Skate Right, Skate Hard: The Best Skateboard Shoes In 2022

Why Trust Us

I've been skating, or longboarding, for the past 16 years. While I've never been particularly good, I've always enjoyed it and kept at it. My teenage years were filled with skatepark days and as an adult, I've found a crew of ladies that can be found longboarding around Portland now.

Who This Is For

This guide is for anyone looking for a new pair of great skate shoes. We've got high tops and low tops and tons of different grip patterns for every kind of skater. Whether you just cruise or you're hitting halfpipes and drops, we've got you covered.

How We Picked

Selecting the best skate shoes started with my own personal favorites and those of my skating friends and our testing team. After we had personal experience and testing covered, we looked at best sellers and past models we love but that ultimately met their untimely death.

How We Tested

I wear skate shoes daily. They are sticky, comfortable, and a great all-around choice. While I don't use a proper skateboard, I do longboard around my neighborhood with regularity. Each of the durable skate shoes I tested spent days coaching and routesetting in a climbing with me, went for at least half a dozen longboard rides and walked all over rainy Portland.

Features To Look For In Skateboard Shoes

You didn’t think we’d leave you hanging, did you? We showed you the best skateboard shoes, but now it’s time to talk about what makes them the best. Keep reading to figure out what we focused on to make this selection, as well as information on cleaning and caring for your skate shoes.

Materials - You’re going to run into a lot of leather and synthetic materials. That’s a good thing: it’s what these skateboard shoe companies should be aiming for. These are the most durable materials that hold up against wipeouts and incorrect footing. If your skate shoes develop some battle scars, that’s awesome, just so long as those scars don’t tear through the material entirely.

Stitching - Ever paid attention to the stitching on your shoes before? You will now. You can easily spot shoddy stitch work on a pair of inexpensive department store kicks, and the even, thorough stitches of a prime skate shoe. It seems insignificant, but if they can’t get the stitches down (you know, the things holding your shoes together), then what else did they skimp out on that you can’t see?

Sole type - Your shoes are going to withstand some impacts, at least more than an average Joe would while just walking around. Your board can be brutal on your feet, as is concrete, which is why you’ll see a lot of rubber soles on most of these shoes. They give you shock absorption, while also keeping your heel support to keep it nice and comfortable at the same time.

Fit - Buying shoes online always comes with at least one fear: what if they don’t fit? Because of their unique design, skate shoes have a bit more room to swim than traditional sneakers, so even if you’re half a size off, you should still be good to go. Most of these brands have had enough item returns that they’ve ironed out the sizing charts.

Traction - You've got grip tape on your board but that's probably not enough. You also need to have grip and traction on the sole of your shoe. This is what helps you not slide all the time when walking around and gives you extra grip on your board. Traction can be increased with rubber quality and tread patterns. A vulcanized shoe, for example, offers excellent board feel and traction, as well as flexibility. In general though, all good skateboard shoes (and certainly all in this guide) offer decent traction.

Breathability - When we participate in physical activities, we sweat - it just happens. So, you want a pair of shoes that allows your feet to breathe while you skate. Breathability helps reduce blisters and stinky shoes too.

Types Of Skateboard Shoes

High-Cut - The old-school Converse look that everyone rocked in the 90’s punk rock scene, myself included. High-cut or high-top sneakers give you less mobility around your ankles, but also provide you with more coverage in case of a nasty spill. They provide some ankle support but it's minimal. Yeah, you have socks, but cotton thread versus leather colliding with pavement? Give me a break.

Mid-Cut - Somewhere in between high and low, mid-cut or mid-top sneakers are the perfect blend between ankle protection, and retaining mobility. You have to display your dexterity when you’re zipping down the road, you have to be up for anything. Mid-cuts are a great way to achieve a balance.

Low-Cut - Low-cuts, low-tops, call them whatever you want. These are a fan favorite for their epic look, and give you the most mobility for your ankles. If you’re pulling some sneaky maneuvers, you’ll want as much movement as possible. Just keep in mind that you’ll have the least amount of leg protection.

Differences Between Skate Shoes And Standard Shoes

They’re not just titled differently, they’re built differently. Skateboard shoes come with a few differentiating features that really give you an entirely different feel while wearing them.

For one, you have padded collars and tongues which you don’t find as often on standard trainers. Your ankles are undergoing some quick jerking motions, and when they’re bending forward, the padding helps to cushion any joint damage you might incur while providing extra ankle support and impact protection. As for the collars, that adds comfort, and when you’re grinding on the board for three-and-a-half hours, you’ll take every bit of cushioning you can get.

Next, we get onto the outer sole or bottom grip that helps you maintain proper contact with the board. Most sneakers have this weird, not-really-helpful tread underneath that works on the pavement, and not much else. Skateboard shoes are designed to remain on grip tape with little to no problem, but also help with traction on the pavement so you can come to a stop instead of skidding on the asphalt. If you wipe out, you want to get back on your feet and stay there. Standard shoes will have you slipping around from the momentum.

Q: What are skateboard shoes?

A: Skateboard shoes are sneakers designed with nothing but skateboarding in mind. You might find some pairs that are also great for walking or casual wear, but they’re primarily used to skate. Skate shoes come with specific grips along the bottom, as well as a thicker outsole to help keep your stance on the grip tape of your skateboard. They also have a style all their own which is far too often emulated in dollar-store brands, making genuine brands really stand out.

Q: Are skateboard shoes good for walking?

A: They’re not exactly built for it, but when you look at the features in skate shoes, they actually make decent walking shoes. That is if you’re solely sticking to the city.

Skateboard shoes help to keep major traction and retain your stance when you’re on rough concrete. They often have vulcanized rubber along the outsole, which basically means they’re going to hold up very well against contact with man-made materials.

So in short, if you’re going on a nature walk or up a dirt path, your skate shoes are going to get stuck-up with dirt and not be very useful at all. They’re best in their natural environment: on grip tape, and on concrete, and that’s about it.

Q: Do skateboard shoes make a difference?

A: If you’re actually a skater, then yes absolutely, otherwise you’re just trendy. These shoes help you keep your center of gravity on your board, which is absolutely huge. You’ll see the best pro skaters in the world wipeout because they doubted themselves for a half-a-second. Why did they doubt themselves? They felt their center of gravity being thrown off.

Now picture that while you’re grinding or you’ve just launched from the half-pipe. It’s a lot scarier, and you need every bit of help you can get. We're talking about a vulcanized sole, arch support outsole designs, a toe cap, extra cushioning, sometimes lace protection - all that good stuff, but they all help with maintaining control and grip on your board. You’re not going to get that with standard trainers.

Q: How should I tie the laces on my skateboard shoes?

A: When it comes to tying laces, you’ve got a couple of options. Your main goal is to keep the laces out of your way while skating, but you also don’t want to look like a dork and duck them into the collar of the shoe. Besides it looking bad, it usually doesn’t hold up very well.

You’ll want to stick to three different lacing methods: cross lace, zipper lace, and straight lace. We’ve provided a video below to show you the best way to lace up.

Q: How long does a pair of skateboard shoes usually last?

A: Well, that’s up to you. You can find average life expectancies and all that good stuff, but it’s all about how much you use them, and how rough you are on your footwear.

If you’re skating every single day, then you’re going to burn through even the best shoes for skateboarding pretty fast. Even though they’re better for contact with the grip tape on your board, you still have to imagine that grinding against it for hours on end is going to begin to wear down the rubber.

A good quality pair of skate shoes, ones that you use for about ten hours a week on your board, should be able to last you between three to five years. That means proper care, giving them a little rinse and scrub every now and again, and not letting bacterial growth eat away at the interior. Grab odor eaters, use the baking soda trick, but do not let them fall out of sorts. 

Q: How do I make skate shoes last longer?

A: One way to make your skate shoes last longer is to ensure they’re properly protected. You’ll need to get a high-quality waterproof shoe spray to withstand unexpected puddles and rainfall that you'll undoubtedly endure from time to time before you’re able to get indoors.

You should also be airing them out instead of letting them sit in a cubby. After all, ventilated areas are essential to preventing bacterial growth. One of the most common reasons that you have to retire your skate shoes is that bacterial damage has burned through the insole, and then worked its way into the midsole. Combined with the inevitable wear and tear from the bottom of your shoes versus grip tape and concrete, it’s not something you want.

Sources:

1. Skate Shoe - Wikipedia
2. How To Buy Good Skate Shoes - WikiHow