Climbing rubber: 4 mil vs 5 mil

Trying to decide what to resole those shoes with? The answer as in many cases is that it depends. Here is a quick guide to help you make the decision that is best for you.

• If you don't care about sensitivity then you can put 5.0 mil rubber on any shoe and your resole will last longer.
  
• Usually it is best if you match what came on your shoes. 70% of climbing shoes come with 4 mil so if you are not sure that is what you can go with.
  
• If your shoe has a firm midsole then you can go with a thicker rubber and not lose sensitivity in your climbing. A good test for this is try to fold your shoes forefoot in half width wise. If you can't do this due to the firmness than you could go with a thicker rubber.
  
• Bottom line is that we are talking about a millimeter difference in rubber so the decision isn't too critical to your pocket book or climbing performance.
  

Good luck and if you have any more questions write us at shoe@cascadecobbler.com

Cheers,

The cobbler