Vans’ Beefy Waterproof Duck Boot Is a Skater at Heart
Snowboarders are the skaters of the snow. And while Vans has a long history of dressing the latter’s feet with vulcanized soles and thrash-resistant fabrics, it also has a series of boots suitable for the mountain-dwelling snowboarder.
The Blake Paul x Vans waterproof boot is a shoe made by a snowboarder, for snowboarders. Although it’ll be useful for just about anyone who wants cozy feet in the depths of winter.
The shoes come from Vans MTE line (that's short for Made for The Elements), and have all the features you’d expect from a well-equipped winter stomper.
A durable all-trac rubber sole provides multi-surface traction, the shoe’s Hydroguard 360º waterproof package prevents wet feet, and the 100-gram Primaloft pure insulation keeps things toasty.
However, since this is a pair of Vans, there’s some skate DNA hidden within it all. The shoe includes a “side stripe” stitched across the side (that’s the wavy piece of leather that decorates its Old Skool skate model) and reinforced toe caps, familiar features from Vans' vast skate shoe offerings.
With its tall brown rubber mudguard and dark green textile upper, the sneaker brings to mind a duck boot, a design invented in 1911 for hunting.
This sneaker turned duck boot, available now from Vans’ website for $155, is far from being the only rough-and-ready footwear option launched by the Californian skate label for this winter. We’ve seen Vans drop everything from GORE-TEX beasts to HOKA-flavored chunky trail shoes, and that's only counting recent weeks.
You might not associate Vans with bulky winter shoes, but considering this constant output of rugged footwear, you probably should.
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