buildering equipment

Wow. A new member that isn't a spammer. Welcome welcome welcome.

Best shoes, in my opinion: 5.10 Guides. I'm not even getting paid to say that (I totally should be though). They are a comfy runner, with a sticky rubber bottom and toe rand. Tighten up the laces and you've got edging which almost compares to a full blown climbing shoe.

Take out the crappy stock insole and put in a big cushy insole with some decent arch support if you have high arches like I do. You'll want the extra cushion for high drops onto cement.

You can get the insoles at most running shoe stores (~$20), and the 5.10s at a climbing store.

Other than that, we don't use much. You could carry around a bouldering pad, but you will be more conspicuous, and people may think you are stealing couches (inside joke).

Avoid chalk, since it marks up the buildings. Leave no trace.

I'm not a foot doctor, but I'll tell you what they told me:

Ideally...soft all around, but stiff in the arch area.

My feet are a mess so I looked into custom orthotics. They were going to cost $500, so they offered me an "over the counter" orthotic which offers about 90% of the support of a full custom, and cost about $80. I'm looking at them right now, and all they say on them is "sole, regular", so I think the brand name is "sole".  

They customized the arch area to give it even more support, so in total it was $160.

Basically, you really need the support in the arch. Also, your heel should be slightly raised above your toes, so if you are wearing skate shoes, you'll want to put a little wedge in your heel, under your insole. 5-10mm is enough.

I stack insoles as well, especially when doing parkour. Just don't get so out of hand that your ankle feels wobbly cause you are so high off the ground.

I've used both Merrells and FiveTens and both are excellent.  I favour my FiveTens as ard is right - when it comes to a decent edge, they can't be beaten.  As approach shoes go, they are regarded as being right up there.

FiveTen had a period of having a sketchy reputation for shoddy longevity but I'm assured by my mate who works at a climbing equipment shop that they've sorted this out since moving their manufacturers.

Just to clarify...we seem to be talking about two different things. I was recommending the 5.10s for buildering. You recommended the Merrels for parkour.

Honestly I think the 5.10s are crap for parkour. There's not enough arch support, they are too heavy, and the sticky rubber will wear out in about a week.

Anyway, I'm not about to recommend what is best for parkour, since there are about a million options, but for buildering I really think the 5.10s stand out on top.

Phil:

Although you'd expect it to be easy to combine the two, it's not as straight forward as you might think.  As soon as you add the precision required for a decent, firm grip in the sole, any shock absorption is compromised.  The FiveTens offer very little as their sole is geared for grip and that edge that we keep banging on about.

Adidas tried to resolve this problem with their parkour shoe, adding a 'stealth rubber' sole with an edge to a pair of fairly rugged, cross-training trainers.  Again, cushioning was massively compromised and I never bothered to track down a pair of insoles to try and compensate for two reasons:  the only prototype that Adidas produced were a size too small for me, and I couldn't be arsed.

To my knowledge, this Adidas parkour shoe has been put on the back-burner so it's anyone's guess as to whether it will see the light of day.

I love my FiveTens, mainly because climbing and buildering has taken over from parkour, which I now use simply for fitness and general physicality.  A lot of people training parkour , especially when starting out, try the Merrells and find them excellent.  However, the seasoned pros won't touch them because, as ard says, they're too heavy and don't support your foot well enough for repeated impact.

Anything by La Sportiva is guaranteed to be good. 5.10 makes some good shoes, and stay away from Boreal or anything else.

I've got a few pairs. I wear La Sportiva Mythos for cracks and long routes, and 5.10 anasazi velcros for sport routes / gym climbing.

In general though, for novices...try to find something a little stiffer in the sole. Your feet won't be super strong yet and could use the support, and your shoes will wear out quicker when learning, as you won't be quite as precise in placing your foot, and be dragging the toe rand, etc. Some extra rubber will make em last.

There really are way too many shoes out there to recommend any one in particular, but La Sportiva and 5.10 are good places to start.