How to Make Skate Shoes Last Longer {According to the Pros!}

Wondering how to make skate shoes last longer? Need to know how to make the bottom of your skate shoes last longer? Tired of wearing down one sole of your skate shoes and having to replace them?

You’ve come to the right place! We have several tips & tricks that actual, pro skaters use to extend the life of their skate shoes. There are also simple fixes or repairs that can extend the life of your skate shoes a bit until you get another pair.

I hope you’ll stick around to hear about ALL the methods of making your skate shoes last longer but if you’re in a hurry here is the high level summary:

How to make skate shoes last longer SUMMARY

RAIL Grip Your Skateboard

Use Rubber grip tape Instead of ABrasive Grip Tape (LINK)

Use less “grippy” grip tape

Sand Down Pivot Area On your Grip Tape

Limit Foot Braking

Alternate your stance

Learn the “Switch”

Hop on your board, don’t Pivot

Wear Suede skate Shoes over Canvas Shoes

Whether you skate goofy or regular, chances are that you are going to wear out one skate shoe faster than the other. We’re all either right or left foot dominant so wearing out a shoe is going to happen eventually no matter what you do. This usually happens on your pushing foot but can also happen on your plant foot.

There are a few remedies or repairs for skate shoes that are at the end of their useful life to get a little bit more wear out of them until you can replace them. There are also some preventative measures you can take with your skateboard setup to make your skate shoes last longer.

How to Make Skate Shoes Last Longer- Prevention

Wear Suede skate Shoes over Canvas Shoes

Suede skate shoes will last longer than canvas shoes. I’ve been skating with Suede Vans Sk8 Hi for my entire skating career and it’s the only thing I wear. Canvas will get destroyed quickly with some of the most basic of skate tricks (like ollies). Suede skate shoes also break in more quickly, conform to your foot like a glove and are less stiff canvas shoes.

Use Rubber grip tape Instead of ABrasive Grip Tape

I’ve been skating on abrasive grip tape by whole life but there is actually better technology out there that will completely save the soles of your skate shoes. It’s called rubber grip tape. It’s non-abrasive and will make the soles of your plant foot last a lot longer. It takes a little bit of getting used to after decades of abrasive grip tape use but it does work.

Use less “grippy” grip tape

The type of grip tape used on your skateboard can definitely lead to premature skate shoe demise. If you want your skate shoes to last longer you can change out your super grippy tape for grip tape that isn’t so grippy. Low grit count tape is more grippy but harder on shoes. High grit count tape is less grippy but will extend the life of your shoes. Somewhere in the middle might be the best solution.

You should think of grip tape like sand paper. It can slowly grind away at the bottom of your skate shoes as you turn or move your feet on the board. Strong grip tape is like low grit count sandpaper (very rough)…and it WILL wear down your shoes faster. Opt for grip tape that isn’t as grippy and has the characteristics of high grit sandpaper (smoother).

Sand Down Pivot Area On your Grip Tape

Much of the wear on your skate shoes comes from pivoting your front foot on the grip tape during the transition from pushing to cruising. You can make this “pivot area” on your grip tape less “grippy” by sanding down this area with some sand paper.

RAIL Grip Your Skateboard

At the next opportunity you have you can complete a “rail grip” setup on your board. This basically means that you remove the entire middle section of grip tape on your skateboard leaving two strips along the rails of the skateboard.

Limit Foot Braking

I think quite a few of us use the foot brake (especially when your cruising around). Foot braking probably wears down skate shoes faster than grip tape which we previously discussed. You should always have this type of stop in your arsenal but limiting this can help your skate shoes last longer. Instead of foot braking, you can jump off the board or do a turn with your skateboard.

Alternate your stance

All skaters are usually right foot or left foot dominate but it really helps to extend the life of your skate shoes if you can ride both goofy and regular (especially when your just cruising). It’s fairly easy to learn how to cruise goofy and regular stance so this is one way to get more even wear on both of your shoes.

Learn the “Switch”

There is no way humanly possible for me to describe the switch adequately so just watch this very well composed video that shows you how to learn the switch. The switch will help minimize the grind on your skate shoe soles overall.

Hop on your board, don’t Pivot

Hopping to switch the forward will minimize the pivoting on the grip tape and wear on the bottom of your skate shoes. It’s an impressive trick AND it’ll extend the life of your shoes.

How to Make Skate Shoes Last Longer – REPAIRS

After many years of skating I’ve found some products that can extend the life of your shoes by a few weeks. They aren’t permanent fixes and your shoes will eventually give up the ghost…but these easy repairs will keep you skating until you can buy a new pair.

how to to repair holes in Skate Shoe soles

Most skate shoes will eventually wear out by developing a hole in the sole of the shoe from pushing, foot braking or pivoting with your skate shoes on grip tape. You can fill in this hole with Shoe Goo and smooth the Shoe Goo over with an unused gift card. It may feel like a wad of gum is stuck to the bottom of your shoe but this will buy you a little time before your next pair. You can also use shoe sole repair patches which is a bit less annoying than the wad of gum feeling that Shoe Goo gives you.

how to to repair a Separated skate shoe sole

This has never happened to me with Vans but there are other skate shoe brands out there that this could happen with. Again, grab your Shoe Goo and glue the sole back on. This repair will actually last you for quite awhile.

If the separation is just along the edge of the sole where it attaches to the upper part of your skate shoe you can use super glue or Shoe Goo if you have enough space between the sole and the uppers.

how to to repair skate shoe seam tears

If the separation is along a seam on the upper part of the shoe you can apply a blob of Shoe Goo over the outside of the shoe. This repair probably won’t last very long. Your best bet is to grab a heavy duty sewing needed and thread and re-sewing the seam together (an inexpensive upholstery needle kit is what we use). This will last a lot longer than applying Shoe Goo.

I hope you found some helpful ideas for how to make skate shoes last longer. Eventually you will have to replace your skate shoes but there are steps that you can take to make your shoes last much longer!

How to Make Skate Shoes LAST FAQS

How long do skate shoes last?

The answer strongly depends on how often you skate and how aggressively you skate. If you skate every day your skate shoes may last about 3 months. If you skate 3-4 times a week maybe 6 months. Bottom line is that you will have to replace skate shoes fairly often if you skate regularly. You can make your shoes last longer by implements some of the ideas we’ve shared in this article

What is the best skate shoe brand or model?

I personally only skate Suede Vans Sk8 Hi. I’ve tried many brands over the years and there just really isn’t any comparison when it comes to support, performance, life span AND PRICE. If you’re anything like me you’ll go through a few pairs of skate shoes every year and it’s important to find something affordable without sacrificing quality & performance.

What makes a good skate shoe?

A skateboarding shoe should have several important features for performance and comfort. First, a skate shoe should have good grip on the skate board. Next, it should have a durable and supportive construction to withstand the wear and tear of skateboarding and provide stability and protection for your feet and ankles. I personally ONLY believe in high top skate shoes because they provide the most amount of ankle protection. Skate shoes should have a comfortable foot pad (cushioning) to absorb impact. Finally, a skate shoe should have a flexible sole to allow for easy movement and a comfortable fit.

I personally only Suede Vans Sk8 Hi because they encompass ALL these important features. I’ve been skating on them for over 30 years and I know that they’ve prevented many potential ankle injuries.

How to break in a skate shoe?

All skate shoes have a break in period but some shoes have a longer break in period than others. Canvas skate shoes are really stiff out of the box and take longer to break in. Suede skate shoes (like Suede Vans Sk8 Hi) have a shorter break in period and eventually conform to the shape of your feet and ankles like a leather glove. There isn’t a way to quickly break in any skate shoe other than to ‘do the work’ to break them in….BUT you can purchase skate shoes that break in MORE quickly like the Suede Vans Sk8 Hi.