Ah the type written word doesn't carry the nuances of face to face communication Eyes... Not to worry it was good advice but Jon just wanted to hear what I would say and I don't visit those other sites.

Just bought a pair of Scarpa Thunders that I use as my warm up shoe. It climbs pretty well up to 5.11 on thin edges and stuff. Spent a day in them last week and did ten pitches of crack, face and slab. Liked them and my feet were pretty comfy. I only took them off briefly in the middle of the climb. Toward the end of the day the stretch and the sweat made them feel a bit less precise on edges but not terrible. Price is around $100 at R and R. They felt tight at the gym when I tested them but are really nice now.

Mythos sizing:

The Mythos is just a leather sock with rubber on the outside. It is very flexible and elastic. If you buy them two sizes to small, then will stretch out and fit. If you buy them to fit in the store they will not stretch out and they will fit. The difference is the pain you want to endure for six months while they stretch. Downsizing them does not, in and of itself, improve their performance.

In my opinion, after wearing multiple pairs of Mythos, the only realistic argument for downsizing them radically is the lacing issue. If you have a narrrow foot, you may find you need to downsize a size or more so that you have a decent gap to facilitate snug lacing. If you buy them to fit in the shop, then you may find that when you tighten the laces, the leather closes up too fast and the shoe won't seem snug around the middle of the foot.

But, if you are in the shop and you put on your street size, your toes fit snugly, but not uncomfortably in the toe box (before standing on a test hold), and you have at least two inches between the sides when snuggly laced, then don't downsize them. You'll be glad you didn't because you'll have a shoe that will feel great from day one and perform well six months later too.

OK, get a grip. Asking anyone what shoes to wear for long climbs is like asking a guy what size condom he prefers. The answers are useless to you. Size, shape, contour, foot strenght, toe nail size, what you had for dinner...all factors. When you find a great fit, you will find great performance. Everyone is different. When you find a great fit you may size it a half to a whole size smaller then a poor fitting shoe without loosing and comfort. Try on many shoes. Some you will know right away they don't feel good. When you find a few that feel pretty good, spend 15 minutes or more in them. Comfort is performance, especially on long routes. Anyone that recommend a shoe to you is telling you that this shoe fits them well. Again, useless to you unless your foot is exactly the same as theirs.

The Acopa Aztecs are my all day shoes - give those a look if any of your local shops have them. They have delam issues on the toebox, but this hasn't affected their performance in the least, in my experience.

Red Chili Toronado.