VANS CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF THE HALF CAB
VANS CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF THE HALF CAB
KNOW YOUR HISTORY
The Vans original Caballero was introduced to the world before a lot of you were even born! In 1989, to be exact. Vans and skateboarding legend Steve Caballero introduced the first signature skate shoe, the Caballero. Over the next few years street skaters around the world adopted the shoe for its grippy sole, comfort and overall style, but adapted it to the streets by cutting down the high-top padding in order to push the boundaries of progression and creative expression.
The Half Cab was born in 1992, a bit after Vans and Steve Caballero himself realized that skaters created the original Half Cab by cutting down high tops into customized skate shoes. Street skateboarding legends such as Mike Carrol were often seen wearing them. With nothing but scissors and duct tape, they unknowingly constructed the world's greatest skate shoe.
Three decades later, the Half Cab is still one of the most trusted, recognizable shoes in skateboarding. Vans continues to build on this legacy with the Skate Half Cab ’92, a classic that nods to the future of skateboarding.
As said by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Patrick O’Dell, who produced a Half Cab ‘92 celebratory three-part docu-series, whenever you see a Half Cab on someone’s feet, you know that the person they belong to is a skater and has an appreciation for skateboarding history. According to him, there’s not another shoe with that much instant skate cred.
In fact, the shoe ushered in the introduction of signature skateboarding shoes, marking a new frontier for the industry, and reinforcing the power of listening to skateboarders and tapping into a community’s creative spirit.
To learn all the details about steve Cab’s Background and the historical importance of the Vans Half Cab shoe, check out the video below.
THE MAN BEHIND THE SHOE
Before jumping into the shoes specs, let’s get your skate history straight and dive into who Steve Caballero is. After all, he is the guy that made all this possible! The crazy part is that he bought his first pair of Vans in 1978, but only got sponsored by them 10 years later in 1988. As we can agree today, that was a great move from Vans. The brand soon introduced one of the first ever pro model shoe in the industry, the Full Cab, which still stands as the inspiration behind all Cabs shoes that would come up until today.
Steve Cab was definitely one of the best in bowl/vert skating back in the 80s and 90s. He even invented a trick: the Caballerial. At first, the trick was done in bowls and transitions, but just like his shoe, it got transposed to the streets as well and still to this day, skaters of all types are happy to count the Caballerial in their bags of tricks.
If you look at footage online, you’ll see that Steve Cab wasn’t only one of the best bowl skaters, but also became a full-on street skater in the late 90s and early 2000s. That tells a lot about his deep knowledge of skating and skater oriented design.
Today, Steve Cab still skates, plays music in a band and is known to be one of the biggest collector in the biz. One can say that the man gets obsessed with things once he gets interested, but look at where that took him. A legendary guy who designed one of the most legendary shoe in the skateboarding industry.
THE SHOE IN DETAILS
The Skate Half Cab ’92 is an enhanced version of the original shoe. The same look, boardfeel and comfort, but with modern features making it much more durable and technically adapted to today’s needs in skateboarding.
The shoe features a pig suede upper that incorporates a timely shift in the pattern, separating the toe cap and ollie patch for a more modern aesthetic. A molded heel counter and locked-in tongue straps with premium heel hold keep feet locked in for better control. The DURACAP underlay takes on a new shape, adding flexibility and removing excess bulk to eliminate hot spots, resulting in an essential fit for maximum durability where skaters need it most.
Two-part foxing features a heavier knurl texture on toe bumpers, as well as SickStick, Vans new proprietary gum rubber compound, increasing the durability and longevity of the shoe. In addition, Vans best-in-class PopCush energy-return footbeds snap back and won’t pack out, keeping legs feeling fresh to skate longer.
The sidewall finish, combined with graphic elements like Vans' signature Checkerboard flag and Skateboarding graphic treatment, add undeniable authenticity. The Skate Half Cab ‘92 is offered in dress blues and taupe, paying homage to the skaters that made it famous in the late ‘90s and early 2000s.
