Vans Era vs Authentic Compared [What’s the Difference?]

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The Vans Era and Authentic are both low-top performance shoes, but if you take a closer look at the Vans Old Era vs Authentic shoes, you find several differences in design that may affect which style is best for you. Quickly, this is what jumps out the most to me:

Perhaps the biggest difference in design is the fact that the Vans Era has padding around the collar, and the Vans Authentic does not have padding around the collar.

Another popular Vans low-top shoe is the Vans Old Skool. One thing the Vans Old Skool has that the Vans Era and Vans Authentic do not have is the iconic sidestripe logo. Click here to view the Vans Old Skool shoes at Vans.com (paid affiliate link takes you to Vans.com).

Both styles were originally designed to be low-top performance skate shoes. The Vans Authentic debuted successfully in the 1960’s. The Vans Era debuted later in the 1970’s as a sort of updated take on the Authentic.

I found the sizing to be very similar. Both shoes fit true to size, but have the snug design that is common for Vans skate shoes. This is where you can see the side-by-side sizing photos I took to compare the sizing of these shoes.

Both styles have the waffle rubber outsole with backside heel tab logo. They both are made with durable canvas uppers and feature the thick, supportive midsole common to Vans skate shoes.

I did find a difference in weight (but the weight is similar). My size 12 Vans Authentic weigh 0.98 pounds per shoe and my size 12 Vans Era 0.98 pounds per shoe.

I recently tried six different types of Vans shoes. Just to give you an idea where the Vans Authentic and Vans Era compare to other styles regarding weight, I listed all of the weights below (weights based off one size 12 men’s shoe):

*Shoe*	Weight (lbs)	*Photo*
Vans UltraRange	0.63	click here to view
Vans EVDNT UW	0.87	click here to view
Vans Authentic	0.98	click here to view
Vans Slip On	0.99	click here to view
Vans Old Skool	1.03	click here to view
Vans Era	1.05	click here to view
Vans Sk8-Hi	1.15	click here to view

In this article let’s take a closer look at the Vans Authentic vs Era so you can decide which style might be best for you. I will use specific sizing photos that I have comparing these styles to other popular types of shoes so you can feel more confident you are ordering the right size.

Table of Contents

Vans Era vs Authentic History

The Vans Authentic is the most original design. This was the first Vans heritage silhouette to feature the iconic waffle outsole. Present day, the Authentic is offered in a wide range of colors and designs.

This shoe was originally introduced in the 1960’s (it was first known as “style 44”), and because it was such a popular style, other styles of Vans were birthed from small tweaks made to this original Vans Authentic design.

The Vans Era was introduced in the 1970’s, and it was the first skate shoe to actually be designed by skateboarders. Because of that, it has one very important design difference when compared to the Authentic: a padded collar area.

Vans Era vs Authentic Collar

Perhaps the biggest difference between the Vans Era and Authentic is the collar. The Vans Authentic collar is not padded. Here’s a look at mine:

The Vans Era collar is padded to provide cushioned support around the ankle. Here’s a look at mine:

This is what makes the Era so popular is it has a very similar design to the Authentic, but has the extra padding for a more comfortable fit.

Vans Era vs Authentic Outsole

Both the Vans Era and the Vans Authentic have the iconic rubber waffle outsole.

Here is the Vans Authentic:

Here is the Vans Era:

Vans Era vs Authentic Weight

Because the Vans Era has the extra padding, it does weigh a bit more than the Authentic.

Here were the results when we weighed seven of Vans’ most classic styles, including the Era and Authentic (weight is based off one size 12 men’s shoe):

*Shoe*	Weight (lbs)
Vans UltraRange EXO	0.63
Vans EVDNT UltimateWaffle	0.87
Vans Authentic	0.98
Vans Slip On	0.99
Vans Old Skool	1.03
Vans Era	1.05
Van Sk8-Hi	1.15
TOTAL AVERAGE	0.96

Vans Era vs Authentic Logo

The Vans Era and Authentic do not have the sidestripe logo. For example, here is the sidestripe logo on the Vans Old Skool:

The Vans Era and Authentic do not have a side logo:

They do, however, have the rear heel tab logo. Here is the heel tab on the Vans Era:

And here is the heel tab on the Vans Authentic:

Vans Era vs Authentic Height

I found the Vans Era and Authentic to have basically the same height. Here are mine sitting next to each other:

Both my Vans Era and my Vans Authentic have five metal lace eyelets.

Vans Era vs Authentic Material

Both the Era and the Authentic are made using a durable canvas upper material.

Comparing the Vans Era & Authentic Sizing

In my experience regarding Vans sizing, all classic types of Vans shoes have a narrow, snug design. I order my normal sizing, but if you prefer a looser fit, you may need to size up.

Because they were originally built to be low-top performance shoes, both the Vans Era and Vans Authentic have this narrow, snug fit. I found the sizing of these two styles to be practically the same.

Here is my side-by-side comparison photo of my Vans Era vs Authentic sizing (Authentic on left):

Here is my side-by-side comparison photo of a women’s Vans Era vs Authentic sizing (Authentic on right):

Again, I ordered my normal sizing, but don’t expect a loose fit. It might be best to verify your sizing using the link below that takes you to Vans.com sizing tutorial which which matches your foot size to a Vans shoe size.

***Verify Your Size***: Vans.com now has its own sizing tutorial which matches your foot size to a Vans shoe size. Click here to view it at Vans.com (paid affiliate link takes you to Vans.com).

Also, if you are looking for quick Vans sizing advice and don’t want to browse through all the comparison photos on this page, then this quick video below just summarizes my thoughts regarding how Vans fit:

Vans Era Sizing Comparison Photos

Below are the sizing photos I took for the Vans Era shoes compared to other brands (all shoes are size 12 men’s).

I personally have found the Vans Era shoes to fit true to size with a snug design. They are sized consistently with other popular types of Vans shoes (Vans Era vs Authentic sizing is basically the same).

Vans Era* (right)* vs New Balance 574 Sizing

Vans Era vs Converse Pro Leather Sizing

Vans Era* vs Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars Sizing*

Vans Era* vs Adidas Gazelle Sizing*

Vans Era* vs Adidas Superstars Sizing*

Vans Era* Sizing* vs Nike Cortez

Vans Era* vs Nike Blazer Sizing*

***Verify Your Sizing: I think these Vans Era shoes fit true to size with a snug design, but every foot is unique. Vans.com now has its own sizing tutorial which matches your foot size to a Vans shoe size. Click here to view this Vans sizing guide available at Vans.com to verify your correct size (affiliate link takes you to Vans.com).

Vans Era* vs Nike Air Max 90 Sizing*

Vans Era* vs Nike Air Force 1 Sizing*

Vans Era* vs Crocs Sizing*

Vans Era* vs Hey Dude Sizing*

Vans Era* vs New Balance Numeric Sizing*

Vans Era* vs Reebok Classic Sizing*

Vans Era* vs Saucony Shadow 6000 Sizing*

Vans Era* vs Slip On Sizing*

Vans Era* vs UltraRange Sizing*

Vans Era* vs Old Skool Sizing*

Vans Era* vs Sk8-Hi Sizing*

Vans Authentic Sizing Comparison Photos

Below are the sizing photos I took for the Vans Authentic shoes compared to other brands (all shoes are size 12 men’s). I personally have found the Vans Authentic shoes to fit true to size with a snug design. They are sized consistently with other popular types of Vans shoes.

Vans Authentic vs Air Jordan 1 Sizing

Vans Authentic vs Nike Dunk Sizing

Vans Authentic vs Nike Air Force 1 Sizing

vans-authentic-sizing-vs-nike-air-force-1

Vans Authentic vs Nike Air Max 90 Sizing

Vans Authentic vs Nike SB Force 58 Sizing

vans-authentic-sizing-vs-nike-sb-force-58

Vans Authentic vs Etnies Marana Michelin Sizing

Vans Authentic vs Nike SB Chron 2 Sizing

vans-authentic-sizing-vs-nike-sb-chron-2

***Verify Your Sizing: I think these Vans Authentic shoes fit true to size, but every foot is unique. Vans.com now has its own sizing tutorial which matches your foot size to a Vans shoe size. Click here to view this Vans sizing guide available at Vans.com to verify your correct size (affiliate link takes you to Vans.com).

Vans Authentic vs Reebok Club C Sizing

Vans Authentic vs Nike Cortez Sizing

Vans Authentic vs DC Court Graffik Sizing

Vans Authentic vs New Balance Numeric 272 Sizing

Vans Authentic vs Adidas Superstar Sizing

vans-authentic-sizing-vs-adidas-superstar

Vans Authentic vs K-Swiss Classic Sizing

Vans Authentic vs Crocs Sizing

Vans Authentic vs Converse Chucks Sizing

vans-authentic-sizing-vs-converse-chuck-taylor-all-stars

Vans Authentic Sizing vs Nike Court Vision

Vans Authentic vs Reebok Classic Sizing

Vans Authentic vs New Balance 550 Sizing

vans-authentic-sizing-vs-new-balance-550

Vans Authentic vs Nike Blazer Sizing

Vans Authentic vs Converse Pro Leather Sizing

vans-authentic-sizing-vs-converse-pro-leather

Vans Authentic vs Hey Dude Sizing

Vans Authentic Sizing vs Vans Sk8-Hi

Vans Authentic vs Vans Old Skool Shoe Sizing

Vans Authentic vs Vans Slip On Shoe Sizing

Vans Authentic vs Vans Ultrarange EXO Shoe Sizing

Other Vans Shoes to Consider

In this article we compared the Vans Era vs Authentic shoes. If you want to read about other Vans shoes, visit our articles linked below:

My Vans Era vs Authentic Conclusion

Ultimately, these two styles are very similar. The Authentic is Vans’ most original design. It was the first Vans heritage silhouette to feature the iconic waffle outsole. Present day, both styles are offered in a wide range of colors and designs.

The Vans Era debuted later in the 1970’s. It was the first Vans skate shoe to be designed by skateboarders. It was designed very similarly to the Authentic, only it features a padded collar for extra support and cushioning around the ankle.

Both the Vans Era and Vans Authentic features 5 metal lace eyelets. I found the overall height of the shoes to be basically the same. Both are made with durable canvas uppers and feature the iconic Vans rubber waffle outsole and thick supportive midsole.

I found the sizing and fit of the Vans Era and the Vans Authentic to be very similar. Both fit true to size, but have the same snug fit that is common with Vans skate shoes. Do not expect these shoes to fit wide.

To order wide Vans sizing, you actually need to go to the Vans “Custom” page, where you can make custom changes which include ordering custom wide shoes. Click here to view the custom wides available at Vans.com (affiliate link takes you to Vans.com).