Do You Wear Socks With Climbing Shoes?

When I started bouldering, one of the first things I’ve noticed was some people were wearing their shoes with socks and others without socks. So, depending on what? How do these people decide to wear shoes with socks or without socks?

SHORT ANSWER: IT’S UP TO YOU (BALL IS IN YOUR COURT). JUST TRY AND CONTINUE HOW YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH/WITHOUT SOCKS (IF YOUR SHOES ARE RENTED, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND WEARING SOCKS WITH YOUR SHOES).

After our short answer, you can find my extensive research about other circumstances for those who want more details on the rest of the post. THIS POST IS ALL YOU NEED FOR ANSWER!!

LET’S DIVE IN!

• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Wearing Socks With Rental Climbing Shoes
• Sweaty Feet
• Doesn’t It Affect Your Sensitivity With Socks on Your Feet
• Pros and Cons of Wearing Socks With Climbing Shoes
• Conclusion

WEARING SOCKS WITH RENTAL CLIMBING SHOES

You should wear socks if you rent shoes in the gym. This is an issue that everyone agrees with, the discussion is unnecessary. Wearing socks means protecting your feet against possible foot diseases.

So, what kind of ailments can you get if you don’t wear socks? Let me tell you, the most annoying, common and disgusting disease which is happened to me before(YES I DIDN’T WEAR) is ATHLETE’S FOOT. Oh gosh, I don’t wanna even remember this gross shoe-related problem.

By the way… Just to be clear, there is also nail fungus which is the other problem I have to tell you. Okay, guys keep in your mind those problems and DO wear socks with rental climbing shoes.

You might think, ‘’hey, they must be spraying inside the shoes every day!’’ Believe me, most of them just spray once a week or (I’m gonna try to be positive here) twice a week? We can’t risk our foot health. I know, all of that sounds like a bit aggressive but as I said before I had an athlete’s foot and I’m trying to be sure to you understand how important it is. Furthermore, rental climbing shoes are less aggressive which means, more slack and have more room for socks as a result of using by other climbers. Therefore, wearing socks are more comfortable and hygienic for those who hesitate about wearing socks with rental climbing shoes.

SWEATY FEET

The solution is wearing thin, low-cotton socks If your feet are super sweaty. Also, having a sweaty foot may cause some problems other than fashion or hygiene. It happened to my close friend who has sweaty feet.

His feet slipped out of his shoes while he was trying to do heel hooks. After that, I suggested to him, you should try tighter shoes. He tried a bunch of different shoes (also different sizes) which is tighter and no room to spare for socks and for him it ended up starting to wear socks.

Guys, you may encounter a problem like this, don’t think about I look like a gumby if I wear socks with climbing shoes. Wearing socks can provide you a bit more extra friction and avoid to stink your shoes.

DOESN’T IT AFFECT YOUR SENSITIVITY WITH SOCKS ON YOUR FEET?

You might have some concerns like ‘’If I wear socks, is that affect my climbing ability in a bad way?’’. I tell you; NO, not at all BUT OF COURSE it can hinder your ability to feel tiny footholds if you wear thick cotton socks.

If you are someone at the beginning phase of bouldering, it is really difficult for you to understand the difference between how wearing socks affect your skill.

Sometimes, this is a matter in question even among climbers who have reached a certain level. Some of them are wearing socks, some of them are not. Some say that they don’t wear because they say I go hard and I want my footwork to feel more while other climbers ignore all of that and just climb.

What I’m trying to explain is it is all about what you want. In the early years of rock climbing, pioneers of rock climbing are wearing socks and they climbed very hard. Nothing could stop them.

Don’t mind what people are saying about wear socks with/without climbing shoes, as I mentioned before, there are so many strong climbers who climb with socks and also there are so many strong climbers who climb without socks. For instance;

There are some guys at the local gym that I usually go to who have old-school fashion style who have climbed 7B+ who mostly climb with old tube socks. I can assure you wearing socks with climbing shoes is never holds them back.

PROS AND CONS OF WEARING SOCKS WITH CLIMBING SHOES

CONCLUSION

Long story short, wearing socks with climbing shoes is better for your health if you are wearing rental shoes. Also, people may talk about ‘’It only makes a difference on higher-level’’, I guarantee you, wearing socks or not it really doesn’t matter. Important things are climb lots as many as you can.

Just listen to your body, do it how you feel better with/without socks.