[magpie]

I know this must be on here somewhere already, and I did search before I started this, but I can't find anything. 

Basically, what would be the best way to stretch a pair of climbing shoes? 

I've stupidly wrecked my old pair before even getting close to wearing in my new ones (same shoes, same size, so they will definitely fit, eventually), which trust me is a mistake I will not be making again.    

Obviously the best way to do it is to wear them lots and let them gradually sort themselves out, but I need a quick fix if possible, going away for a week and could really do with being able to wear them.  They're currently cutting off the circulation and leave me in agony after about 5 minutes which is doing my climbing no good what so ever.

So, any ideas for how to make them a teensy bit bigger as fast as possible?

[tomtom]

I'll probably be told this is really bad - but put a plastic bag over your feet (believe me it makes it more comfortable) then wet the boots and wear them for as long as you can bear around the house. If they are leather this will help 'em stretch. If they are 5:10's vegan friendly non-leather leather look-alike but not alot-a-feel-alike then this may not work...
But this method used to work a treat with my lasers  back yonder.. (it works well at stretching the knobbly bits where the toe knuckles stick up/out)

[Jim]

get some shoe tree's and stick em in

[magpie]

They're Evolv, so vegan-friendly non-leather, that probably means the bag trick wouldn't work?

I like the shoe tree idea, that's got to be the least paniful way to do it!  Thank you, Jim.

[SA Chris]

when you say wear them as much as possible, do you actually wear them round the house? I do this with new pairs, and it stuill hurts a lot, but at least it doesn't hurt while you are trying to climb.

[magpie]

I had them on the other night, I lasted 10 minutes before I had to whip them off, and that was sitting rather than walking about.  I probably should do it more though, unless the shoe trees can do it for me!   

[Adam Lincoln]

Boil a kettle and steam the shoes inside, then get a plastic bag, like Houdini said and put them on. That will help them stretch a bit more. Though maybe not with Evolvs.

[SA Chris]

I had them on the other night, I lasted 10 minutes before I had to whip them off, and that was sitting rather than walking about.

Do it. Ten mins at a time is better than nothing. I find doing a few squats on my toes to force them to flex and stretch a bit is short term agony but effective in the long term in loosening them up.

[Johnny Brown]

Years ago I tried to make a plaster cast of the inside of a pair of my worn-in velcros, with the idea of forcing it into new ones to break them in. It didn't work. I'm still wearing the old pair through before forcing myself to put the new ones on, I have gone up half a size though.

[Kingy]

My new Muiras have just bedded in quite nicely. They went from unwearable for more than 3 minutes to bagsters in the space of 2 weeks! I find the stretching of the boot happens in between sessions wearing them rather than within the same session. I only wear Sportivas that are renowned for stretching massively though. I am sure if you keep putting them on for 10 minute intervals and climbing little bits in them they will be fine in a week or so. I have never had a pair of shoes that were too small to wear in the end!

[magpie]

I have gone up half a size though.

That right there, is probably the most sensible option, although too late for me this time.  I don't know why I decided to get them so tight again, they were hell to break in last time and I doubt it makes very much difference to my climbing having them cut off the circulation for the first few weeks. 

Chris, you're a proper sadist, you want me to wear the shoes and do squats?!  Talk about adding insult to injury! 

[SA Chris]

More pain now = more pleasure later. (spoken like a true sadist)

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

I think we've found a use for Lagers pebbles!

In the past I've used hard rubber balls forced into the toes of tight boot, pebbles would work too. Worked a bit but then started buying bigger boots. Personally any gain in performance from painfully tight boots is outweighed by the inability to concentrate on a problem due to the pain in my feet!

[mrjonathanr]

Boil a kettle and steam the shoes inside, then get a plastic bag, like Houdini said and put them on. That will help them stretch a bit more. Though maybe not with Evolvs.

Wot Adam said, although I'd probably hold the shoes aboout 6" above the steam coming out of the kettle as it boils rather than actually inserting the shoes into the kettle, seems a tad drastic to me. BTW although (I tried this once) leaving them in the oven for 20 mins to soften does work, it also softens the glue too consequently delaminating the sole ....so the kettle + plastic bag might be the way to go. Little and often: I think pressure on the fabric causes a sudden release after a while, so persevere.

[webbo]

i find wearing new shoes outside  at the crag rather than at the wall or round the house seems to break them in quicker.i had a new pair out in font that i could barely wear for the length of a problem but after a couple of days pulling them on and off and climbing down and walking about in them.plus sweating in them seemed break them in.

[St Hubbins]

I did the steam thing to a pair of crux's. They are perfect now

[magpie]

Cool, soon as I have a responsible adult to boil the kettle and deal with the steam, I'll give that a bash.   

[milksnake]

i have one foot a size bigger than the other so i have to endure pain in one if i want to get a reasonable performance out of the other shoe. What i have been doing to stretch them is; put a thick sock on my big foot and a few tubigrips around the ankle, wear them round the house for as long as i can stand and then increasing the amount of tubigrips until i get a comfortable fit. the sock helps to cussion your toes so you can stretch the shoe faster. It works a treat, you can get them bearable within a day or two. I hav'nt tried the steaming method but will give it a go with my next pair of shoes. It seems like a good idea. 

[magpie]

I've got one bigger than the other too (foot, people, FOOT!) so I have the same problem, the smaller is almost bearable but the bigger one kills.    I always wear them with socks if I'm trying to break them in, like you say, added cushioning for the toes.

[SA Chris]

I've got one bigger than the other too (foot, people, FOOT!) so I have the same problem

I think most people do.

[tobym]

I've got one bigger than the other too (foot, people, FOOT!) so I have the same problem

I think most people do.

me too.

I did the steam thing to a pair of crux's. They are perfect now

might try that with my Right Crux, as the width of my toe area seems to be obstructing my big toe being pushed against the end, fully.

[GCW]

Last time I got new Dragons, I wore them each night for as long as I could whilst sat at the computer.  Once I was up to half an hour, I wore them outside.
Magpie, it's all a matter of pain tolerance, so you should be better at this than us boys (if we're to believe the hype bandied about by girlies).

Steam/soaking can help with the softening though, but I've never bothered with all that faff.

[Jim]

are you lot mad?
SHOE-TREES!
whats all this boiling a kettle etc... mines a tea, milk, no sugar

[Adam Lincoln]

are you lot mad?
SHOE-TREES!
whats all this boiling a kettle etc... mines a tea, milk, no sugar

Have you felt how tight my new whites are!

[Jim]

have you heard of shoe trees?

worked wonders with my last pair of velcros