About

Vans Slip-On

The Slip-On can be described by what has been removed. No laces, no reinforced toe, hardly any seams. What remains is a piece of canvas over a vulcanized sole, and that bareness is what makes the model recognizable. In the brand’s catalog it bore style number 98, which still appears in names like Slip-On 98 DX.

The front panel is one continuous surface

Look at the side up close and you notice how little there is to see. The front panel runs in one piece from the toe to the opening, with no mid-seam, no overlay, no toe cap. Only at the back is there a separate heel panel. That’s why a checkerboard pattern on this model continues across the whole shoe and doesn’t break at a seam. On almost any other model from the brand that same pattern would be chopped up by panels and stitching.

The elastics do all the work

On either side of the instep there’s a triangular cutout filled with ribbed elastic. Those two pieces hold the shoe on your foot, and there is nothing else to tighten or loosen. That has consequences: the fit is fixed as it comes out of the box. If the elastic stretches over time the shoe becomes roomier and there is no way to correct that.

What the absence of a toe cap costs

The rubber foxing runs relatively low on this model and there is no extra layer on the toe. On the shelf that means a direct feel, and it’s no coincidence that skaters picked it up for that reason. It also means the toe is the spot that will wear through first. Anyone looking for a shoe that must withstand heavy abrasion is better off with a version that does have reinforcement there.

Where it fits

The Authentic is the same simplicity with laces, the Era adds a padded collar. The Old Skool and the SK8-Hi are a category sturdier, with suede on the wear areas and the familiar side stripe. All four share the vulcanized waffle sole; the difference is how much shoe is built around it.

On this page you’ll see which versions of the Vans Slip-On are currently hottest according to the Hypescore, from which price they’re available and how many shops have them in stock.