When picking out a new pair of climbing shoes, getting the right size can be a guessing game even if you have been climbing for years. Some shoes may end up stretching out more than you were hoping while others will hardly stretch at all. Scarpa is one of the more popular climbing shoe brands and as such, I endeavored to put together a guide detailing how much the average Scarpa climbing shoes stretch if at all.
As a general rule, Scarpa climbing shoes will stretch between zero and one full EU shoe size (0.26 inches). Scarpa climbing shoes with a synthetic upper material such as the Scarpa Instinct are expected to stretch less than shoes with a leather upper material such as the Scarpa Helix.
While the above statement holds true, you will need to look at the specific Scarpa shoe model to accurately depict how much the pair is expected to stretch. This article explores the expected stretch for the 19 most popular Scarpa climbing shoes.
If you are wondering how much the most popular Scarpa climbing shoes are costing these days, you can check out their current price on Amazon here!
How Much Scarpa Climbing Shoes Stretch
Scarpa climbing shoes, just like every other brand of climbing shoe, are prone to stretch out over time. It is important to know just how much they will stretch out so you can plan accordingly. Getting a shoe that feels like a good fit right away may end up stretching out so much that they become cumbersome and limit your climbing ability.
The table below summarizes the expected stretch of 19 of the most popular Scarpa climbing shoes.
| Scarpa Climbing Shoe | Upper Material | Expected Stretch (EU Sizes) |
| Booster | Synthetic | None to 1/2 |
| Boostic | Hybrid | 1/2 |
| Chimera | Synthetic | None to 1/2 |
| Drago | Synthetic | None to 1/2 |
| Drago LV | Synthetic | None to 1/2 |
| Force V | Lined Leather | 1/2 to 3/4 |
| Furia Air | Synthetic | None to 1/2 |
| Furia S | Synthetic | None to 1/2 |
| Helix | Lined Leather | 1/2 to 3/4 |
| Instinct | Synthetic | None to 1/2 |
| Instinct VS | Synthetic | None to 1/2 |
| Instinct VSR | Synthetic | None to 1/2 |
| Maestro Mid Eco | Unlined Leather | 3/4 to 1 |
| Origin | Unlined Leather | 3/4 to 1 |
| Quantic | Synthetic | None to 1/2 |
| Reflex V | Knit Fabric | None to 1/2 |
| Vapor | Synthetic | None to 1/2 |
| Vapor V | Synthetic | None to 1/2 |
| Veloce | Synthetic | None to 1/2 |
As seen above, not every single model of Scarpa climbing shoe will stretch out the same amount. Shoes with a synthetic upper till generally stretch much less over time than lined or unlined leather climbing shoes. Therefore the overall stretch depends more on the shoe’s upper material than its manufacturer.
You may have noticed that the expected stretch for each shoe has a range. This is because there is not a “set” amount that the shoe will stretch out. Climbers who wear shoes that are too big will not stretch their shoes out that much because their feet will not be pushing into the shoes with a lot (if any) amount of force. On the other hand, climbers who downsize into extremely tight shoes will inherently be applying more force on the upper material which will cause the material to stretch out to its maximum amount.
If you are curious to see how much other climbing shoes are expected to stretch out, I recommend checking out my article linked here. It has a table that includes over 100 climbing shoes from 12 different climbing shoe brands.
How Long It Takes For Scarpa Climbing Shoes To Stretch Out
As a general rule, Scarpa climbing shoes will begin to noticeably stretch out within 5 sessions and will be completely stretched out within about 1 month of consistent climbing. How long it takes for Scarpa climbing shoes to stretch out depends on its amount of use, upper material, and tightness.
Obviously, wearing your shoes more often and for longer will cause them to stretch out more quickly than if you wore them sparingly. For example, you would stretch out your shoes 3 times quicker if you wore them for three 1-hour sessions per week than if you only wore them for one 1-hour session per week. In addition to this, wearing smaller climbing shoes not only will stretch out the upper more, but it will cause them to stretch out quicker as well.
Synthetic shoes not only stretch less over time than leather shoes, but they also take a little bit longer to break in. The more unforgiving material requires more pressure and force for them to begin to loosen up and stretch out. Breaking in a pair of climbing shoes is rarely the most fun thing to do. To learn more about it, check out the article linked here.
How Scarpa Climbing Shoes Fit
While I personally have not noticed a significant difference between Scarpa climbing shoe sizing and others such as Black Diamond or La Sportiva, some climbers have claimed this to be the case. Some believe that Scarpa shoes run up to 1 EU size smaller than other brands and others claim that they actually run a whole EU size larger than other brands.
Scarpa recommends downsizing anywhere from 1/2 to 2 full EU sizes from your typical street shoe size when ordering a pair of climbing shoes. This generally coincides with the recommendations of other climbing shoe manufacturers.
As a general rule, Scarpa climbing shoes fit true to size. The different shapes of the Scarpa climbing shoe models will fit climber’s feet differently. This in turn can lead to climbers feeling specific Scarpa climbing shoe models “run small” or “run big”.
The best solution to find your ideal climbing shoe size is to just try a pair out. If you get the wrong size, exchange them for a different one to fit better. Keep in mind that the shoe will stretch out a certain amount depending on the upper material and how tight you wear them. Just be careful to not go too tight, wearing too small of climbing shoes can be quite detrimental.