2017 and Up to Date

I debated posting this pair of custom Slip-Ons first or last, but since they’re single handedly the coolest pair of Vans I’ve ever owned, they have to go first. I give you custom Neshaminy Creek Brewing ‘Death to False Black IPA’ Slip-Ons. Go on, soak them in…

This custom Slip-Ons feature original artwork created by JP Flexner for a beer released by Neshaminy Creek Brewing. I can’t wait to build another pair with some of the awesome artwork that JP creates! Hopefully soon they’ll let you build custom Old Skool low tops as well.

This pair of all canvas T&H Old Skool classics has been my main shoe of choice lately. When I bought them (online) I didn’t notice that the foxing stripe and the collar lining were brown, which is just about the only thing I don’t like about this particular pair. They’ve got the new school laces that are more rope-like, which helps them stay tied better than the standard issue Vans laces. Probably won’t last as long as a pair of regular Old Skools with leather toe caps and heels, but we’ll have to see how many miles I can put on them.

Here we have a pair of Gilbert Crockett’s signature Pro 2 model. I like these shoes, but the left foot randomly feels like it’s ‘cut’ lower than the right and just wants to constantly fall off. That’ll probably change as I wear them more and break them in, which is usually the case for just about any pair of Vans. Much like a lot of my Vans I sort of forgot I had these until digging through my shoe basket checking on any rogue pairs. That happens when you have as many pairs of Vans as I do.

These 100% suede grey Old Skool classics have similar ‘rope-like’ laces like the T&H classics above, and just like the Gilbert Crockett pro models that were hiding at the bottom of my shoe basket, these too had been a bit forgotten. They’re in good shape, so I took ’em out for a few miles last week. Much like an older pair of all white Rowley XL2s that I got back in 2003 (see below), these looked better in my head then on my feet. Something about light grey and white shoes that just doesn’t work for me, in my opinion. The ‘stitch’ pattern collar lining is an interesting touch that I’ve never seen before too. I’m not throwing in the towel on these yet, but I probably won’t wear them all that much so they’ll more than likely stick around for a while.

I took a leap of faith on these all weather Sk8-Hi MTE’s last Winter since the ‘duck boot’ style of the toes are a big departuare from what I’m usually into, but I couldn’t be happier. They’re warm as hell, and really comfortable. For a guy that lives in the snowy and cold Mid-Atlantic/Northeast, these are the pair of Vans I’ve been wanting for 30 plus years. As much as I like the OG Old Skool low top classics, your feet get cold as fuck in them during the Winter, and it only takes a dusting of snow to turn your feet into ice cubes when you’re wearing them. Not the case with these. These are the Winter shoe cure!

And last but not least, I’ll leave without comment, this pair or 2003 Rowley XL2s that have been kicking around my collection for sometime now. For a 14 year old pair of shoes they’re in pretty decent shape, but like I said earlier about the grey suede Old Skools, these looked better on me in my head than on my actual feet. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I like Vans, and I’ll try just about any of them once.

Time for another 3 year update…

No secret this blog isn’t a priority in my life, but it’s almost laughable at this point that I somehow get an itch to throw a post up once every three years about the Vans I’ve been wearing lately.

Keeping that in mind, I’m going to throw up a quick post with a few pairs that I was rockin’ for most of 2015 and 2016 followed by a post with what I’ve been wearing lately.

First up, none other than a pair of legendary Vans Half Cabs.

For starters, I’ve never been much of a Half Cab fan, and I don’t know why. Realistically, they’re actually more in line with my favorites, the Mid Skool Classics, but without the all familiar Vans sidestripe. The toes are more similar to Sk8-Hi’s, but overall more comfortable than any pair of OG Classics, etc. I’d still be wearing these if the soles weren’t separating from the sides, and I can probably fix that with a bit of Shoe Goo, so maybe I’ll make that happen and bring these back into action into they blow out again.

Next, how about this beat to shit pair of Tony Trujillo TNT SGs?

Seriously, one of the nicest, if not the best pro model Vans shoe ever made. Comfortable as fuck, and besides the hole I put in the ball of the sole, pretty built to last. Canvas sidewalls with suede toe and heel. Not sure, but I believe one of the first Van shoes to have the Ultracush inserts, or maybe their predecessor because this is a really comfortable skate shoe. Made to crush the concrete.

I’m not totally sure what this pair (above) is, but they’re like a low-top version of Sk8-Hi’s with canvas sidewalls and suede toes and heels. They’re unusually heavy for a pair of Vans, and have the nicer Ultracush inserts so they don’t totally destroy your feet. Solid pair that I put some milage on, and a bit different than what I usually go for, but certainly not a stretch.

Of course I’m going to throw some Old Skool Classics in, but I’ll save them for the next post since they’ve mostly been what I’ve been wearing lately outside of a pair of custom Slip-Ons that I couldn’t be more excited about. Until then….which will definitely be sooner than three years.

Three years of Vans….

So, not really three years of Vans, but it has been literally over three years since I’ve updated or posted anything to this blog.  Sure, no one noticed. I mean, come on…..this is a blog about beat up shoes, and it’s not going to change the world, right?  Exactly.  Either way, I’m still rocking Vans almost 30 years in the game.

Since my last post I’ve been really busy with another business I’m involved in with three friends called Neshaminy Creek Brewing.  If you’re in the SEPA and New Jersey areas and are looking for some new craft beer, check us out.

No point in beating around the bush, here are some Vans I’ve been kickin’ around lately as well as some beat up jammers that I just haven’t found the heart to throw out yet. Since my last post I haven’t been wearing Vans nearly as much as I usually do.  Unfortunately, they don’t make any Vans (to my knowledge, which of course is limited to Classics and a few styles past that) that are very brewery friendly or waterproof, so my usual four to six month run on a pair has been extended out to about 10 to 12 months per pair now, which is also another reason this blog has seen little to no activity.  That being said, besides the Old Skool Classics I’ve also finally included a picture of ‘vintage’ 2000 era Hi Standard snowboard boots that are surprisingly in pretty good shape.

Here we have a pretty beat up pair of Vans Slip Ons.  These things have been through the wringer and back including a Giving Chase European tour in 2009, then decomissioned for a bit, and occasionally brought out of retirement just to annoy my wife (Slip Ons are probably her least favorite style of Vans). I really need to get another pair of these.  I love wearing them, and they always remind me of the beach, and for some reason, San Diego.  I don’t know if I’ve ever actually taken this pair with me on any of my trips to Southern California, but I don’t think anything screams ‘SoCal’ more than a pair of Slip Ons.

Here’s the pair of Hi Standard snowboard boots that I was talking about.  I wore this pair of boots off and on for one season fourteen years ago, hence why they’re in better shape than you’d expect for a pair as old as they are, as well as for someone who has done a lot of snowboarding on the East Coast and out West in the US and Canada.  They’re a size 10, which normally would be fine for me with a pair of Vans, especially in Classics and how they can be really narrow (and can stretch because of the nature of canvas and leather), but in this case they were entirelly way too big for me, which is why they didn’t get a lot of use.  My wife has bigger feet than me, and I have no clue how she doesn’t fit into these bad boys.  Maybe I’ll take ’em out for a ride this coming Winter just for old times sake.  Here’s a review of the 2014/2015 model…

Continuing on, here’s a pair of Independent Truck/Gilbert Crockett’s signature pro model very similar to a traditional Old Skool Classic model. My wife grabbed this pair for me at a Vans store earlier this year.  I really like the color scheme and the nod to the traditional Classics look, but I’m not a huge fan of the trim on the top line of the shoe.  This pair also has one of the most comfortable cushioned soles I’ve ever experienced in a pair of Vans, which is pretty rad because I’m two months away from the big 4-0 and my knees and legs can’t handle a pair of no cushion/no nothing Vans very well anymore.  Either way, solid pickup and addition to the collection.  Don’t know who Gilbert Crockett is?  Check out this video, dude can shred…

Lastly, here are two identical pairs of grey/black Classics that I’ve been going between for the better part of the last 14 months.  The first pair split pretty badly at the toe cap, which is something new for me with any pair of Vans.  I usually get a split in the rubber welt/foxing area up front (right where the black front meets the main grey part of the shoe known by coblers as the ‘quarter’ section of a shoe).  This time they split in the leather toe cap section, which was pretty odd. That particular pair has held out longer than I expected, so I’ll ride ‘er out until she dies like any self respecting Vans owner should.

All in all, not to shabby, and I know I’m missing a few pairs here and there that would fill in the gaps since that last post in May of 2011.  That being said, I’ll do some work and try and pick up a pair or two of something new for the collection in the coming months, after all, Christmas is just around the corner and I’ll never turn down a pair of Vans for Christmas or my birthday. I mean, who would?  No one I’d call a rational human being anyway.

I’m going to try and add a feature or two to the blog if I get the time in the coming months.  I thought it would be cool to try and interview Jay from The Suicide Machines since they were the inspiration for the name of the blog, as well as few other bands if I get enough motivation, free time, or drunk enough to get off my ass and do something new.  Yeah, that probably won’t happen.

Until next time…

Even More Classics

This is going to be a quick one, as three out of four of these are pretty standard Classic Old Skools that have been beat to shit and used pretty extensively for work around the yard, although at least a pair or two could be saved and used more in the future with a quick scrub down and 20 minutes in a washing machine.  That’s one of the things I like the most about Classics; you can beat the shit out of them and throw them in your washing machine and they come out looking almost like new.  Give them a few days and the leather even goes back to feeling normal and not all hard and stiff from being washed.  As long as there aren’t any major holes in the soles or tears in the sidewalls, I’ll continue to wear most of my Vans up until the point of having to use duct tape to keep them on my feet, which has been done before.

First up we have a customized pair of Old Skools that I created and bought from the Vans website about four years ago.  They’re you’re stand Classics minus the mustard yellow laces and piping and around the ankles and trim around the soles.  I think this feature on the website is pretty cool, although I don’t know if it’s now worth paying $70 for a pair of leather and canvas shoes that won’t last six months of constant day in, day out wear. Just my opinion.

 

Next up are three pairs of Classics that represent the normal color choices I go for.  Pretty basic, right?  You ca’t see it in the picture of the black pair, but there’s a huge rip in the inside sidewall of the left shoe, so this will definitely be the end of the road for that pair.  I’d say I lean more towards the black pairs versus the royal/navy color combination, and with all the Vans in my house right now it’s a 4-3 split in those color choices .

At this point I’m going to give a few of these pairs either a proper burial or a good cleaning because they still have some life left in them.  Maybe I’ll do a ‘before and after’ so you can see how much better a pair of Classics can look with just a quick scrub and some time in a washing machine.

Also, while thinking about it (the blog) last night, I’m pretty sure I have a pair of TNT II’s somewhere in the house, but I’ve got to find them.  If I didn’t throw them out, which I think is the case because it seems like I never throw my Vans away until they’re a completely lost cause, I’ll clean them up and throw them up on the blog in the coming weeks.  They’re one of my favorite pairs of Vans I’ve ever owned.

Sk8-Hi and Old Skool Classics

I’ve got to trudge through a bunch of different Old Skool Classics, most of which have been lying around my house in pretty much every condition imaginable.  I don’t know why I haven’t thrown a least a half dozen pairs away, but at least they’ve stuck around long enough for me to document them on this blog.  But, up first we have a beat-to-shit pair of royal/navy Sk8-Hi’s that I’ve been kicking around in for a while, although I haven’t worn them lately because, as you can see, they’re not holding up to well right now.  This particular pair spent 42 days on the road throughout Europe on Giving Chase’s second European tour in 2007, and more than likely a few tours before that.  I don’t know which is more impressive, the Vans or that beard I was sporting at the time on that tour.  You can see both pretty clearly from a pic taken in Innsbruck, Austria from that tour.

Again, I wear a lot of Old Skool Classics.  This pair has recently been promoted to the ultimate death for any quality pair of Vans, yard work.  They get a pretty good workout during my sometimes weekly grass mowing and curb trimming duties, but they’re still holding up pretty well.

Beat to hell, eh?  They’ve got the typical heal and ball wear that you see pretty often with Vans, as well as the side rip that you’ll see in just about every pair of Classics I own.

In my next post I’ll be going through a few more pairs of Classics, a few of which have some harder to find color combinations.  I’m also going to post a pic of my Vans snowboarding boats from 1999!  Good stuff.

Classics

Like I said, the Classic Old Skool’s are my favorite style, and here are two pairs that I’ve been wearing a lot lately and/or haven’t had a chance to wear yet.

First we have my brown (officially they’re ‘Cappuccino’) Old Skool Classics that I got for Christmas from my parents, which is pretty fucking cool if you ask me. Here I am at age 36, and I got a pair of Vans from my parents for Christmas, which is no different than how I ended up getting my first pair of Vans way back in 1985.  While your parents got you a lame sweater from Old Navy my parents got me Vans.  I rule, you suck.

Next we have a pair of Old Skool Classics that I picked up online that have black heels, toes, and tongues with a grey main body and the typical white Vans trademark on the side.  I haven’t had a chance to wear these yet because I’ve been kicking around in the AV6’s and the brown Classics, but in due time they’ll put their work in.

Sk8-Mid, AV Sk8 Low, and Holder

Here’s a few pairs I’ve had around the house that have been used quite extensively over the past 18 to 24 months.

First we have one of my favorite Old Skool styles, the Sk8-Mid, which is sorta of a go between the Sk8 Hi and the Old Skool Classic.  It’s hard to find any information about these on the Vans website because they’re not part of their regular offerings, but they do make and release them what seems like pretty often, especially lately.  I wore these for the better part of a year while working as a Brewer at River Horse Brewing in Lambertville, New Jersey.  Brewing is a pretty labor intensive job, and you spend a lot of time on your feet, as well as getting your feet wet.  These certainly show some wear and attest to that.

Around the same time (late 2008/early 2009) I got the Sk8-Mids I also picked up a pair of the AV Sk8 Lows (or simply AV8s) that I still wear from time to time. I should get some new laces, or at least cut these down since they’re super long, but either way I really like these shoes.  The tongue has a reinforced attachment that help keep them (the shoe tongues) straight when you wear them.  As expected, not much by way of any actual foot support, but these are Vans.  Like the Sk8 series, features the same front toe as the Hi and Mid versions.

The Holder.  I didn’t know much about these shoes because I didn’t buy them.  My buddy Justin got them for me as a birthday gift back in 2009.  They’re made from almost 100% vulcanized rubber (I think), and honest, are some of the heaviest weighing Vans I’ve ever owned.  I tore the top eyelet out so I need to fix that in order to continue wearing them, otherwise they’re still in really good shape and have some mileage left to give, I’m sure.

Vans in My Head

Let’s get this party started!

First, if you haven’t read the About section yet, do that.  It’ll explain a little about who I am and why I started this time consuming diversion on the Internet.

Second, let’s do what we came here to do.  Vans.  This is what I’m rockin’ right now.

For those that don’t know, they’re the Anthony Van Engelen pro model AV6s. I’ve been wearing these off and on for about two months.  I really like them because they’re one of the first pairS of Vans I’ve owned that have a gel-type padded insert, which is nice because I work a lot on my feet and the lack of any sort of support or padding in most styles of Vans doesn’t really help all that much.  Nice!

I’ve also been wearing an old-as-fuck pair of black Vans Classics a lot lately too, mainly when I’m out logging miles on my road bike.  So far I’ve done 107 miles this year in these, which isn’t all that much, but I’m working on that.  If you see some chubby fuck  on the roads of Bucks County on an all white Specialized Allez rockin’ shitty, torn and worn out black Vans, I’m your man.

Alright, so that’s a good start.  I’ve got about 11 more pairs randomly placed around my house, so I’ll be digging them up, taking some pics, and posting them shortly.  If you’ve got any questions, feel free to drop me a line!