five Ten climbing shoes fit relative to actual shoe size.

 

I made the mistake of talking my girlfriend into a "snug" fit in her climbing shoes and now she won't wear them.

I found a good deal on Five Tens online and am contemplating buying her a new pair.

 

Anyone have any experience with how they fit?

[sexual_chocolate]

it's hard to generalize according to what size street shoe you wear. you have to try them on. and my experience has been that 5.10 doesn't stretch out a lot (maybe some models stretch more than the ones i have worn?)

 

i would definitely not buy a noob female climber shoes that are not comfortable out of the box. a little sloppy but comfortable is way better than tight uncomfortable yet precise. plus, she can always wear socks if and when they stretch to that point. plus(!), if she gets really into it, she'll wanna probly size down herself for the added performance (DONT FORCE THIS PART ON HER!)

[sexual_chocolate]

so in other words, take her somewhere where they sell this shoe so she can try it on.

[Sherri]

Totally agree, S.C.

 

My very first shoes were a pair of Five Ten Spires, size 7(39 1/2 UK), which is about the same as my street shoe size(I wear 7 1/2's for running). I found that the Spires were perfectly comfortable right out the box, and only after about a year did I consider them to feel too "sloppy" for me.

 

Now I wear size 37.5UK in the Five Tens. But that wouldn't have been a good place to start.

[willstrickland]

Go try em on. The sizing is relative to the model.

 

For example, a high performance shoe like the anasazi laceup and velcro are made to have slightly curled toes and by design are not especially comfortable at a size that works well. I wear street size in these models and they start painfully tight and barely stretch.

 

For a basic flatter, neutral lasted, all day shoe like the Hueco, again I'm at street size, but they are basically flat toes, and a very comfy fit at that size. In the altia high top, I went half size down and they are now big enough now that I wear socks in them.

 

What I would do is focus on a model made for comfort/all around use over performance, and go somewhere around street shoe size.

[mattp]

After my experience with a mail order purchase last year, I'd be hesitant to buy rock shoes by mail again. I bought some FiveTen shoes locally, and I had intended to buy shoes that would be comfortable for all-day wear. They were just a tad tight for that purpose and they were lined so I didn't expect them to stretch out.

 

I then bought the next size up, on-line, and they were from a different production run or something because they were actually SMALLER. Its a long story but I had a tough time getting the vendor to allow a return. In hindsight I would gladly have paid even 50% more to have the opportunity to try them on.

 

Sizing can be not only relative to the model, but relative to the individual pair or perhaps the production run.

[tvashtarkatena]

I take the same size 5.10 rock shoe as my regular boots/shoes for a comfy, all day fit. I mail ordered mine (the Spire) because I've been wearing that brand for years and I know they fit my feet. At first they seemed WAY TOO SMALL, but after waiting a day and trying them all I realized that they fit exactly like my previous pair (different model, same fit).

 

I wouldn't mail order a rock shoe I hadn't tried on first, however. Different brands fit different foot shapes differently, mkay?

[crmlla2007]

I wear 11.5 street shoes, but 10.5 anasazi verde -- it's a very tight fit and I take them off whenever I can.

 

 

[RuMR]

Go try em on. The sizing is relative to the model.

 

For example, a high performance shoe like the anasazi laceup and velcro are made to have slightly curled toes and by design are not especially comfortable at a size that works well. I wear street size in these models and they start painfully tight and barely stretch.

 

For a basic flatter, neutral lasted, all day shoe like the Hueco, again I'm at street size, but they are basically flat toes, and a very comfy fit at that size. In the altia high top, I went half size down and they are now big enough now that I wear socks in them.

 

What I would do is focus on a model made for comfort/all around use over performance, and go somewhere around street shoe size.

I've found that the anazasi models for all day crack climbing work great with toes right at the end and NOT downcurled...they actually edge and front point pretty damn well that way.

 

I wear a 6 1/2 mens or a 7 wide womens in street shoe (don't snicker, bitches) and a 6 anazasi...

 

MATT, they changed the last for their lines when they changed factories and the shoes actually did get smaller for the same size designation...ie i used to wear a 5 1/2 and had to go to a 6 now...

[mattp]

MATT, they changed the last for their lines when they changed factories and the shoes actually did get smaller for the same size designation...ie i used to wear a 5 1/2 and had to go to a 6 now...

 

Interesting. The vendor that I dealt with argued that he was an expert on shoe sizing and that any problem with with the fit was my fault. Either he "forgot" to mention this fact or was unaware of it.

 

I'm not out to bad mouth the company (I'm not going to name them here), and in the end we got it straightened out. But my experience reinforced what everybody has always known about shoes: don't buy them without trying them on.

 

Even having tried them on in a store you are taking a chance ordering them elsewhere unless you are very confident you will be able to try them on and return them.