Do You Wear Socks With Climbing Shoes? A Climber’s Honest Test

I was top-roping with a few friends the other day and kept wondering whether you should wear socks with climbing shoes, so I did some digging and then tried it out for myself.

Most professional climbers don’t wear socks with climbing shoes. That said, there are plenty of strong climbers who do wear them, and it usually comes down to personal preference and how your shoes fit.

When I first started looking into this, I was surprised by how strong the opinions are on both sides. My worry was that socks would cut the friction between my feet and the shoes and make me slip, so I’d always climbed barefoot in my shoes. Even with thousands of people on Reddit saying they wear socks while climbing, I figured socks would just make things harder, so I never tried it, until today, with a thin pair of socks. 

Here’s what surprised me. My shoes were already tight, so the thin socks just made them fit a touch tighter, and I didn’t slip. The routes I tested had good footholds, so it might not be a fair read on socks across the board, but it did make me think the pro-sock crowd might be onto something. So I dug into it a bit more. If you’re brand new to this, it’s worth reading up on the 7 common mistakes in rock climbing for beginners too, because footwork habits matter a lot more than the sock debate.

4 reasons you shouldn’t wear socks with climbing shoes

1. The biggest reason is sensitivity. Climbing shoes are built to shrink the space between your foot and the wall so you can really feel the rock and the footholds. Socks add a layer in there, and that can dull how much you feel.
2. Socks can cut the friction between your foot and the shoe, so there’s a chance your foot slides around inside and makes climbing harder. Like I said though, I tested shoes that already fit well without socks and the socks just made them tighter. I didn’t feel a real difference with slipping. That may have been because the routes had good footholds, so I’d want to test tougher, more technical foot placements before calling it.
3. When I wore socks, my feet fit tighter, which proves socks change how your shoes fit. Thicker socks and my feet wouldn’t have gone in at all. The problem is your shoes end up fitting differently every session if you don’t wear the same sock thickness each time, and that makes it harder to learn how the rock and different footholds feel through your shoes. Over time that can slow your progress.
4. Over the last 30 to 40 years, shoe brands have leaned into the barefoot-in-the-shoe approach, so most modern shoes are built to be worn without socks. That shows up in the fabric texture inside the shoe, and some shoes even add a little cushion around the heel so heel hooking is comfortable barefoot.

4 reasons you should wear socks with climbing shoes

1. Some climbers just feel like their shoes fit better with socks on. That’s usually only true if you got fitted while wearing socks instead of barefoot. Otherwise your shoes should fit fine, if not better, without them. People also say socks help prevent hot-spots, but hot-spots usually mean the shoes don’t fit right or haven’t been broken in yet. If you want more of this case, here are 7 reasons to wear socks with climbing shoes.
2. Every climber deals with shoe smell. There are plenty of ways to keep it in check, and socks make it a bit easier because the sock soaks up most of your sweat. Socks won’t kill the smell on their own though, so you still need to care for your shoes and treat them for odor and sanitization. (Here are 11 Cheap Ways To Make Your Shoes Smell Better.)
3. Socks can help you get shoes on and off. That mostly matters if you’re bouldering and pulling your shoes off between climbs. If you’re keeping them on the whole time, like on a multi-pitch route, popping them on and off easily isn’t really a factor.
   •  I tried on new bouldering shoes yesterday and my foot got stuck for over a minute, which was pretty unnerving. In the moment I figured socks would’ve helped, but looking back I probably wouldn’t have gotten my heel in at all with socks on, so socks don’t always make it easier. 
4. Socks are great for ice climbing and anytime it’s freezing. I’ve climbed in the snow, and once my toes went numb I had to stop because I couldn’t feel the footholds or comfortably weight my feet. Socks would’ve been the better call there and might’ve kept me going. 

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Do you wear socks with rental climbing shoes?

For a lot of people, myself included, the idea of putting your bare feet where someone else’s bare feet were an hour ago makes you cringe. Gyms are supposed to deodorize and sanitize their shoes after every wear, which lowers your odds of picking up athlete’s foot from rentals. Some of my friends who rent still complain about the smell though, so some gyms clearly handle this better than others. If it’s your first time renting, our guide to your first time at the bouldering gym walks through what to expect.

If you’re renting and you’re worried socks will hurt your performance, that’s usually a sign it’s time to buy your own pair. Your climbing is affected way more by the rubber on the sole than by whether you’re wearing socks. Rental shoes tend to have the cheapest rubber, so you can’t grip the wall as well as you can in a personal pair.

Conclusion

So should you wear socks with climbing shoes? It really comes down to preference. Whatever you pick, you can get used to it, and it probably won’t make or break your climbing. I’m a climber who doesn’t wear socks in my shoes, and even though my first try was a decent experience, I don’t think I’ll be wearing socks again any time soon. 

That said, the thin socks didn’t make me slip like I expected. My shoes were so tight that the socks just made them tighter. Yes, there was a bit more space between me and the wall, but it didn’t really hurt my climbing. Socks might even make it easier to get my feet in and out, so if I’m bouldering at the gym and swapping shoes between climbs, socks could mean more time climbing and less time fighting with my shoes.

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Do you have experience climbing with socks and without them? Share your take in the comments below and pass this along to a friend who could use the guidance.

Frequently asked questions

Do professional climbers wear socks with climbing shoes?

Most pros don’t, but it isn’t a hard rule. Plenty of strong climbers wear thin socks, and it usually comes down to personal preference and how their shoes fit.

Do socks make climbing shoes slip?

They can cut friction inside the shoe, which is the main worry. When I tried thin socks in shoes that already fit tight, on routes with good footholds, I didn’t notice any slipping. Tougher, more technical foot placements might tell a different story.

Should you wear socks with rental climbing shoes?

A lot of people like socks in rentals for the hygiene factor. Gyms are supposed to sanitize their shoes, but if you’re mostly worried about performance, buying your own pair helps more than socks do, since the rubber matters more.

Do socks change how climbing shoes fit?

Yes. Even thin socks make the shoe fit tighter, and thicker socks can keep your foot from going in at all. If you switch sock thickness from session to session, your shoes fit differently each time, which makes it harder to learn how footholds feel.

Are socks worth it for cold or ice climbing?

Yes. When it’s freezing, socks help keep your toes from going numb so you can still feel the footholds and weight your feet. That’s one spot where socks clearly earn their place.

Sara Climbing Coach, Climbing Trainer, Writer

Sara is the founder of Send Edition, author of '77 Drills to Help You Climb Better,' the creator of 'Elevate Your Climbing: Training Planner and Tracker,' and climbing coach.

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