Discussion: shoes

So, I understand that climbing shoes want to be tight so that they can mould to your feet and all that, but, why go yet another size smaller? How does that improve things? I don't get it...

The trouble is that in the beginning, shoes will feel tight, but then they stretch as you climb in them. If I don't get shoes that are small enough, then two months later, I might be frustrated by how loose they've become since this will mean less precision with my foot placement. You can't stand on tiny holds if your shoes are loose on your feet, and this actually does make a big difference when attempting routes rated 5.10 and higher. (For easier routes, it doesn't matter.) I've already had this happen to me once with the first pair of shoes I bought, and I don't want it to happen again! It's typical for climbers to get shoes that are 1-2 sizes smaller than their street size and the shoe that I just tried on was actually equal to my street size. So even though it already felt sort of tight, I know it's not going to be that way for forever and hence I need to move down a size.

Makes sense. Still sounds painful =)