The Best Skate Shoes For Wide Feet

You’re probably coming to this page after trying on far too many skate shoes that felt too tight, crammed your toes, or just hurt your feet after a couple of hours of skating. Admittedly, most skate shoes aren’t catered toward wide feet, but I’m happy to tell you that not all is lost.

After skating dozens of skate shoes over the last decade, there are a few stand-out shoes that give your feet room to breathe. Although I originally had a list of 10 shoes for this guide, I slimmed it down to the best 4 based on style, board feel, durability, and overall comfort.

Because even if a skate shoe is wide, you don’t want to wear it if it’s butt ugly and clunky to skate in.

Each of these shoes offers different advantages to your skateboarding, but above all, they let you skate longer without foot pain, so you can finally focus on landing that new trick.

Let’s jump in!

The Best Skate Shoes For Wide Feet

1. Etnies Marana

The Marana is one of the most comfortable and protective skate shoes you can buy. Its toe box is relatively wide and boxier than other skate shoes, offering much-needed room for wider feet. From the mid-shoe to the toe, it’s a relatively even width, so there aren’t any weird pressure points or rubbing.

Since this is a cupsole shoe, the impact protection is fantastic. When sessioning stairs and drops, your feet don’t feel as bruised, and landing primo sucks just a little bit less.

Even if skating big features isn’t your thing, these shoes also help boost your confidence while skating more low-impact features like ledges and flat bars.

Etnies and Michelin (as in the tire company) teamed up to create the outsole of this shoe, and it’s truly one of the most durable and grippy outsoles you can find. Unlike shoes with thinner outsoles, the grip of this shoe will feel the same up until its final days.

I’ve found the rubber Etnies uses in their shoes to make me feel more confident that my feet will stay where I want them on the board. While skating bowl, this is very reassuring.

The toe of this shoe has a rubber overlay on top of the suede that definitely takes some time to get through. Due to that extra rubber, kickflips feel super responsive, but that feeling gradually changes as you wear into the suede beneath. The ollie point of these shoes is not as well reinforced, so that will be the first area you start to see some wear.

Ultimately this is a great all-around shoe that looks great for casual wear, feels comfortable while skating long sessions, and is super durable. They are stiffer than vulcanized skate shoes, but they break in relatively fast to give a natural board feel.

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2. Vans Sk8 Hi Pro

The Sk8 Hi Pros have a toe box that’s a wide oval shape and fits your toes naturally without forcing them to a point like more narrow skate shoes. Compared to the low-top equivalent of these shoes (the Vans Old Skools), these shoes are noticeable wider across the whole shoe, particularly in the forefoot.

So even if you’ve tried other Vans without success in the past, these are still worth a shot.

These shoes come in Classic and Pro versions (the Pros are recommended here), and it’s important that you choose the right one. The Classics look very similar but are made of canvas and lack reinforced areas around the toe. Long story short, you will rip through them in a session or two of skating.

With the Pros, you get Vans Duracap which is a rubber underlay beneath the suede toe. That extra material makes it harder to blow a hole through the shoe and makes them more durable overall.

The Pros also have Vans Popcush, which is like a memory foam insole that’s surprisingly good at taking impacts and feels super comfy to walk around in.

With that said, these shoes are vulcanized, which means the sole is thinner and has less impact protection compared to the other shoes on this list. With that trade-off, you end up getting a way better board feel that is going to be better for any beginner to intermediate skater.

If you decide to go with these, it’s a good idea to go up 1/2 a size with wider feet.

These are high-top skate shoes, so they are a bit heavier and take some getting used to if you’ve never skated them before. However, they give you that extra ankle padding to save your ankles from a board and make knee slides in a bowl feel a little more secure.

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3. Etnies JOSL1N

The JOSL1N is another wide shoe from Etnies that’s also an insanely good tech skate shoe. Similar to the Marana, these have the Michelin sole that’s mind-blowingly grippy, and it doesn’t wear down nearly as fast as other shoe brands.

Since these are a cupsole shoe, they have amazing impact protection too.

Most of this impact technology is in the midsole since the insoles are relatively flat and uninspiring. I am a big fan of this since you still get a responsive and reactive shoe without risking heel bruises. However, if you wanted to feel like you’re walking on a memory foam pillow, don’t get your hope up with these stock insoles.

The outsole of this particular shoe is noticeably lighter weight and more flexible than other Michelin outsoles. It also has a deeper tread pattern than most skate shoes which I found to grip better even on smooth concrete at the skatepark.

This shoe is completely suede so that no matter where you tend to wear down your shoes, the upper holds up well.

A rubber underlay completely reinforces the toe to improve the overall durability too.

Compared to other Etnies, this is a very stiff shoe that takes some getting used to. However, after a few sessions, it breaks in and forms around your foot well.

If you want a comfortable wide skate shoe that will hold up for the long run, this is a great option.

If you want a more flexible and bulk-free shoe, this isn’t for you.

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4. eS Accel Slim

The eS Accel is nice and wide around the mid-foot, then narrows towards the toe slightly, making it uncomfortable if you have bigger toes.

No judgments about your toes, just stating the facts here.

If toes aren’t an issue, then this shoe is a good final option to look at since it’s made of all suede with extra material and triple stitching around the toe.

Despite not having the usual rubber-backed suede of other skate shoes, the extra suede around the toe takes some serious time to rip through. You won’t see a hole in these for at least a couple of months into skating them.

These are cupsole shoes which generally means there is less board feel but better impact protection. However, the outsole is very thin with these shoes (hence “Slim” in the name) and skating any drops or higher-impact features are guaranteed to hurt your feet. Landing primo in these doesn’t feel as protected as most cupsole skate shoes either.

Despite the downside, that slim sole has the advantage of having a way better board feel. Tricks feel responsive to flick, and you feel more connected to your board in these shoes. Almost like you’re wearing a vulcanized shoe.

The rubber outsole around the toe is more squared off than the usual rounded rubber edge, which makes these shoes have a really easy and consistent flick. The rest of the outsole and the tread is relatively average, with grip that’s nothing unique to other skate shoes.

Ultimately this is a shoe that’s not great for impacts but is super durable, flexible, and something you can comfortably skate in without your feet being in pain.

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What Is Considered A Wide Foot?

If you’re unsure whether you truly have wide feet, you can measure the width based on your shoe size. Below is a chart to help you determine the width rating of your foot based on common US shoe sizes.

Shoe Size (US)	Medium Width (IN)	Wide Width (IN)	Extra Wide (IN)
8	3 9/16″	3 11/16″	3 13/16″
8.5	3 5/8″	3 3/4″	3 7/8″
9	3 11/16″	3 13/16″	3 15/16″
9.5	3 3/4″	3 7/8″	4″
10	3 3/4″	3 7/8″	4″
10.5	3 7/8″	4″	4 1/8″
11	3 15/16″	4 1/16″	4 3/16″
12	4 1/16″	4 3/16″	4 5/16″

Shoes are typically manufactured in what’s known as Medium Width (B), but there are shoes in Wide (E), Extra Wide (EE), 2X Wide (EEE), and so on. These letter ratings are more common in work boots and are rarely seen with skate shoes. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a skate shoe rated EE, which is why you might feel squished in all skate shoes if you have very wide feet.

To check the width of your feet, stand on a flat hard surface and measure the width of the widest part of your foot. Be sure to measure both feet since it’s not uncommon for each foot to be slightly different widths.

What Brand Of Skate Shoes Is Best For Wide Feet?

If you had to only look at one skate brand to fit a wider foot, Etnies has the most options. Etnies tend to have more bulky shoes, but they don’t lack quality or feel to skate in. Unlike other brands with wider skate shoes, such as DVS or DC, Etnies look better for casual wear and feel better when flicking tricks overall.

Is Lakai Good For Wide Feet?

Many people recommend going with Lakai Griffins or Lakai Manchesters for wide feet, but the toe box of both these shoes is quite pointed. Most people with wide feet tend to have a boxier-shaped foot which doesn’t bode well for the toe box of Lakai’s. Even though Lakai’s are notorious for stretching out and shaping well to your foot, they still won’t be as comfortable for your wide feet compared to the options mentioned in this list above.

Ultimately, I would recommend avoiding Lakai’s since they’ll make your toes feel squished against their more pointed toe boxes.

Should You Size Up When You Have Wide Feet?

If you are between two sizes, going up a size in any skate shoe will certainly prevent you from feeling squished in your skate shoes. It’s also a good idea to size up if you would consider yourself to be extremely wide-footed. Fortunately, all of the shoes mentioned above already have a wider shape, so going true to size for a slightly wider foot won’t be a problem.

So What Skate Shoe Should You Choose?

If you’re still not sure which shoe to get, I would highly suggest the Etnies Marana or the Vans Sk8 Hi Pros. They both are super comfortable for everyday wear, but they also kick butt to skate in.

Shoe	Specs	Our Rating	Where To Buy
	Nike SB Blazer Mid	Extremely durable sole & upper Are very grippy with a good board feel Laces hold up well Has a consistent flick for the shoe's lifespan	Check Price On AmazonFind At Tactics Boardshop
	Nike SB Shane	Are super lightweight with amazing board feel Look awesome for casual & skate wear Extremely responsive  Has a durable no-stitch suede toe cap	Check Price On AmazonFind At Tactics Boardshop
	Nike SB Nyjah Free 2.0	Surprisingly durable with 360° rubber on the upper Has a very consistent flick from day one Are very lightweight and breathable with mesh panels Are extremely comfortable for skating and everyday wear	Check Price On AmazonFind At Tactics Boardshop
	Nike SB Ishod Wair	Keeps a consistent flick Is a cupsole with a vulcanized feel Better padding than most Nike SB shoes Very grippy	Find At Tactics Boardshop
	Nike SB Force 58	Keeps a consistent kickflip, but heelflips feel weird Has a supportive & well-padded heel and side panel Is a thinner cupsole with decent board feel and impact protection Flexible like a vulcanized shoe	Check Price On AmazonFind At Tactics Boardshop