How to Make Your Climbing Shoes Last Longer

Good climbing shoes are expensive. Most climbers replace them sooner than they need to, not because the rubber has worn out, but because the inside has broken down from moisture damage.

A few simple habits change that completely.

Let them breathe after every session

Don't stuff your shoes back into a sealed bag the moment you're done. Trapped moisture with no airflow is how linings break down and bacterial growth accelerates.

After climbing, take them out. Leave them somewhere with decent airflow. Not in direct sunlight, which degrades rubber, but open and dry.

Keep the inside dry

This matters more than anything else on this list. Moisture degrades every part of a climbing shoe over time. Rubber softens and loses grip. Leather stretches unevenly. Synthetic linings delaminate. Foam compresses and doesn't bounce back.

A cedar insert placed inside the shoe after every session removes the moisture before any of that can happen. Dry shoes last noticeably longer than damp ones. That's not a sales pitch, it's just how materials work.

Wash them less than you think

Frequent washing strips natural oils from leather and breaks down adhesives. If your shoes smell, the problem is moisture, not dirt. Washing doesn't fix moisture. It just adds more of it.

When you do need to wash them, use cold water and mild soap. Never the machine. Never the dryer.

Re-sole before the rand goes

Most people wait too long to re-sole. By the time the rand starts wearing through, re-soling gets expensive or impossible. Re-sole when the rubber on the toe gets thin, before it reaches the rand.

A well-maintained pair of climbing shoes can be re-soled two or three times. That alone extends the usable life by years.

Store them properly

Cool, dry, ventilated. Not in a hot car, not in a sealed bag. If you have the space, leave them out between sessions entirely.

The routine

After every session: shoes out, cedar insert in, leave them to breathe. Every 6 months: swap the insert. When the rubber thins: re-sole.

That's it. Climbers who do this consistently get years more life from their shoes than those who don't.

Everdry cedar inserts are shaped for climbing shoes and last 6 months per insert. One per pair is all you need.