Tactical steez, Brah. Not the first brand that comes to mind. Gnarly.
Honestly, when you think of Vans this is not the first thing you think of.
I’m a big proponent of unconventional stuff.
Whether it’s repurposed gear for riding my bike, fixing the truck or designing a house, I’m into it.
We all know the shooter’s uniform.
511. Grunt Style or Nine Line shirts. Henleys. Leggings for the ladies. Camo anything. Believe me, there’s nothing wrong with that. Some say “Tacti-cool”. I say “Purpose Built”. We love to patronize gear that is purpose-built and represents us with features built-in that make sense for what we do. But every once in a product/brand something comes along that checks all the boxes and just kinda fits.
Vans Shoes - a SoCal Icon
Because we’re in SoCal we are totally immersed in the skate/surf/snowboard culture, so it’s not surprising that a company like Vans has a huge presence at the range, especially with young (and young at heart) shooters. Vans by far, outnumber almost any other shoe on the line if you’re under 30.
They're kinda like, everywhere.
“Flat, grippy and built like a tank, Van Doren's shoes were adopted most prominently by 1970s skateboarders, including those choreographing surf-style moves as part of the Zephyr skateboard team immortalized in the 2001 documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys," which was produced with the help of Vans.”
- An excerpt from an NBC News story memorializing the passing of Paul Van Doren, co-founder of Vans Shoes in 2021 at the young age of 90
I’m a self-admitted old fart. I don’t skate, I don’t surf, I don’t snowboard, and I am definitely not a slave to fashion. Being on my feet for 8 hours a day in comfort is number one on my list. Style checks in at a distant second. Vans were a shoe I never gave a thought about.
To me, Vans was Spicoli tumbling out of a smoke-filled VW bus in a chronic haze. Ironically, that movie put Vans on the cultural map.
Or someone doing something absolutely insane on a skateboard.
A couple months ago one of our members was gracious to gift each member of the FT3 staff with a pair of custom designed Vans. Vans are huge worldwide but being homegrown (founded in 1966 right here in Orange County), and based in Costa Mesa, they are what flip-flops are to Hawaii - Iconic.
When someone mentions “Vans” this is what comes to mind. Yeah, I'm this old. You can still buy these classics on Vans.com.
Meh.
Naturally, everyone under 30 lost their collective minds and couldn’t wait to go online and design their shoes. I was, well, for lack of a better word… Meh.
I don’t buy Nike (they’re a little too woke for me and borderline hypocritical). When I walk/run at or past the gym I have a pair of trusty Adidas. At work I’m just content to rock my old school Stan Smiths & Palladium Legions and leave the trendy stuff to the youngsters.
But Julie, our resident “sneakerhead” (yes, there is such a term) said, “Dude, you HAVE to do this!”, and literally dragged me to her laptop and put me to work. (And yes, she actually said, “Dude”).
So, after a few mouse clicks I was dragged kicking and screaming into 2022.
Three weeks later these arrived. My custom design. About as traditional as I could get. Little did I know I was in for a unexpected surprise.
As the youngsters say… OMG! WTH!!???
You skaters dudes have been holding out on me.
These are probably one of the most comfortable, well made boots I have ever worn. Three weeks in and I’m a believer.
Here's the link to build your own custom All Weather MTE-1 boot.
Extremely lightweight and comfortable.
The uppers are water resistant and the rubber is thick and durable but not cumbersome. The outer soles have grip and excellent stability and when you spend your day walking on spent brass it is very much appreciated. The All Weather MTE-1 insulation is not overly hot and it manages the internal moisture build up so you're warm but not uncomfortable, with no stinky feet. I can tell it's going to keep the feet nice an toasty in the winter months.
Actually, this makes perfect sense.
The ankle support is outstanding and the more I think about it, what Vans has done makes perfect sense. If you skateboard you need a sure-footed shoe with ankle stability with rubber guards built to handle grinding on cement all day. If you have experience building a shoe can handle being misused and abused on the cement all day, trudging through dirt, rocks, mud and whatever else you’ll encounter on a typical range/training day is no problem.
Julie, Crissy & Cole
Bob, Nate & John
"Tactical Santa" Doug
Jesse, AKA "Chico"
Turns out that Vans has done a fantastic job taking their experience in making high quality, durable, rugged X-Games footwear and translating it into purpose-built boots more than capable of handling adventure sports and tactical wear.
Gotta try these next.
"Go Where You Didn't Expect" -
(I did and I was happy when I got there)
Never has an advertising slogan been more appropriate.
I don't think I've been so happy to write that I've been wrong about something. Vans are more than a skate shoe company. More than trendy fashion for celebs. They have done a great job. THIS is a fantastic boot. A rugged, all-day, extreme-loving, TACTICAL boot. (Yeah, I said it).
Very glad to have them on my feet.
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