The BOARDWORLD Forums ran from 2009 to 2021 and are now closed and viewable here as an archive

   

Shoe Review: Etnies Marana

Avatar

Etnies Marana

Pre-Thoughts:
- Look Sweet
- Toes look a bit pointy, may be uncomfortable
- Heel impact zone and built to do huge gaps, may reduce board feel
- Said to be very strong

After skating on these bad boys for over a month on street and park here’s what i’ve decided:

- Look Sweet, even in size 13s (which is rare for large size skate shoes)
- Toes are kinda pointy and you can feel it when you first put them on, however, they will pack out within 1 or 2 good skates.
- Their ability to absorb impact I will leave to Ryan Sheckler, I’ll post the vid of him doing a MASSIVE stair set. The surprising part was that this DOESN’T effect board feel at all. My last shoes were worn thinner than socks and within a few skates, these shoes feel just as nice. It’s pretty incredible really.
- SO STRONG! I love the rubber wrapped around the front of the shoes to minimize wear against ollieing, kickflipping etc.
I showed my friend my Maranas after a month of skating (with loads of ollie practice) and he thought they were brand new! There is literally no damage. These are 10x more durable than any skate shoe I’ve ever owned.

What I would change:
....... ummm…... ahhhh….... well…... Nothing! The only thing I could ask for is MORE!
I love the simplistic colouring with them. You can tell a skater is wearing Maranas from a distance. Just when I was thinking it’s a shame they only come in Red or Black, they release the Grey with yellow trim! I think they could keep this going and release a bunch of colours in the same way. All blue, all, green etc.
Also I think it won’t be long until the girls start begging for their own Marana. Maybe a women’s Marana could be a hit amongst our female frontside flippers. Purple Maybe?


Overview: I love these shoes! I am so stoked on them. They are super comfy, great board feel and I’m so glad they are as strong as they are said to be cause I can’t afford to go through shoes like some people do. One thing is for sure, when I do kill these shoes one day in the distant distant future, all I want is another pair.
This is easily the best skate shoe I have ever seen.





 
Avatar

Nice review Andy. They look pretty solid. I’m thinking of getting a pair of these next.

I have a pair or Globe Heathens at the moment which have lasted for a while.

I really liked them because the laces go inside the side of the shoe, so the laces can’t get worn, had awesome heel support as well. But they’re slowly getting past their use-by date lol.

 
Avatar

Laces on the inside, that’s a good idea.

 
Avatar

I’d be keen to try the Marana but being a cupsoled shoe I prob wont like it. I’m used to skating Janoskis and there is nothing to them. They feel like a slipper once worn in. So much board feel, no protection what so ever LOL

 
Avatar

You might be surprised K2.
These were my last shoes, and the Maranas have the same amount of feeling as these wafer thin old kicks.

 
Avatar

Nice review Andy,
I do like the fact that the rubber toe cap is not stitched. Problem with stitching them is that becomes the weak spot and wears away really quick.
I find the pointy toe works great for flip tricks, as the shoe doesn’t get caught in the flick. Tempted to give them a try but unfortunately no shop near me sells them and not sure on the sizing. Plus I have stupid wide feet.
Hidden lace loops are awesome, not many shoes have them but they work and keep your shoes going for longer. Had some e’s Kostons that had this and they were brilliant. Lasted ages too.

 
Avatar

the oldschool e’s Kostons? They were wicked. I always wanted a pair haha

 
Avatar
C J Parker - 10 May 2013 12:51 AM

Nice review Andy,
I do like the fact that the rubber toe cap is not stitched. Problem with stitching them is that becomes the weak spot and wears away really quick.
I find the pointy toe works great for flip tricks, as the shoe doesn’t get caught in the flick. Tempted to give them a try but unfortunately no shop near me sells them and not sure on the sizing. Plus I have stupid wide feet.
Hidden lace loops are awesome, not many shoes have them but they work and keep your shoes going for longer. Had some e’s Kostons that had this and they were brilliant. Lasted ages too.

Thanks CJ

One thing I will say about the Marana’s is they should definitely be bought from a skate shop where you can try them on first. If you have wide feet I would want to try them on first just because the toes are a little pointy (though they shape to your foot quite a lot after a few skates). So that’s a bit of a bummer if there’s not etnies dealers around you.

I can only tell you that I’m a US 13 and I have US13s and they fit like a glove. So they are true to their sizing.

 
Avatar

Great review, Andy. I am loving my Maranas. Definitely one of the best shoes I have ever owned. Really stoked on them.

 
Avatar

Cheers Rider
I love good products.When everything just works, it doesn’t make you a better skater/snowboarder/whatever but it means nothing is stopping you and you can’t blame your equipment. So you focus entirely on your own movements and go straight to learning that new trick or skill, and I love that.

Here’s that add I was talking about. It’s funny cause I love the board feel they have and Sheck loves the impact they can take. It seems almost impossible to have both, but it’s true.

http://vimeo.com/53898857

 
Avatar

Where did you get yours from Andy? I’m almost skating in socks at the moment lol. I can’t find them anywhere local.

 
Avatar

I’m sponsored by Etnies…... they like all 3 tricks I can do LOL

Nah jokes, I got them here on BoardWorld. The good folks at Etnies ran a contest here and gave out 5 pairs. I won a pair by posting pictures of my old holy adidas right before they fell off my feet and turned to dust.

Generally we always say “Support your local skate shop” but if you can’t find them anywhere there are some good online shops that should have some Marana’s for u.

 
Avatar

Oh that’s good as, free stuff is the best kind of stuff lol.

I found an Australian online shop that sells them http://www.antimall.com.au/ grin $110 same price as buying them from the US and getting them shipped. Also got $10 off by signing up to their email newsletter. Had to pay using PayPal because I don’t have a credit card. So I won’t have them for about 10 days, which sucks… shut eye

 
Avatar

Oh you bought some, nice bro shaka

You won’t be disapointed man. What colour did you get?

 
Avatar

I wen’t with the black. Can’t go wrong.

 
Avatar

Nice, haven’t seen them in real life yet. Throw some pics up when you get em shaka