With a history that dates back to roughly the late-40s or early-50s, the oft-criminalized extreme activity known as skateboarding was legitimized globally for the first time this year, as it was officially added to the list of Olympic sports. And while its addition is certainly a positive for the entire community, skateboarding has been around for long enough to see several spikes in worldwide popularity and was even one of the core sports in the X-Games back when the adrenaline-fueled tournament was first started in 1995.
If you know the names Tony Hawk, Rob Dyrdek, Nyjah Huston, and/or Letícia Bufoni, you’re probably familiar with just how penetrative the sport of skateboarding has been to popular culture. It has spawned countless movies, television shows, websites, retailers, video games, and more. And, if the Olympic addition is any indication, it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. If you’re a fan of the sport, its culture, and its style, then this old-school-inspired collection of the best gear you can find on Amazon is sure to please.
Authentic: A Memoir by the Founder of Vans
Few people know the world of skate culture quite like Paul Van Doren, the founder of Vans. And now you can get an insight into his mind, his life, and all the trials and tribulations of starting and operating one of the world’s most iconic Southern California brands ever through his memoir, aptly titled Authentic: A Memoir by the Founder of Vans.
Kershaw Chris Cole Kickflip Multi-Tool
Despite the fact that skateboarding is often a very DIY sport, there isn’t really a good array of skating-focused tools out there. That’s why we’re quite fond of this collaboration between Kershaw and pro-skater Chris Cole, which is a two-piece multi-tool secured magnetically that’s designed specifically around skateboard maintenance. The next time you need to tighten your trucks on the fly, you’ll be thankful you’ve got this handy little device in your pocket.
Levi’s 511 Slim-Fit Stretch Jeans
Levi’s 501 Jeans are some of the most iconic pants on the planet, but they don’t really offer the kind of range of motion necessary for serious skateboarding, like that you might do in a park. But the brand has taken that same instantly recognizable style and added a bit of stretch in the 511 jeans you see here. They’re available in a multitude of cuts, colors, and finishes — meaning you can easily find the perfect pair(s) to suit your own tastes.
Vans Sk8-Hi Sneakers
Undoubtedly some of the most significant hi-top sneakers ever to hit the market, Vans’ Sk8-His are still just as relevant today as they were back when they were first released in 1978. Sure, they’ve seen some quality-of-life updates, but they still have the same signature styling — marked by that iconic stripe on the side. Whether you’re a casual boardwalk cruiser or a serious vert skater, you can’t go wrong with these sneakers.
adidas Originals Cr8 Coach Jacket
With the Cr8 Coach Jacket, adidas has taken a classic style of outerwear and catered it to a more active crowd. That includes details like its lightweight performance fabric exterior, easy-to-use snap buttons, and elastic cuffs for a more secure fit. Yes, it was inspired by basketball attire, but it also suits skateboarding rather well.
Penny Blackout Cruiser Skateboard
While Penny Skateboards was founded in 2010, the term “penny skateboard” dates back to the late-70s and refers to a style of plastic skateboard widely known as a cruiser. Now synonymous with the style, Penny Skateboards makes some of the best cruiser boards around — including the option you see here. It’s lightweight, tough, portable, and fun. Oh yeah, and it’s all-black, which is never a bad thing.
Chrome Industries Niko Camera Sling 2.0
Sling bags are a great hauler option for anyone that values simplicity and speed, but this offering from Chrome Industries is even more well-suited to skateboarding — just not for the reasons you might assume. You see, this bag is geared toward hauling around camera gear, one of the tech staples of the skateboarding industry. Whether you need to haul around sensitive tech from place to place or you want to go out and put together a skateboarding mixtape, you can’t go wrong with this tough, durable, weatherproof sling.
WD_BLACK 5TB P10 External Hard Drive
Whether you’re a city commuter heading from your home to the office on your penny board or you’re an aspiring amateur skater trying to turn pro, you’ll probably need something to help you store your files, videos, music, etc. And you definitely can’t go wrong with the lightning-fast transfer speeds and enormous capacity of this external hard drive. It was designed for gaming, but it is well suited to anything multimedia-focused.
Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Portable Speaker
What’s a good skate session without some killer tunes? And while there are plenty of portable speakers out there now, which all put your old tapedeck ghetto blaster to shame, this one from Bang & Olufsen is extra special. It offers 360-degrees of outstanding sound, it weighs under 1.5lbs, it can play for 27 hours straight without a charge, and it even has built-in weatherproofing and dust/dirt resistance.
DJI Pocket 2 Handheld Gimbal Camera
While you could theoretically use any available camera rig to shoot your skate tape, you’ll be far better equipped with the ultra-compact DJI Pocket 2, which has a built-in 4K camera, a super simple control scheme, built-in motorized stabilization, a quartet of integrated high-quality microphones, and an AI editor onboard. Your old digital camera simply cannot compare.
Scoured: The Best Gear On Amazon
Once you’re finished with your skate sesh, you might want to head home, shower up, and take a load off. Well, you’ll be far more equipped to manage that prospect the right way if you’re geared up with everything we have to offer on last month’s guide to the best gear on Amazon.
