Should I buy a skateboard when I go to college? YES! Getting to class (or parties) quickly and efficiently is paramount to the success of any college student. Skateboards, in our humble opinion, are the best way for college students to get around campus. They're fast, light, easy to store, hard to steal, and fun as hell.
While there are tons of boards out there ideal for college cruising, here are our choices for the eight best skateboards for students to buy for college campus commuting.
#1 - Loaded Fat Tail or Tan Tien
This board is our favorite because of how freaking light and nimble it is. Carrying this board to class is cake. The build of this deck is made from vertically laminated plys of bamboo sandwiched between fiberglass, making it flex and carve like no other board on the market.
The board shape allows for a complete build with very large wheels without worries of wheelbite. These large smooth wheels allow you to steamroll cracks and rocks.
The Loaded Tan Tien is a little longer and heavier, but with the added plus of being a drop through deck platform. The lower deck means you're stepping off less with every push.
But Loaded Boards are expensive. Also the flexy board is not for everyone as it is inherently more unstable. It can be harder to ride for beginners.
Loaded decks are made in California, wheels in California, and bearings in China. The complete is handbuilt to your spec in California.
| Features | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ride Quality | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Tricks | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Weight / Portable | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Easy to Ride | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Price | 👍👍 |
| Fit & Finish | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Beginner Friendly | 👍👍👍 |
Fireball partners with rad artists to create all the graphics for these mini cruisers. Decks are all limited edition, which means they're gone once sold out.
They come with limited edition pins and stickers, specifically designed around the graphic of the skateboard. Fireball also individually numbers every deck and provides you with an authenticity card.
Components on the complete are top notch for this price range. We love the extra width and wheel flares that this board offers over other similar lengths.
Now for some downsides: Like most minis, wheel selection is maxed out around 60mm or 65mm with a riser. Being more of a park/pool shape, this board rides a bit hard on rough pavement commutes.
Fireball decks are made in North America, wheels in California, and bearings in China. The complete is handbuilt to your spec in California.
| Features | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ride Quality | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Tricks | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Weight / Portable | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Easy to Ride | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Price | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Fit & Finish | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Beginner Friendly | 👍👍👍 |
#3 - Arbor Pilsner
The Pilsner is another top pick for it's variety of graphics, attention to details, and quality of components.
Arbor started as a snowboard company and took their rad snowboard designs into skateboarding.
The Arbor Collective is based in Venice, CA and makes very high quality skateboards and snowboards. They have a super awesome flagship store in Venice that we recommend checking out.
The attention to detail on Arbor completes is very much appreciated. They have a great relationship with Paris Trucks and match the colorways on the trucks to the deck graphics. It makes for a truly great looking skateboard with top notch components.
Arbor Skateboards are made in Taiwan and China.
| Features | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ride Quality | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Tricks | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Weight / Portable | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Easy to Ride | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Price | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Fit & Finish | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Beginner Friendly | 👍👍👍 |
We wrote an entire article on why this board is boss. There are so many graphics to choose from and often times the design comes along with slight variations from the standard shape.
Each board has it's own personality, from the color schemes to the subtle grip designs. We dig it.
However, we've found that over time, some of the components leave something to be desired. Like the Fireball Artist Series, the stiff Dinghy deck and smaller wheels ride a bit hard over rougher pavement, especially when compared to the Loaded Boards.
Buying on Stoked we guarantee you will get the board as described on the product page. But we can't promise that to be true for all sellers on Amazon. Landyachtz sometimes ships boards with different trucks and wheel colors, leading to confusion on listings.
Landyachtz Dinghys are made in China.
| Features | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ride Quality | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Tricks | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Weight / Portable | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Easy to Ride | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Price | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Fit & Finish | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Beginner Friendly | 👍👍👍 |
#5 - Arbor Mission
The Arbor Mission takes all the features we love about the Pilsner and puts it into a longer deck platform. This makes the board more stable, but also allows for some maneuverability.
My favorite part of the Mission is that it comes with Paris 150mm reverse kingpin trucks. These are some of the best looking and carving trucks on the market. It gives a true longboard feel.
Downsides to the Arbor Mission is that it's going to be heavier and a bit more cumbersome to carry.
Arbor Skateboards are made in China and Taiwan.
| Features | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ride Quality | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Tricks | 👍👍👍 |
| Weight / Portable | 👍👍 |
| Easy to Ride | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Price | 👍👍👍 |
| Fit & Finish | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Beginner Friendly | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
#6 - Sector 9 Pintail
Sector 9 basically invented the longboard pintail and have been keeping it rad every since. This classic shape is an all time favorite for it's good looks and beginner friendly ride-ability. There are many graphics to choose from with more coming on market all the time.
Gullwing Trucks and 9Ball Wheels/Bearings on Sector 9 Completes are pretty good, though we tend to like Paris Trucks a little more for their fit and finish.
Pintails are going to be some of the heaviest of the boards on our list. The lack of a nose and tail can be a deal breaker for some as it will limit maneuverability. The longer decks with their long wheelbases can feel slow to turn.
Sector 9 Skateboards are made in China and Taiwan. Some Sector 9 wheels are made in USA.
| Features | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ride Quality | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Tricks | 👍👍 |
| Weight / Portable | 👍👍 |
| Easy to Ride | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Price | 👍👍👍 |
| Fit & Finish | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Beginner Friendly | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
The #1 reason to pick up the Stoked Cruiser Complete would be to ride smooth, but also do tricks. The upturned nose and tail make ollies and flip tricks easier than just about anything else on here. The price is also great for what you get, coming standard with Paris 129mm Street Trucks and Dragon BUILT Bearings.
This is not the smoothest or easiest rider on the list. While the 60mm wheels are nice, the deck has a short wheelbase and will ride more harsh than most. You give up some comfort for the trick-ability of this skateboard.
Stoked decks are made in North America, wheels in California, and bearings in China. The complete is handbuilt to your spec in California.
| Features | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ride Quality | 👍👍👍 |
| Tricks | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Weight / Portable | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Easy to Ride | 👍👍👍 |
| Price | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Fit & Finish | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Beginner Friendly | 👍👍 |
I recently returned to my alma mater and was floored by how many students were riding around on Retrospec skateboards. This brand is obviously killing it on Amazon and I wouldn't be honest if they didn't make this list.
It's a bit ridiculous how many times I've seen articles with these Amazon brands saying they're the "best". They're definitely not the best. I cringed more than a bit putting this skateboard on here.
But the truth of the matter is that it's the cheapest skateboard out there and a decent bang for your buck.
Do we recommend buying this skateboard? No, not really. The components are low end you could go and the people making this skateboard are just after a quick buck.
However, if you are a broke college student that just had your bike stolen and HAVE to get around, this could be a way to get into the skateboard scene. Just remember us when you're ready to upgrade 😘
Retrospec are made in China.
| Features | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ride Quality | 👍👍 |
| Tricks | 👍👍👍 |
| Weight / Portable | 👍👍 |
| Easy to Ride | 👍👍👍👍 |
| Price | 👍👍👍👍👍 |
| Fit & Finish | 👍👍 |
| Beginner Friendly | 👍👍👍👍 |
What about electric longboards for college?
Electric longboards did not make this list because we generally do not recommend them for college campuses. They are heavy, expensive, and more difficult to ride than a regular skateboard. They also could come with riding restrictions that are not present on regular skateboards.
There are a few circumstances where an electric skateboard could be beneficial though. Perhaps you you have several miles to cover and going to school in a particular hot part of the country. Getting to class all sweaty and smelly isn't going to land any steeze points. Also your campus could be very hilly and impractical for a regular skateboard. Electrics could help going uphill and with braking downhill.
How do I lock up my skateboard?
Sadly, it's not easy to lock up a skateboard. Your best bet is to just keep it close by and in sight at all times.
If you leave your board in the community board racks where someone could casually pick up your board and walk off, you're gunna have a bad time. Make sure you can see the rack where you left your board.
If you go to a frat party on your skateboard, don't leave it by the front door. Hide it somewhere in the house. Don't put your shred sled in a position that tempts a drunk klepto to walk off with it.
We have seen cable locks mentioned on the internet for locking a skateboard, but I have never seen this work. You could run the cable through the truck or around the wheels maybe, but a thief is always just one nut away from stealing the entire skateboard. We do not recommend cable locks.
The only way I would feel confident leaving a skateboard locked is with a hole drilled through the deck that the lock could go through. However, this could negatively affect the structural integrity of the deck. The Tan Tien has holes where the trucks "drop through", but any cable that can fit through this hole can also be cut with common pliers. I wouldn't risk it.
Will my skateboard fit in my college locker?
Check the specs for the skateboard you decide to purchase against the specs of the locker and decide from there. In my experience, skateboards that are ideal for campus riding are too large for most lockers. However, it depends on the locker at your campus.
Most lockers are taller than 22", so if you must get a skateboard for a locker, we recommend the one below. It has fairly good (6/10) components and a decent bamboo/maple deck.
Check Your College for Skateboard Riding Restrictions
If you got the idea to buy a skateboard for college commuting by seeing other riders around campus, you're probably in the clear, regardless of what the official policy is. I rode around my campus on my skateboard for years when officially it was not allowed.
However, we can't in good conscience tell you to completely ignore the rules. Just have a quick check and make sure you're in the clear.
Concluding
I rode a skateboard around my college for 4 years. I never had it stolen because of the tips outlined in this article. Because I just carried it and did not have to lock/unlock it up, I was frequently quicker than bicycles.
Skateboarding is hands down the best way to get around campus if you take the time to learn how to skate and keep your board safe from sneaky thieves. Get out there and have fun!
Stoked may earn some sweet commish (commission to the uninitiated) from purchases made from links in this article. Everything here is our honest take and we were not given swag, discounts, etc. to bias our opinion.
