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I recently put my hands on both the Vans Old Skool and Vans Slip-On shoes so that I could compare them on comfort, sizing, and design. When comparing Vans Old Skool vs Slip On shoes, the obvious difference is the Old Skool is a lace-up design, and the Slip-On is not, but when you look closer, there are several other not-so-obvious design differences that may impact which style best fits your needs.
Quickly, this is what jumps out the most to me:
- Perhaps the biggest difference in design is the fact that the Vans Slip On shoes are made with a durable canvas upper, and although the Vans Old Skool shoes are also made with the canvas material, the Old Skool shoes have extra suede detailing over the toe, heel, and eyestay (eyelets).
- Both styles differ from Vans Authentic (which has no padding) because these styles use padding around the collar of the shoe.
- I found the sizing to be very similar. If you scroll down, later in the article I use my side-by-side comparison photos to compare the sizing of these Vans shoes to other popular brands (and to other types of Vans shoes).
- Both styles have the waffle rubber outsole with backside heel tab logo. The Vans Old Skool shoes feature the iconic “Sidestripe” logo.
- These two styles do differ on weight, but not by much. My Vans Old Skool shoes weigh 1.03 pounds per shoe and my Vans Slip On shoes weigh 0.99 pounds per shoe (based on a size 12 men’s shoe).
Both styles were originally designed to be performance skate shoes and debuted in the 1970’s.
I recently tried six different types of Vans shoes. Just to give you an idea where the Vans Slip-On and Vans Old Skool 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 Sk8-Hi | 1.15 | click here to view |
In this article let’s take a closer look at the Vans Old Skool vs Slip On 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.
Vans Old Skool vs Slip On 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 (read more about Vans shoe sizing).
Because they were originally built to be performance shoes, both the Vans Old Skool and Vans Slip On 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 photos of my Vans Old Skool vs Slip On sizing:
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 Slip On Sizing Comparison Photos
Below are the sizing photos I took for the Vans Slip On shoes compared to other brands (all shoes are size 12 men’s). I personally have found the Vans Slip On shoes to fit true to size with a snug design. They are sized consistently with other popular types of Vans shoes (Vans Old Skool vs Slip On sizing is basically the same).
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Nike Cortez
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Nike Cortez Women
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Vans Authentic
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Nike Blazer
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Nike Air Max Excee
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Nike Air Max 90
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Nike Air Max Womens
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Adidas Gazelle
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Adidas Busenitz
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Adidas Samba
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Adidas Nizza
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Adidas Superstars
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Converse Chucks
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Converse Chucks Womens
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Converse One Stars
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Converse Pro Leathers
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Crocs
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Crocs Women
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Hey Dude Wally
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Hey Dude Wendy
Vans Slip On Sizing vs New Balance 574
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Under Armour HOVR
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Under Armour Micro G Pursuit
Vans Slip On Sizing vs Adidas 2k Boost
Vans Old Skool Sizing Comparison Photos
Below are the sizing photos I took for my Vans Old Skool shoes compared to other brands (all shoes are size 12 men’s). I personally have found the Vans Old Skool shoes to fit true to size with a snug design. They are sized consistently with other popular types of Vans shoes (Vans Old Skool vs Slip On sizing is basically the same).
Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Converse Chucks
Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Converse Pro Leather
Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Converse One Stars
Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Adidas Superstars
Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Adidas Gazelles
Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Adidas Busenitz
Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Adidas Samba
Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Adidas Nizza
Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Hey Dude Wally
Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Nike Cortez
Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Nike Blazer
Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Nike Air Max Excee
Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Crocs
Vans Old Skool vs New Balance 574 Sizing
Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Under Armour Hovr
Vans Old Skool vs Vans Sk8-Hi Sizing
Vans Old Skool vs Adidas 2k Boost
Vans Old Skool vs Slip On Design
Slip-On vs Lace Up
The most obvious difference between these styles is Vans Old Skool is a lace-up design, which sits a bit higher on the foot:
Not only does the Vans Old Skool fit a bit higher and offer a more secure fit than the Vans Slip On shoes, the Old Skool actually sits higher and has more laces compared to other certain types of classic Vans low-top lace-up shoes.
For example, here are my Vans Old Skool shoes (right) compared to the Authentics:
Upper Material
Perhaps the biggest difference in Vans Old Skool vs Slip On design (other than laces) is the fact that the Vans Slip On shoes are made with a durable canvas upper, and although the Vans Old Skool shoes are also made with the canvas material, the Old Skool shoes have extra suede detailing over the toe, heel, and eyestay (eyelets).
Sidestripe Logo
The Vans Old Skool shoes have the iconic “Sidestripe” logo and the Vans Slip On shoes do not (Vans Slip on does have the Vans tag on the side). Here is a look at the side of both:
Heel Tab Logo
Both styles have the iconic heel tab logo:
Rubber Waffle Outsole
When comparing the Vans Old Skool vs Slip On shoes, they both have the rubber waffle outsole which Vans is famous for. Here is a look at the outsole of my Vans Old Skool and Vans Slip On:
Padded Collar
One thing that makes the Vans Old Skool and Vans Slip On shoes stand out from the Vans Authentic shoes is both the Old Skool and Slip On have padding around the collar of the shoe.
Performance Shoes
Both styles were originally designed to be low-top performance skate/BMX shoes. As we discussed, both styles debuted in the 1970’s.
Because they were originally built to be performance shoes, both the Vans Old Skool and Vans Slip On shoes have this narrow, snug fit. I found the sizing of these two styles to be practically the same.
Weight
When I weighed all the popular styles of Vans shoes, I found the Vans Old Skool and Vans Slip On shoes to be two of the heaviest. My Vans Old Skool shoes weigh 1.03 pounds per shoe and my Vans Slip On shoes 0.99 pounds per shoe (based on a size 12 men’s shoe).
To see how these shoes compared to other styles of Vans shoes regarding weight, visit my article about how much Vans weigh.
Other Vans Shoes to Consider
In this article we compared the Vans Old Skool vs Slip On shoes. If you want to read about other Vans shoes, visit our articles linked below:
- Vans Authentic Sizing
- Vans EVDNT Sizing
- Vans UltraRange Sizing
- Vans Sk8-Hi Sizing
- Vans vs Converse Shoes
- Vans vs Adidas Shoes
- Vans vs Hey Dudes
- Vans Authentic vs Old Skool
- Vans Sk8-Hi vs Old Skool
- Vans Authentic Compared to Era
My Vans Old Skool vs Slip On Conclusion
Both the Vans Old Skool and Slip On were originally designed to be performance skate shoes. The Vans Old Skool is a lace up design, and the Slip-On, as the name would suggest, is not.
Perhaps the biggest difference in Vans Old Skool vs Slip On design is the fact that the Vans Slip On is made with a durable canvas upper, and although the Vans Old Skool also uses the canvas material for the upper, it also has suede detailing over the toe, heel, and eyestay (eyelets).
Both styles differ from Vans Authentic (which has no padding) because these styles use padding around the collar. To tongue on the Old Skool is also padded.
Both styles have the waffle rubber outsole with backside heel tab logo. But the Old Skool has the iconic sidestrip Vans logo, and the Slip On does not.
Regarding sizing, my recommendation is to order your normal shoe size, but do not expect a loose fit. If you prefer a loose fit, you may need to size up. These shoes have a narrow, snug design.
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).