Best Skateboarding Shoes of 2024

JUMP TO: VANS SKATE OLD SKOOL | NIKE ZOOM JANOSKI OG + | VANS SKATE HALF CAB | NIKE ZOOM BLAZER MID | LAST RESORT AB CM001 | ADIDAS BUSENITZ PRO | ASICS GEL-FLEXKEE | BUYING ADVICE | COMMON QUESTIONS

Author: John Nichols | Updated: Jan 20, 2024
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The Short Version

The Long Version

Maybe you didn’t give skate shoes much thought initially. After finally blasting through the toe of your first pair you found another set of sick-looking kicks—but they just don’t skate the same. Perhaps they wore super quick, or tricks don’t feel the same. Clearly, not all shoes are created equal. So you find yourself wondering, what are the best skateboarding shoes?

That, my friend, is what they call a rabbit hole. You can spend a lot of time comparing features, materials, construction styles, and user reviews  to suss out just which skateboarding shoe is cream of the crop when it comes to style, board feel, durability, or whatever other features are most important to you.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the skate shoe rabbit hole with a rundown on some of the best skateboarding shoes you can find. We cover both the undeniable classics and some exciting innovations to give you a good sense of your options. And yes, we’re kicking it off with Vans.

If you love reading this review of the best skateboarding shoes, then you'll likely love reading some of our other skateboarding and longboarding content:

 

Need To Know What To Look Out For?

What’s a cupsole? Why do I care what my upper is made out of? Should I get a mid-top or a high-top? Check out our skate shoe buying advice at the bottom of the article to help decode the “What” behind the “Why”.

 

Best Overall: Vans Skate Old Skool

UPPER MATERIAL: Suede & Canvas

OUTSOLE: Vulcanized Rubber

SIGNATURE TECH: Duracap, Popcush Insole

PRICE: $

PROS: Tried and true. Classic. The baseline.

CONS: Popcush insole isn’t the best, but it’s something. 

If you didn’t know, Vans straight up invented many of skateboarding’s iconic silhouettes and shoe design  “philosophies”  the late 70s. The original Old Skool was among them, and it’s still around for a reason. 

We can go right down the line to illustrate why the Old Skools are still the best skate shoes around.. The styling is clean and simple, so inherently skateboarding that no sub-sect owns it. The materials are exactly as durable as they should be for their price point. Canvas side panels let your feet breathe,  while Vans keeps suede, simultaneously tougher and more supple, on the toecap and lacing holes. 

The redesign to a one-piece toecap is potentially divisive, but a stitched toecap is one of the most common failure points. Personalpreference aside, we believe the redesign simply does make the shoe better. Mix that with the vulcanized outsole and padded low collar, and you have one of the most commonsense shoes on the market.

But even the best skate shoes have their downsides. Old Skools have solid durability due to the Duracap reinforcement, but  the foxing tape (strip of the rubber outsole that appears to be wrapped around the bottom of the shoe) tends to eventually separate in the spot where the shoe creases when you bend your toes. So, although they are not exceptionally durable, the Old Skools don’t fall apart prematurely, especially given their reasonable price.

Youthful feet won’t be bothered, but if you’re getting old in skater years (28, 29) the Popcush insole is a step up, but still leaves a bit to be desired. The low-top design also means that ankle support is only a wistful dream.

Really though, for the price, the Old Skool remains a solid value for a no-frills skate shoe that gives you everything you need and nothing you don’t. It’s been around for decades for a very good reason.

Best Low Top: Nike SB Zoom Janoski OG+

UPPER: Suede

OUTSOLE: Vulcanized Rubber

SIGNATURE TECH: Zoom Air Unit

PRICE: $$

PROS: So sleek, so casual

CONS: Minimalism in skate shoes = ouch

The Janoski has returned! Again. When Nike and Stefan Janoski shoes dropped in ’09 it was as though the whole industry got permission to go back to basics. That may sound funny coming straight from reading about how Vans are timeless and eternally popular, but in the ‘90s through the early Aughts, maximalist skateboarding shoes were having a moment, Designers were trying to shove tons of features into a basketball-esque shoe, but the OG Janoski marked a shift back to sleek and simple skate shoes

The uppers for this year's model are that lovely, lovely suede that breaks in so well with use, and of course, you have the vulcanized rubber outsole so you can be in tune with your board. That long, one-piece toecap means that it won’t fall apart with use—your griptape is going to have to do the work and wear it down into nothing. 

The ultra-sleek profile is stylish and functional whether you’re on the board or off, and the popularity of this shoe means Nike is constantly pushing out new colors (and at its peak, they were doing various upper materials too).

The downside is that, as a minimalist shoe, your foot is going to take a heck of a beating. The toecap runs pretty far up your foot, which, once broken in, is part of the Janoski magic. However, starting the laces so far back means there isn’t much between the top of your foot and a skateboard you just sent spinning at velocity. 

Low top design means again that your ankles are on their own and protection doesn’t go much further than a padded collar. The Nike Zoom Air cushioning mitigates some of the impact from the vulcanized sole, but we still probably wouldn’t huck these down big gaps too consistently.

Overall the Janoski is an awesome shoe for skating and chilling alike. At $95, it sits pretty firmly in “this is what skateboarding shoes cost” territory and can handle all but the most demanding skating.

Best Mid Top: Vans Skate Half Cab

UPPER: Canvas, Suede

OUTSOLE: Vulcanized Rubber

SIGNATURE TECH: Duracap, Popcush Insole

PRICE: $$

PROS: Solid ankle protection, comfortable padded tongue

CONS: Stitched toe cap, redesign is too narrow for some

Another classic from Vans that has withstood the test of time! The Skate Half Cab has an origin story that is so quintessentially skateboarding you can’t help but love it. In the early ‘90s, during the street skateboarding boom, skaters were buying the high-top Caballero pro model (the Full Cab), cutting the collar off with scissors to make it shorter, and patching it with duct tape. Vans and Steve Caballero noticed and decided to save everyone the effort, and so boom! The “Half” Cab was born.

So what has kept the Half Cab in the skate scene so long and why is it one of the best skateboarding shoes? Credit has to go to what seems to be the Vans formula: everything you need and nothing you don’t without breaking the bank. 

A sensible upper of canvas and suede reinforced in high-wear areas with Vans signature Duracap tech keeps the shoes in one piece. The vulcanized rubber outsoles are a favorite for board feel, but usually come with the tradeoff of having less between your foot and the board (who’d have thought?). The Vans Popcush insole helps out with more padding at the heel that thins out toward the toe to help with those harder landings without losing all the benefits of the outsole.

The Half Cab is more than just a mid-top Old Skool though. Double foxing tape on the outsole gives more rubber to wear away while blending the outsole into the upper for more control. It also has a distinctly padded tongue and fits a bit more snugly.

As with most Vans, the Half Cab   gets you a lot of bang for your bucks, and you’d be hard-pressed to find an experienced skater who hasn’t rocked a pair. While competition occasionally bubbles up, none have fully challenged the Half Cab mid-top supremacy. Easily one of the best skateboarding shoes of all time.

Best High Top: Nike SB Zoom Blazer Mid

UPPER: Suede

LOWER: Vulcanized

SIGNATURE TECH: Zoom Air Cushioning

PRICE: $$

PROS: Ankle support, thick ankle padding

CONS: Sized narrow, stiff to break in 

If you’ve glanced down in a public place even once since 2020, you’ve probably seen your fair share of Blazers. Nike could hardly churn them out fast enough to meet the demand: the last time a shoe took over the way the Zoom Blazer has might just be when the Janoski blew up in ’09.

Marketed as a mid top, the Blazer is more like a high top in reality, as  the collar hits at the top of the ankle. We love it for that, too. What sets the Zoom Blazer apart is how thick the ankle padding is. While it doesn’t go as high as other high tops, you get such substantial padding at height that you’ll be ready to really go for those tricks that need a 360 or 540 shuv mixed in.

Rounding out the features of the Blazer you have the usual suspects in material and construction for the best skateboarding shoes: vulcanized rubber outsole, fully suede upper, and a solid insole to ease the landing. In Nike’s case, it’s the Zoom cushioning, which utilizes fibers under tension and an air cushion to give you some rebound in your push and pop. It’s not the cheapest shoe but isn’t breaking the bank either. And spending a few extra bucks to protect those ankles is never a bad idea.

Best Indie: Last Resort AB CM001

UPPER: Suede/Leather

LOWER: Rubber Cupsole

SIGNATURE TECH: Cloudy Cush Insole

PRICE: $$

PROS: Excellent impact support and structure

CONS: Less breathability and boardfeel

You may notice lots of the top shoes on this list are from the big players in the shoe biz: Nike, Adidas, New Balance, and now Asics. Heck, even Vans, for all their cred, is considered one of the big boys. With the CM0001, Last Resort AB is paving its own small-scale DIY path. You would expect nothing less from the sister company to Polar Skate Co., both of them professing (and living up to) the ideal of “by skaters, for skaters”.

Every detail in the CM0001 is placed with a purpose, and the design tells the story. A leather upper gives more structure than pure suede or canvas, but suede is still incorporated in crucial wear spots around the toe, heel, and eyelets. On top of that, you get all the support of a cupsole and a well-padded collar and tongue, plus Last Resort’s signature Cloudy Cush insole (which thins out towards the toe much like Vans Popcush).

What we love about the Last CM0001 is that Last Resort bucked the prevailing trend of cupsole=bulky and overdesigned, vulcanized=simple and skateable. Not that their vulcanized shoes aren’t simple and skateable, but to offer up a simple, agile cupsole is a solid and refreshing move. 

The only small downsides are that the upper isn’t constructed to be particularly breathable, and despite paring down the design, the shoe is still a bit heavy for what it is. However, the shoe’s attention to detail and overall build quality more than make up for it. Hot Take: For the same price, you might actually be getting more shoe for your money than if you were to get a Nike Blazer.

Best Chunky: Adidas Busenitz

UPPER: Suede Outer, Textile Inner

LOWER: Rubber Cupsole

SIGNATURE TECH: Adiprene Cushioning, Pivot-Point Cupsole

PRICE: $$

PROS: Comprehensive heel cushioning, great boardfeel at the toe

CONS: Very unique feel won’t be for everyone, tongue is a bit odd

While Nike was paring things down and shaking it up in ’09 with the Janoski, Adidas had perfected things on the maximalist side of the spectrum with the Busenitz.. Which makes sense, because Dennis Busenitz and the Adidas team took a bit over a year (!) prototyping this shoe. Did they ever nail it, though: starting with the classic Copa Mundial soccer shoe and adding in some skate-specific features, the result wasa chunky skate shoe that still gives you exceptional control.

The first thing you’ll notice when putting on an Adidas Busenitz is likely how comfortable your foot is. You’ll also notice how your heel is in a cushioned palace ever-so-slightly higher than your toe, which is less padded. It’s a bit unusual, but the thinning out at the toe does wonders for board control while still giving structure and cushion from the Adiprene foam. As for the heel, it may be the most protection you’ll get in a low top. 

The full suede upper breaks in nicely, while the textile inner helps the shoe breathe. Style points come from the signature three stripes and an oversized tongue. If that isn’t your bag though, the tongue has a convenient line to show where you can snip it shorter and stay fresh. 

The Busenitz mitigates a lot of your typical cupsole and chunky drawbacks with a design that stands the test of time all for a surprisingly standard price point. If you want to send big gaps, here’s your shoe.

Best Supershoe: Asics Gel-Flexkee

UPPER: Suede, Synthetic

LOWER: Cupsole, Vulcanized Styling

SIGNATURE TECH: Honestly, the Whole Design

PRICE: $$$

PROS: Very abrasion-resistant toe, protected laces, flexy forefoot area

CONS: Asymmetrical design, outsole loses tread quickly

You want something different. All skate shoes look the same, you say. Bring back the supershoes of the early ‘00s. ASICS heard that call, or maybe just embraced their own desire for something wildly different and gave us the wild Gel-Flexkee silhouette in their Summer 2023 drop.

The Gel-Flexkee takes a page out of Adidas’s book, rooted in the design of a soccer cleat like the Busenitz, but then just goes for it. You might not notice because the shoe draws so heavily from vulcanized styling, it’s a cupsole! We really like how it slots the rubber on the sides near the toe to give better flexibility.

The upper is something else too. The abrasion-resistant synthetic that hits about mid-foot does not disappoint, and the laces stay out of the way since they skew to the inside of the foot. Lacing eyelets are rethought as well, tucked safely to the underside of suede flaps. As if that isn’t enough, an oversized tongue flap folds forward and keeps the knot safe too.

Nothing is perfect though. The shoes are cut very low, and that plus the asymmetrical lacing makes them want to fly off during tricks until they get broken in for a week or so. Also, the tread on the bottom is a bit shallow and slick against your griptape once it wears off. There is something to say for a skateboarding shoe that loses sole before tearing around the toes, though. 

Asics is pushing hard at breaking into the core skateboarding market, and as such you’ll probably have a hard time finding this shoe anywhere other than city skateshops. At publishing, they weren’t even available on Asics website. The Gel-Flexkee is the first shoe on our list to break $100, but if you have the money to spend, you won’t find another shoe like it on the market today and are sure to catch some eyes.

BUYING ADVICE FOR SKATEBOARDING SHOES

Upper Construction

SUEDE: Suede (or suede leather) is the most popular material for skate shoe uppers because it’s durable and supple once broken in. Many of the best skateboarding shoes will have it at the very least on high-wear areas like the toe and heel, if not the whole outside of the upper. Suede has a soft or mildly  fuzzy feeling to it. 

LEATHER: Leather (or patent leather) has a bit more structure than suede, but is shiny, a bit slick to the touch, and prone to cracks and wrinkles. It can look really nice starting out but tends to lose its aesthetic quickly. Due to its better structure than suede, leather tends to be used for side panels around the midfoot, or on the top of the toe. 

CANVAS: Canvas is light, breathable, cheap, and often vegan. The downside is that it can wear through fast and doesn’t have as much structure or padding as leather, especially once broken in. As a supplemental material it can be a helpful alternative to leather, but having it on flicking portions of the shoe means you should have some Shoe Goo ready to fix it up.

Outsole Construction

VULCANIZED RUBBER: Vulcanized rubber outsoles are a favorite for skate shoe outsole construction. It is essentially (we’re simplifying this but not by much) rubber glued to the bottom of the shoe, then attached to the upper by a strip of rubber called “foxing tape” wrapped around and overlapping them both. Imagine if a sandwich had an extra strip of crust around it joining the two pieces of bread.

Vulcanized outsoles are much loved for their boardfeel, but this often comes at the expense of cushioning.

CUPSOLE: Cupsoles are less popular but maintain a following in some cult favorites like Nike SB Dunks and Adidas Busenitz. A more engineered outsole is created (generally with some special tech) and then stitched onto the upper. 

Cupsoles are more durable and give your foot more support, at the cost of putting more material between your foot and the board.

Low, Mid, or High Top

If you’re looking for the best skateboarding shoes you can find, you’re going to want to know whether you want the collar to hit lower or higher on your ankle. Or at least you should have a sense of the benefits to make an informed decision. 

Lots of folks default to lows because it’s most common for a sneaker these days, but a little thought can really help you get a shoe that will complement and elevate your skating. The two biggest benefits that you get from a higher shoe collar are added ankle support and added protection from a spinning board of wood and metal. 

The downside to a higher collar is that it can slightly limit the agility of your ankle. Although realistically a high top shouldn’t stop you from being able to do anything you could do in a low, there is a reason people were chopping their Full Caballeros into mid-top Half Cabs in the 90s.

Think of it as a sliding scale. The higher the collar, the greater the ankle support, and, consequently, less freedom of movement.

COMMON QUESTIONS

What is foxing tape on a skateboarding shoe? Foxing tape is the stripe of rubber around the bottom of the shoe that connects the upper to the lower on vulcanized outsoles.

Should skateboarding shoes fit the same as my normal shoes? Generally yes. Some folks like to buy a suede shoe in a bit snugger size and then break it in but it’s not the norm.

Are all canvas shoes vegan? While canvas generally is vegan, sometimes the glue isn’t. Take a peek at the details, but a company often makes it explicit if a shoe excludes animal products. 

Should I microwave my shoes to break them in faster? This myth has been around for a bit but we’ve seen it making rounds again on social media. Microwaves are made for food, please don’t microwave your skateboard shoes. Please.

MORE INFORMATION

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