The Emerica Tempster has been on our radar for several months and marks the return of a signature shoe from Emerica’s most notable and tenured pro, Ed Templeton! The last shoe to bare the Tempster name was a slip-on in the Fall 2011 season. Emerica spared nothing in bringing this special edition shoe to market. The shoe, the insoles, even the box. VSB has never spent much time looking at the packaging of shoes, after all we want to focus on thing we intend to destroy, however the art is to much to pass on, so let’s dive in with some up close looks.
Everything on the box jumps out with art on every panel! Sect making sweet love to a shoe, etched sides, and what looks like a cut out boxed and matted photo!
Green and Black un-boxed and not fully laced. The Tempster is a classic mid-top construction with a little bit of flair. Without the laces all the way up, notice the curvy lace cage. It’s subtle and doesn’t seem to have function, but it does make the green model look extra serpent-y.
The laces already in the shoe are stiff made from a tough material that has shipped with previous Etnies Eco models. However, if you like a traditional lace, the green model has some extra green while the black has gray laces to match the outsole.
Super thin tongue and collar. The tongue panels are a layer of canvas with a soft nylon lining on the inside and no padding. Same around the collar, however the internal and external stitching make a fold that acts as a thin padding and keeps the canvas edges from cutting into the ankle. This might bum some people out, but the result is a mid-top that has the weight and heft of a low-profile skateboard shoe. Here you can see the black shoe’s lining is the same print pattern as the outer of the green and vise-versa. Seriously no detail left out.
Green is one of those colors that is simultaneously ugly and eye poppingly beautiful. The heels and collar of the Tempster show the latter. The dark green stripes give the look a nice contrast and the Emerica license plates look fantastic. The heels are stiff, and combined with that little bit of incidental collar padding make the shoe cup the ball of the foot. A bit more padding would go a long way here.
The toe caps are solid one piece construction of 20oz canvas nicely tucked into the abrasion resistant foxing tape.
The new pattern on Emerica’s abrasion resistant vulcanized soles is a diamond like triangle. The tread is deep and an interesting change up. It feels almost slick to the touch, but on the board and on pavement grips super well (first skate session was on a slightly wet and cold surface to boot). The board feel is no different from what you’re used to if you ride Emerica shoes. Take them out of the box and start to rip!
Just another rad detail where form and function collide. With any considerable use the insoles that feature Ed’s illustrations will be worn away with in no time. They also provide an excellent cushion for the pushin’ and have a nice cup at the heel.
With much deliberation, we decided that all things beautiful must be destroyed. The green printed Tempsters will see the abuse of the VSB skate test.
While the green print is is getting most of the attention, the black Tempsters are no slouch. The black on black with hints of green is a good look. Noticeable when up close, the gray foxing tape is several shades darker on this colorway.
Take one last look at these beauties before they get their first taste of grip tape in a quick session.
After approx. 45min of abuse and before the snow started to fall here in Chicago.
The Tempster out of the box is an instant skater. No break in time needed. Lace them up and get on your board. The shoe is thinner than one might expect. When we think of mid-tops, we think of a shoe with extra weight and padding. While this might be a let-down for some, this makes the Tempster great for the majority of skaters today.
The canvas is 20oz which has some great durability. It will be interesting to see how well the stitching and layering hold up since it is right in the ollie area.
The lightness of the shoe makes it comfortable to wear all day, however, the lack of venting in the toes does make for a sweaty foot. Canvas is going to breathe, but the lining seems to block some of airiness. This is great for the winter months, but come summer would be a bit too warm.
The fit can be a little loose at times, however the metal eyelets are great because you can quickly tighten up and get going again. We’ll see how this change as the shoe gets more wear and breaks in.
Everyone in the skate world by now has certainly read or seen the gruesome shots of Ed’s possible career ending leg break. This may be the last Tempster. For loyal Pawns looking to rip, the time is nigh now!
Emerica
Green/Print size 5-14 (no 5.5) $69.99
Black/Grey size 5-14 $69.99
If you somehow missed it, go back and check out interview with Ed. It’s a three parter, so why not start back at part 1.
In celebration of the release of the new Tempster we are going to have a give away in quiz form. More than one correct answer and we will do a drawing. Here are the questions. First prize, a bag of Dandies Vegan Marshmallows and a VSB sticker pack. Second Prize, a pair of Emerica socks and a VSB sticker pack. Third prize, VSB sticker pack! email your answers to fakie@veganskateblog.com (US only, unless you want to pay shipping)
Who/What is in the sticker with the Eiffel tower? Don Brown had what job in the Sheep Life of Leisure video ? Whats the significance of the Hans Lindgren sticker?
Entries due by March 1st 2013 11:59pm Central
———————————————————————————————————————————-Here are the results for our The Tempster Give Away!
1st place Joe Barlow (first response and the most detailed.)
2nd Ryan Mann
3rd Shawn Fosnight
and here are the answers, taken from Joe’s entry.
Who/What is in the sticker with the Eiffel tower? 1. The sticker of the Eiffel Tower features the one and only Pierre André Senizergues, founder and CEO of Sole Tech (employer of Ed), executing a handstand.
Don Brown had what job in the Sheep Life of Leisure video ?.During the credits of Sheep’s “Life of Leisure” video you will see one Don Brown’s name parallel to “key grip”, suspecting that this would’ve been considered his job.
Whats the significance of the Hans Lindgren sticker? There may be a few answers to this question: 1. Hans Lindgren and Ed Templeton both rode for New Deal & Schmitt Stix. 2. They’re both old. 3. Hans Lindgren was a freestyler who practiced in Huntington Beach, along side Ed, Pierre Andre & Don Brown. My money’s on the third part of my answer, which would tie Pierre, Don Brown, & Hans together with Ed.
These aren’t marked as vegan on their website?
you’re right. Emerica has been a bit slower recently to get that stuff posted. Maybe we’re doing something right on the Blog? The PR person who usually posts that is in close contact with us and we can assure you they are in fact Vegan.
Email sent. Waiting on my tax return so I can order the black ones to skate and the green ones for chilling 🙂
these shoes and artwork are beautiful.
i want the black ones.
unfortunately, it is probably safe to assume this will be the last templeton shoe.
Just got some of these. really comfy but they do come up really big! had to go down a size from what i usually wear in a sole tech shoe. so do try them on before you buy.