Shoe fly, don’t bother me
There are few things I buy more than shoes. They litter my floor like tiny land mines. They pour out of my closet (and the reason my doors fell off). In a Home Alone situation, I could probably set up a trap that would comically bury the wet bandits in a pile of shoes. I will visit a Vans or Nike outlet any chance I get. Oddly enough, I don’t consider myself a “sneakerhead.” I don’t like to go out to dates wearing my steezy Jordan’s or flex my drip at family gatherings. In fact, I usually don’t wear shoes unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Floppers, flippy floppies, thongs (my family used to call them that). I’m a flip flop guy. I get one pair when I go to Pismo and usually blow them out by the next year (I think my right leg is like a touch longer so sometimes I trip on slightly raised cracks, weakening and then snapping the fabric that fits in my toe gap). If its summer and I’m not working, my toesies are soaking up the sun. Practically any time I’m in shorts, I’m in floppers (I don’t wear them with pants, it just feels weird).
Unfortunately, there are 2 caveats to the flippy floppy life (3 if you count the urge to wear Crocs, because they’re just so darn neat). One is the weather. Sometimes California can get a little crisp in our one week of winter, so I transition over to boots and thick socks. The second is the need to look presentable. If I went to an anniversary dinner in flip flops I’d get shot (luckily it’s in November so it falls under pant week). Of course the other place where I have to look presentable is at work. I have to keep my forelegs hidden behind a veil of trouser while teaching, so naturally that means my toesies are locked away as well.
Luckily as a teacher, “professional dress” includes comfy shoes so I can move around the classroom and teach (don’t tell them that I sit behind a desk all day since I meet about half my kids online and the in person kids one on one). Through my years subbing, I had many different shoes: slip on Vans, Tom’s (that was a dark time), various Nike trainers. I am not the lightest person on earth and if I don’t have support, then I am not going to be able to spend a whole lot of time on my feet. One fateful journey to the Vans outlet later…
I won’t say I’m in love (do dooot do dooot)
Design-
The Vans UltraRange Sneaker looks like you saw a trainer from Nike and Adidas and described it to someone who has only seen and owned Vans. They are simple. They have a mostly white foam bottom similar to Adidas cloud foam, but styled to reminisce classic Vans, like the textured front rubberish strip that nearly all pairs have. The upper is made from a thin breathable fabric with tactic deployment of felt for heel support, padding for comfort around the ankle, and vinyl around the eyelets and toes for wear resistance when you drop some sick kick flips. Of course the classic Vans swoop is there, along with the (sometimes) red signature heel tag.
Comfort-
Never have I had a shoe fit so perfect. The fabric contours my feet instead of trapping them. I usually get bothered by shoes that are too narrow and push on my pinky toe. In these, my toes can spread out like 5 little carrots (maybe 4 and a brussel sprout if you want to get technical) on a big plate.
They are amazing walking shoes and support my weight when standing in one place for too long. They are grippy enough for any slippery surface I’ve come across as well (you could say that’s not really a comfort thing, but not falling and breaking all of my bones is pretty comfortable in my eyes). They have padding right around my dainty ankles (very proud of them, it’s why I wear shorts a lot) that helps cushion my movements and keeps them away from any sharp edges.
The Gripes-
The only issue I have with these shoes is their laces. The shoes have colored matching laces that seem to get kinda frumpy looking after a while. They seem to be the only area that Vans let slide. A nice quality white shoelace would bring them more in like with classic Vans style anyways. You could also solve this issue by just buying the slip on version, since tying shoes is a relic of the past.
The Final Verdict
I am absolutely addicted to these shoes. I would own a pair in every color if I could (and boy am I trying). Of course, I have many other Vans that are similarly comfortable. Sometimes I wear Kyle Walker Pro’s because they have a strap and I’m not in the mood to tie shoes that day. I have a couple of high tops as well and even just got a new pair of high top UltraRange’s. I know a lot of people forego Vans because their classic styles may not fit well and whatever they’ve done to their current slip-ons makes them oddly tight. However, these don’t fit like any Vans I’ve had before, for better or worse.
Price wise, you can find them for as low as $20 at the outlet, otherwise they’re around $70. They’re worth that price if you find a color you just can’t pass up. Finding the color you want for $20 at the outlet though? That’s the dream.
The Ultra Ranges come in pretty much any color you imagine. I have them in red, yellow, orange, mint, and light blue, with more to come. I also have a slip-on pair in some wild limited design that looks like I hit random on the custom Vans site. There are a pair of Ultra Ranges for everyone.
Also if you find the purple pair in size 13, please let me know, I love you in advance.
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