After three seasons of the Guru Hi, Habitat Footwear has made this unique hi-top convertible in a Vegan colorway. Habitat sent us a pair for skate review, so before the shredding begins we’ll take a good look at the all the angles and inter-workings. Looks are deceptive with this one. The shoe is in many ways a very basic thin canvas skateboard shoe. However the configuration of the flaps and lacing can change up the feel and style of how you skate.
I wear a solid size 10. The Guru Hi was a bit snug when I first tried them on. After about an hour of skating they a bit more comfortable. The one thing to would mention is the soles are a huge improvement from previous years. They feel instantly skate-able with no break in time. We’ll check back in a month to see how well they wear. For now if you want to pick up a set, you can get them direct. (Only the Forest Green are Vegan)
Out of the box with tongue and flippable collar folded down; The Guru Hi is an all canvas construction. While the shoe is relatively lightweight considering all the textured layers there is some padding hiding in those mid panels. The seamless toe cap has a few pin hole sized vents at the top of the toes. (Love that Vegan Logo!)
The tongues are folded into the shoe here. A good look with the Guru lotus label and if you want a little more padding in the tongue keep them in this position when lacing up. The bronze detail and lacing contrast the upper well, but forest green laces are included.
Flip the shoes around and you can see right through the high-top wrap concept. The shoe has a good stiff heal but can fold down in a snap. 
If you pull the shoe up you have classic hi-top look with out the bulk. 
Side by side, both shoes look great no matter how you where them, however when trying on the shoes I found it helpful to fold out the shoe and take the laces out of the top eyelets. If you want to go high, get your feet in the shoe first.
The vulcanized sole looks stable with some added chunk to the foxing tape with a natural overlay pattern. The smooth toe cap sinks into place almost like a cup sole. 
The Vulcanized soles feature a rounded hot spot. I could never tell if this was that great of a design feature or not. It seems like having a different texture may help reduce the balding of the sole. The treads are certainly deeper then previous seasons of the Habitat shoe line which should add to the skate life of the shoe.
Guru Khalsa is actually of German decent. He just so happened to grow up in India and even the styling of the sole inserts bring the South Asian flair. 
The natural off-white and deep blue along with the Guru Cobra icon make me want to go ride the Darjeeling Limited.
Check out the pt. 2 of this review, here!
Habitat sizes 7-13 73.84 (Don’t forget, only the Forest Green are Vegan)
These look rad. I have almost purchased 3 pairs of habitats before but never committed.
I am curious to see how they hold up. I always loved habitats look and design.
Great wes anderson reference by the way.
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Hey, I propose that you never stop producing these shoes, I bought them last week and they are the most comfortable shoes I’ve bought. The fold up part gives is phonomenal ankle support and they’re still extremely functional as casual shoes, I’m 100% satisfied. I think the tread pattern, grip, flexibility, and control of the shoe is beyond expectation of any standard for a pair of skate shoes, I will be buying more and more of the “Habitat Guru Hi”. These shoes have surpassed any and all idea to make the greatest skate shoe. I want to see these shoes in store for decades to come. – Iasic Ratliff, a severely impressed customer