How low have you gone downsizing?

Yeah, that's nuts. KL do NOT take well to downsizing.

Ted Pinson wrote:Oh, for sure. I had to bail on a pair of Katana laces that were sized too aggressively (44.5) for that very reason. I think shoe stiffness makes a huge difference. These became comfortable within 1 boulder session. I don't know how people survive the break-in period for Miuras...45s killed my toes when I tried them on but I had huge ankle pockets.

It's all about how they fit your foot. My Miuras are super tight (3.5 sizes down from street shoe), but are comfortable out of the box.

It sounds like Miuras just aren't the right shoe for you. Most people aren't nearly picky enough with finding the right fit.

Just thought I would revive this thread, i tried on a size 38 miura vs the other day and i think i can seriously say i reached my limit with downsizing there, my pinkie toe was in allot of pain, the shoe felt like it was literally bending my foot and my foot would very easily pop out the shoe if it wasn't velcro'd shut, i decided to go up to the size 38.5 and the fit is as close to perfect as I will ever get, a tad bit narrow in the forefoot but the heel is like it's made for me.

TMI about my shoes.
Those people who downsize like 4 sizes, I wonder if their everyday shoe is just too big. Or maybe the bigger the foot size, the more play you get in your foot sizing, since each size increment is a smaller percentage of the foot size.
Sometimes within the same model/size, a shoe will be too big/too small/just right, because there are differences with each individual shoe and my foot can feel it. It also has to do with foot width, I think when people "downsize" they size to their foot length which is a smaller size than when they size to their foot width.
IMO La Sportiva is not downsizing, because their shoes run large. So who is to say actual downsizing is going on? I find even within the brand I wear different optimal sizes. I cannot wear supertight shoes or otherwise instead of standing on small jibs I cannot stand at all. So I am not sure if downsizing is going on, or just manufacturer's inconsistent sizing.

Here is my shoe/foot stats.
For my size I am using my foot length- the size I wear for pumps (although I no longer wear pumps), which means the shoe has to be the perfect length. If the shoe is too long, the heel of the shoe will not "grab" the heel of the foot, and the foot will come out like a flip flop. This is also my Brannock sizing. I am disregarding shoe width, because that is not as accurately measured, and I figure the shoe will either stretch, or squeeze my toes together into its desired size.
I have Egyptian feet, where the toes are perfectly diagonal with the large toe being smallest, and the pinky being smallest. They are shaped similar to an infant's foot.
Flip flops & sandals I can tolerate 1/2 size bigger because a longer length of the shoe is acceptable, but the width has to be wide enough to accommodate my wide feet.

Street size
Euro: 35 (measured with Brannock sizer)
Womens: 4.5 (measured with Brannock sizing)
Mens/Youth: 3.5

Climbing shoes
La Sportiva - seems to run 1-2 sizes big
Miura - yes it does mold to feet and stretches 1/2 size
33 (super tight at first, with white/pale yellow feet when I take them out, but now great for a gym route)
34 (feels big at first but now molded to feet so my preferred size for outside, when my feet swell. Therefore I always buy shoes that feel good out the box now, even if they stretch, my feet tend to swell while climbing).

Katana women's Velcro - might somewhat stretch or mold to feet
33 (fits at first, but 1 pair never broke in, felt too small and I gave away after needed resole, and 1 pair stretched out to be perfect),
33.5 (Blue - perfect size for outside, when my feet swell. Pink- Feels insecure, feels loose).

Mythos - keeps getting bigger and bigger
34- Felt good at first but became huge like a clown shoe, and now I wear medium weight socks with it,
33- I can fit it, so I think this is probably the correct size.

Solutions - never climbed in - I got a 33.5 and they made my feet white, the width I can understand due to my wide feet, but it also cut off my Achilles tendon, so I sold them before using.

Five Ten- seems true to size
Anasazi Green - 3.5 men- Fits perfect.
Anasazi womens - 5.5 womens - the 5 womens felt too small
Blackwing women's - 5.5 womens - fit, but needed to be stretched out, because felt too small
Fox - 5 women's.... fit great at first, but like Mythos stretches a lot and even softer.

Scarpa - seems true to size, some models small
Veloce - 34.5 - first shoe regularly climbed in. I believe it fit perfect but I always wore socks with it and then it got too big.
Vapor V - does stretch 1/2 size especially if you cut the slingshot - 35 - OUCH. Should have gotten 35.5. Now that I cut the back rubber slingshot off the heel (cutting off Achilles tendon) and wore it like a month, it finally feels good.
Techno, blue - 34.5 - one fits great, one fits too small, 35- heelcup slightly big

Evolv - true to size
Docon - 3.5- Rental Shoes, fits fine
Addict- 4 men's - tight in width, maybe 1/2 size too long for me as expected.

Acopa- runs small
Size 4.5 seems to fit best

Oh yes I have too many climbing shoes.

JCM wrote: It's all about how they fit your foot. My Miuras are super tight (3.5 sizes down from street shoe), but are comfortable out of the box. It sounds like Miuras just aren't the right shoe for you. Most people aren't nearly picky enough with finding the right fit.

Nope. I've tried to find a size that make it work, as I like the design, but the combo of stiffness, wide heel/ankle area and asymmetric toebox results in either dead toes or giant dead space. I think the ideal would be a broken in 45 with a much smaller heel strap...if I want it skin tight, I literally had to stretch the strap all the way to the sole (it would be touching the floor). The problem is there's no shoe quite like it...Katana Laces are close but not as aggressive...the old
Evolv Shamans were similar but without the P3, they become flat lasted in about a month.

It's the company, not the climber. LS sizing is whacky and they run really big. 2 sizes down in LS is the same thing as street or street+ in 5.10/Evolv. I wore my Evolv Shamans in my street shoe size (13) and they are tighter/more crammed than LS 11s.

As far as Pinks, I went with size 12 and they are perfect. Very comfortable, can leave them on for 2-3 pitches, and I don't have any dead space or foot movement. I have very narrow ankles, and if I size too largely, my heel slips and my foot blows (this has happened to me before in TC Pros, sized the same as the Pinks but fitting MUCH looser).

unless you are ondra or someone of that level I feel like you can probably work on getting stronger or working on technique instead of ruining your feet. A couple of times I have bought a pair of evolvs one size down or so because they were on sale and only had that size but otherwise fuck that haha.

I don't think I could get my feet into a pair of Evolvs that were a full size down.

After almost 20 years of cramming my size 13 feet into size 11-11.5 shoes, I needed to have foot surgery to remove a 'morton's neuroma'. Basically an inflamed bundle of nerves that starts to build scar tissue into a 'cyst like mass'. The mass was about the size of a grape, between the 3rd and fourth tarsal bones (I believe) and was extremely painful. Without insurance, the operation would have cost over $30,000. Out of pocket was still around $4000.

I have not really climbed that much after that, more as an occasional thing instead of 5 days a week. Now my street shoe size is 14, and I wear a 12.5 climbing shoe.

Yeah, the bunions hurt like hell too after climbing for about an hour.

Just my $0.02, take good care of your feet, and remember that if it hurts at all, it can't be that great for you.

Some people have more compressible feet than others. Joint space or flexibility or pain threshold, I don't know.

I have one friend, size 9 who regularly wears 36.5 and 37. I have the same size feet and am 39.5 to 40 shoes.

I had a friend who thought he wore size 10. In shopping for climbing shoes he discovered he was actually 7.5 4E (super short and fat feet)

I've got horrible arthritis in my toe, I blame downsizing to try to get a good edge rather than getting a good shoe. I would urge you to spend more on shoes that allow you to get a good edge without crushing.