Vans Vault x Filson Sk8-Hi (review!)

Nov 24 10 under Reviews, Vault | Comments Off

Once again, it’s time for another Vans review. This time, going with one of the best releases of this year from Vans Vault, and one of the better collaborations on the seemingly endless list of past projects. You may still be able to find these at your local Vault dealer, but they are surely not fully stocked. This is the kind of shoe that sits on the shelf for a little while, but steadily starts to disappear. The reasons are not clear. Perhaps the higher price tag? People may be saving up for these, being that they run typically $40 higher than the average Sk8-hi, and $20 higher than the average Vault Sk8-hi. The Filson slogan reads, “Might as well have the best!”, meaning that the price may be a bit higher, but it’s well worth it. If you don’t believe it, then check out the recent video over on offthewall.tv, where you can learn all about the Filson history, and the back story for this project.

The sk8-hi is constructed with the signature Filson canvas, and bridle leather material, in their signature brown colors. You’d be hard pressed to find a finer leather than this, on a pair of Vans. The shoes have a rustic look and feel, and wearing these over time, the leather and canvas will break in, and will probably look better than it does now! Will I dare break these in? I really should. The tongue is stamped with the Filson branding, and the tongue backing has a large “Genuine Filson Garment” tag of authenticity. The removable padded insert does as well, on the heel. I’ve taken a few up close shots for you all to get a better idea of the materials and craftsmanship on these, and I hope you like them as much as I do!

OTWS stickers featured on StickerFly

Nov 15 10 under Reviews | Comments Off

I just wanted to give a shout out to Custom Sticker Maker’s StickerFly blog for featuring our sticker on their company blog, where they feature a few of their customers’ sticker designs. The company that I ordered our stickers from, CustomStickerMakers.com, was a perfect fit for us, being that we didn’t need a large run of stickers made, and they were able to print photo printed stickers with ease. They were also able to turn my design into a die-cut sticker for a great price, and the stickers were shipped to me in a week, after I submitted the artwork to them. Great company, great service, great follow-up and feedback, and best of all, cheaper than all of the other “small print run” companies out there. Check them out, and get some stickers made from them!

Vans x Carhartt Authentic (review with detailed pics!)

Nov 12 10 under Collaborations, Reviews | Comments Off

Anyone who slept on these Carhartt Authentics might be disappointed after this review. It’s no surprise that press pics don’t always show the best attributes of a sneaker, and that words alone won’t determine if a person will buy that shoe, or not. So many times we hear, “this shoe looks much better in person”, even if the person saying it, is obviously trying to justify their purchase of an unpopular shoe. I don’t want to tell you that you need this shoe, because it may go with nothing that you wear, or you could care less about wearing Authentics, but I believe that these pics will help you determine if it’s a “must cop”, or an “easy pass”, as the people like to label kicks these days. A few years back, Carhartt teamed up with Vans, for a Chukka, and a Half Cab, that were constructed in their popular duck canvas material. I believe the shoe was ahead of the trend for the season it was released, and that’s why it wasn’t an instant seller when it released, even though it was fairly limited. This time may be different, because the colors chosen for this release, fall right in with the most popular colors that other brands are going with as well. The timing is right for this release, and I don’t see just Vans collectors, and sneakerheads picking these up. It’s definitely in the running for top 10 releases of the year, in my book. Check out the pics, for some nice detailed shots of the suede, and ripstop nylon fabric, as well as the insulated lining that will keep your feet warm when you’re out there sitting in the cold, lined up for that next sneaker release!