Vans Old Skool vs Slip On Shoes Compared [What’s the Difference?]


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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):

ShoeWeight (lbs)Photo
Vans UltraRange 0.63click here to view
Vans EVDNT UW0.87click here to view
Vans Authentic 0.98click here to view
Vans Slip On0.99click here to view
Vans Old Skool 1.03click here to view
Vans Sk8-Hi1.15click 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.

Table of Contents

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:

vans-old-skool-vs-slip-on-shoes
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

slip-on-vans-vs-nike-cortez

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Nike Cortez Women

slip-on-vans-vs-nike-cortez-women

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Vans Authentic

slip-on-vans-vs-authentic

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Nike Blazer

slip-on-vans-vs-nike-blazer

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Nike Air Max Excee

slip-on-vans-vs-nike-air-max-excee

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Nike Air Max 90

slip-on-vans-vs-nike-air-max-90

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Nike Air Max Womens

slip-on-vans-vs-nike-air-max-women

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Adidas Gazelle

slip-on-vans-vs-adidas-gazelle

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Adidas Busenitz

vans-slip-on-sizing-vs-adidas-busenitz

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Adidas Samba

vans-slip-on-sizing-vs-adidas-samba

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Adidas Nizza

vans-slip-on-sizing-vs-adidas-nizza

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Adidas Superstars

slip-on-vans-vs-adidas-superstar

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Converse Chucks

slip-on-vans-vs-converse-chucks

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Converse Chucks Womens

slip-on-vans-vs-converse-chucks-women

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Converse One Stars

vans-slip-on-sizing-vs-converse-one-stars

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Converse Pro Leathers

slip-on-vans-vs-converse-pro-leather

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Crocs

slip-on-vans-vs-crocs

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Crocs Women

slip-on-vans-vs-crocs-women

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Hey Dude Wally

slip-on-vans-vs-hey-dude

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Hey Dude Wendy

hey-dude-wendy-sox-sizing-vs-vans

Vans Slip On Sizing vs New Balance 574

slip-on-vans-vs-new-balance-574

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Under Armour HOVR

slip-on-vans-vs-under-armour

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Under Armour Micro G Pursuit

slip-on-vans-vs-under-armour-women

Vans Slip On Sizing vs Adidas 2k Boost

slip-on-vans-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-shoe-vs-converse-chucks

Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Converse Pro Leather

vans-old-skool-sizing-vs-converse-pro-leathers

Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Converse One Stars

vans-old-skool-sizing-vs-converse-one-stars

Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Adidas Superstars

vans-old-skool-sizing-vs-adidas-superstars

Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Adidas Gazelles

vans-old-skool-sizing-vs-adidas-gazelle

Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Adidas Busenitz

vans-old-skool-sizing-vs-adidas-busenitz

Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Adidas Samba

vans-old-skool-sizing-vs-adidas-samba

Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Adidas Nizza

vans-old-skool-sizing-vs-adidas-nizza

Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Hey Dude Wally

vans-old-skool-shoe-vs-hey-dude

Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Nike Cortez

vans-old-skool-sizing-vs-nike-cortez

Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Nike Blazer

vans-old-skool-sizing-vs-nike-blazer

Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Nike Air Max Excee

vans-old-skool-shoe-vs-nike-air-max

Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Crocs

vans-old-skool-shoe-vs-crocs-sizing

Vans Old Skool vs New Balance 574 Sizing

vans-old-skool-shoe-vs-new-balance-sizing

Vans Old Skool Sizing vs Under Armour Hovr

vans-old-skool-shoe-vs-under-armour-sizing

Vans Old Skool vs Vans Sk8-Hi Sizing

vans-old-skool-vs-sk8-hi

Vans Old Skool vs Adidas 2k Boost

vans-old-skool-shoe-vs-adidas-boost-sizing

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:

slip-on-vans-vs-old-skool

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:

vans-old-skool-vs-authentic-laces

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).

slip-on-vans-vs-old-skool-material
slip-on-vans-vs-old-skool-heel

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:

logo-vans-old-skool-sidestripe
slip-on-vans-side

Heel Tab Logo

Both styles have the iconic heel tab logo:

vans-old-skool-logo
slip-on-vans-heel

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:

vans-old-skool-shoes-outsole

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.

vans-old-skool-padded-collar
slip-on-vans-padded-collar

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.

vans-old-skool-vs-slip-on-shoes

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:


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).

Paul Johnson

Paul is a lead content creator for Workwear Command. He has had several blue-collar jobs which have provided him a wide range of experience with tools and gear. He also has a business degree and has spent time in business casual office settings.

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