Are Vans Bad for Your Feet? A Foot Surgeon Reads the Lab Data
Vans are skate shoes: a thin, flat, flexible sole built for board feel and grip. That is fine for an afternoon, and the lab figures show why it is a poor choice for a day on your feet.
On this page
- The short answer
- What the lab measured on five Vans
- What the numbers mean for your feet
- Do Vans run big or small?
- Are Vans good for walking?
- Do Vans have arch support?
- Are Vans good for wide feet?
- Can you run in Vans?
- Are Vans good for lifting?
- Who should think twice
- Which Vans are kindest to feet
- Questions patients ask
Fine for skating and short wear on a healthy foot. The classic Vans are too thin and too flat for a day of walking or standing, and most of them have an insole you cannot swap for an arch support.
The figures on this page are RunRepeat’s lab measurements of one pair of each shoe, cut in half. We have tested no Vans, and our own catalogue holds none. RunRepeat has published no lab figures for the Authentic, the Era, the regular Sk8-Hi or any UltraRange.
The short answer
Classic Vans are skate shoes: a canvas or suede upper on a thin, flat, very flexible sole. Skaters want that, because they feel the board through it. It is also why a day on your feet in them can hurt. Measured in 2026, the Old Skool absorbed 31 SA of shock at the heel, where the average sneaker absorbs 87. Its forefoot is 12.7 mm thick, against an average of 19.5.
For an hour or two on a healthy foot, none of that matters. For heel pain, ball-of-foot pain, a long shift or a day of sightseeing, it does. And the Old Skool, Slip-On and Knu Skool have insoles that do not come out, so you cannot swap in an arch support.
What the lab measured on five Vans
| Shoe | Stack, heel / forefoot | Drop | Heel shock absorption | Heel counter, 1–5 | Toe box, big toe / widest | Insole |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Skool | 18.7 / 12.7 mm | 6.0 mm | 31 SA | 1 | 68.7 / 94.4 mm | 5.0 mm, fixed |
| Slip-On | 18.7 / 12.0 mm | 6.7 mm | Not tested | 1 | 69.9 / 96.5 mm | Glued in |
| Knu Skool | 18.2 / 10.6 mm | 7.6 mm | 33 SA | 3 | 68.6 / 96.5 mm | 3.8 mm, fixed |
| Half Cab | 21.8 / 13.7 mm | 8.1 mm | Not tested | 3 | 69.8 / 96.8 mm | 11.5 mm, removable |
| Sk8-Hi MTE-2 (winterised) | 28.4 / 20.2 mm | 8.2 mm | Not tested | 2 | 74.6 / 102.3 mm, older method | 13.3 mm, removable |
| Average sneaker | 30.5 / 19.5 mm | 11.0 mm | 87 SA | 3.2 | 68.7 / 92.4 mm | 4.9 mm |
RunRepeat lab figures, one pair of each, read September 2026: Old Skool reviewed August 2026; Slip-On December 2023, updated February 2025; Knu Skool April 2024, updated April 2026; Half Cab February 2024, updated April 2026; Sk8-Hi MTE-2 undated. Averages are RunRepeat’s for the sneakers it has tested, 72 to 104 depending on the test. The Slip-On’s page gives two different insole thicknesses, so we print neither. The MTE-2’s toe box was measured by an older method, whose averages were 75.0 and 99.0 mm. SA is RunRepeat’s shock-absorption score, where higher absorbs more; heel counter stiffness is its 1–5 rating, 5 the stiffest; stack includes the insole.
What the numbers mean for your feet
- Thin. The four classics stand 18 to 22 mm at the heel and 11 to 14 mm under the forefoot. Only the winterised Sk8-Hi MTE-2 comes near the average sneaker.
- Little shock absorption. The two the lab tested for it absorbed 31 and 33 SA at the heel, a little over a third of the average sneaker’s 87.
- Very flexible. The Old Skool needed 4.5 N to bend in the lab’s flex test, a third of the 13.4 N average. A healthy foot copes with that. A stiff big toe joint, a healing metatarsal or a sore forefoot wants the opposite.
- Soft at the heel. The Old Skool and Slip-On rated 1 of 5 for heel counter stiffness, the softest the lab gives. The Knu Skool and Half Cab rated 3, about average.
- Grip varies. The Old Skool’s rubber scored 0.67 in the lab’s heel traction test, against a 0.49 average. The Knu Skool scored 0.13.
From the clinic. The Vans patient I see is rarely a skater. It is the barista or the teacher who has worn slip-ons as a work shoe for years and now has a burning pain under the ball of the foot by mid-afternoon. On a hard floor, twelve millimetres of sole is not much between you and the tile.
I know of no study of skate shoes and foot pain, and nobody is likely to pay for one. The lab’s measurements are what we have, and they point the same way the clinic does.
Do Vans run big or small?
True to size for most buyers: RunRepeat’s reader polls said so for every Vans it tested, from the Slip-On’s 4,905 votes down. The lab adds a caution. It measured the Old Skool 267.5 mm long inside, about 5 mm shorter than the average sneaker, and the Knu Skool about 3 mm shorter; the Half Cab came out average.
So if you are between sizes, or your toes touch the end in the store, go up half a size in an Old Skool rather than squeezing into your usual size. For width, Vans makes a wide version of the Authentic, Old Skool, Slip-On and Sk8-Hi.
Are Vans good for walking?
For a short walk, yes. For miles, the classics are the wrong shoe. RunRepeat’s reviewers wrote that you had better forget about walking or standing all day long in the Old Skool. The Knu Skool, they found, has essentially no cushioning to protect your feet on hard surfaces. Their Slip-On reviewer liked it for a whole day, but the lab did not measure its shock absorption, and its forefoot is 12.0 mm thick.
Vans’ own answer for walking is the UltraRange line. Vans says UltraRange shoes are good for walking, especially those with its UltraCush foam, and lists the UltraRange 2.0 at a 7 mm drop and 299 g in a size 9. No lab figures have been published for it, so that is Vans’ claim, not a measurement. For real distance, a walking shoe is still the better tool.
Do Vans have arch support?
The classics do not. Their footbeds are flat, and the Old Skool, Slip-On and Knu Skool have insoles that do not come out; RunRepeat notes that the Slip-On’s glued insole rules out custom orthotics. The Half Cab and the Sk8-Hi MTE-2 have removable insoles, so an arch support can go in their place.
Vans’ ComfyCush versions added softer foam, and a 2025 Vans blog claimed extra arch support for them. Vans now says ComfyCush has been phased out of the Classic lineup and remains in the Cruze and Lowland. Vans says most of its removable footbeds carry a brand mark, such as ComfyCush, UltraCush or PopCush. That mark is the quickest way to tell in a shop whether an insole will come out. Our insoles guide covers what to put in.
Are Vans good for wide feet?
Roomier at the toes than most Converse, tighter than a running shoe. At the big toe the four classics measured 68.6 to 69.9 mm, against a 68.7 mm average sneaker. At the widest point they measured 94.4 to 96.8 mm, against 92.4. So they are average at the toes and roomy across the ball of the foot. RunRepeat found the Knu Skool wider at its widest point than it usually sees in a D medium.
But average for a sneaker is narrow for a shoe. At the big toe, all four are narrower than about nine in ten of the running and walking shoes on our toe box width chart. Two are shallow too: the Old Skool’s toe box is 24.1 mm tall against a 27.7 average, and the Half Cab’s 23.0, which is where a hammertoe or a thick nail rubs.
Vans sells wide versions of the Authentic, Old Skool, Slip-On and Sk8-Hi. Vans says the wide sole is 5 mm wider and the fit around the ball of the foot 10 mm larger. RunRepeat adds that the Slip-On’s low instep can make it hard for a wide foot to get into. For skating, those Wides are lifestyle classics: Vans sells its Skate line in one width, and our wide skate shoes page has the one skate line sold in a 2E.
Can you run in Vans?
Not far. A heel that absorbs a little over a third of the average sneaker’s shock and a forefoot 11 to 14 mm thick are not running equipment. Run in a running shoe; our heel-to-toe drop chart compares the ones we hold figures for.
Are Vans good for lifting?
For squats and deadlifts on a healthy foot, a thin, flat sole keeps you close to the floor, which is why Vans are a gym favourite. Nothing about them suits box jumps or a class with running in it. If your heel hurts, see the weightlifting shoes for plantar fasciitis.
Who should think twice
- Heel pain or plantar fasciitis. A flat, thin heel with little shock absorption, and on the Old Skool and Slip-On the softest heel counter the lab rates. Walk in a supportive shoe for plantar fasciitis until it settles.
- Ball-of-foot pain, a Morton’s neuroma or a healing metatarsal. A thin, very flexible forefoot is the opposite of the stiff, cushioned rocker these need. See the shoes for metatarsalgia and Morton’s neuroma.
- Hammertoes or thick nails. The Old Skool and Half Cab have shallow toe boxes, which press on the knuckles and the nails.
- Flat feet. A flat footbed, and on most classics no way to add an arch support. Choose a model with a removable footbed, or a shoe built for flat feet for long days.
- Achilles pain. The classics measured 6 to 8 mm of drop, at or below the bottom of the 8 to 12 mm our drop chart suggests while the tendon is irritated.
- Diabetes or neuropathy. A thin sole protects little, and a fixed insole leaves no room for the custom insert at-risk diabetic feet often need. For daily wear, choose from the shoes for diabetics.
Which Vans are kindest to feet
- If you need an arch support: a model with a removable footbed. The lab found one in the Half Cab and the Sk8-Hi MTE-2, and Vans marks most of its removable footbeds.
- If you want to walk: the UltraRange line, which Vans designs for daily wear, or a proper walking shoe.
- If your foot is broad: the wide Authentic, Old Skool, Slip-On or Sk8-Hi.
- If you skate: the classics are fine for what they were made for. Just do not make them your work shoe.
Questions patients ask
Are Vans bad for your feet?
Not for skating or short wear on a healthy foot. The classics are thin, flat and very flexible, with little shock absorption, and most have insoles that do not come out. That makes them a poor choice for heel pain, ball-of-foot pain, flat feet or a day on your feet.
Do Vans run big or small?
True to size for most buyers, by RunRepeat’s reader polls. But the lab measured the Old Skool about 5 mm shorter inside than the average sneaker, so if you are between sizes, go up half a size.
Are Vans good for walking?
For short walks. RunRepeat’s lab found the Old Skool absorbed 31 SA of shock at the heel against an 87 average, and its reviewers advised against walking or standing all day in it. Vans’ walking line is the UltraRange, for which no lab figures have been published.
Do Vans have arch support?
The classics do not. The Old Skool, Slip-On and Knu Skool have fixed insoles; the Half Cab and Sk8-Hi MTE-2 have removable ones that an arch support can replace. Vans says most of its removable footbeds carry a brand mark such as ComfyCush, UltraCush or PopCush.
Are Vans good for wide feet?
For a sneaker they are average at the toes and roomy across the ball of the foot. But they are narrower at the big toe than most running shoes, and the Old Skool and Half Cab are shallow. Vans sells wide versions of the Authentic, Old Skool, Slip-On and Sk8-Hi, 5 mm wider at the sole and 10 mm larger around the ball of the foot.
Can you run in Vans?
Not far. The classics are thin and absorb little shock. Run in a running shoe.
Are Vans good for lifting?
For squats and deadlifts on a healthy foot, the thin, flat sole is a reasonable choice. They suit nothing that involves jumping or running.
Are Vans or Converse better for your feet?
Neither is built for a day on your feet. In RunRepeat’s lab the Chuck 70 absorbed twice the Old Skool’s heel shock, 66 SA against 31, but both fall well short of the 87 average. At the big toe, the classic Vans measure about average for a sneaker, while the Converse the lab has measured are narrow there, except the platform Run Star Hike. The Chuck 70’s insole comes out; most classic Vans’ do not. See our page on whether Converse are bad for your feet.
- RunRepeat lab reviews of the Old Skool, Slip-On, Knu Skool, Half Cab and Sk8-Hi MTE-2: stack, drop, shock absorption, flexibility, heel counter, toe box width and height, traction, insole; read September 2026.
- RunRepeat, Vans Authentic review: no lab measurements published.
- Vans, comfort shoes: ComfyCush phased out of the Classic lineup; how to recognise a removable footbed.
- Vans, “Everything you need to know about ComfyCush”, 19 February 2025.
- Vans, UltraRange shoes and UltraRange 2.0: walking, drop and weight as Vans states them.
- Vans, wide shoes: which models, and what the wide width adds.
- Our toe box width chart and heel-to-toe drop chart.
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