Last Resort’s CM002-Mid takes the brand’s second cupsole model release – the CM002 – to new heights. By extending the collar of the shoe upwards and right around your ankles, the CM002-Mid transforms the original silhouette, offering an even greater level of protection and comfort. Similar to the previous CM002-Lo model, they look really stylish. But that got us thinking how do they skate?
So we had to pop on a pair and put them through their paces to see what they’re like, so you can find out before buying them yourself.
(1.) – “Looks like Cupsole feels like Vulc”
So after we skated in the CM002-Lo, we realised how much this Cupsole feels like a vulcanised shoe. The CM002-Mid is super flexible.
You can basically bend these things in half right out of the box, and the board feel comes through almost as quickly as a proper vulc but with the stability of a cupsole.
The whole sole bends exactly where you need it, so you get that proper contact under your feet from the first push. It’s the kind of thing that makes you forget you’re even in a cupsole after a couple of tries.
(2.) – Upper: “Super Strong and Super Flexible”
The upper of the CM002-Mid and the overall build and construction of the entire shoe is top-tier. The CM002-Mid takes a series of features from classic skate shoes and runners, blending them into something new and different.
One of the most standout features of the upper is how much ventilation there is around the shoe; having these ventilated areas around the toe, the side of the shoe, and the tongue gives CM002-Mid a level of breathability that we’ve never experienced in another shoe and especially not a midtops model.
The perforated mesh holes make the CM002-Mid incredibly comfortable to wear in practically any weather conditions, constantly giving your feet a blast of fresh air across the toes, front, and side of your feet and making CM002-Mid feel great to wear across the sessions and for hours after.
But the dopest aspect of this particular model, unlike other midtops that we’ve skated, is that your feet just never get too hot, which means you’re always able to wiggle and move your toes, get a solid flick and stay gripped to your board.
We’ve never skated a mid that kept your feet this cool and well ventilated until now. So the CM002-Mid, is completely different to any other mid-top skate shoe that is out on the market right now.
The perforated ventilation holes in the tongue, which are also around the majority of the top of the toe, help to prevent the shoe from getting too warm.
The ventilation patch also extends in the middle of the upper, which really creates a fully ventilating system for the shoe that is unlike anything else that we’ve seen out there.
They’ve also integrated all of those premium features that you would expect on a great shoe, you know – double stitching, reinforced heel, toe grooves on the outsole, reinforced layers of leather interlaced along the base of the upper
But the difference with the CM002-Mid is that the protective layering of suede is in all of the right places. It not only adds on more durability and increased longevity to the life of the shoe, the rad looking colour contrasted layers are so well0designed, you can see these them from a distance and still notice how cool the overall upper’s design pattern looks.
The double layers of suede and leather are all placed in the parts of the shoe where your feet will make the most contact with the board, with double-stitching around the sides, of each of those layers, in all of the areas of the shoe where you will need it the most,
So as many Kickflips that you do, your grip has a lot of hard work to make even a small dent in these; they are some of the most durable shoes we’ve ever skated.
As the CM002-Mid is so well ventilated, the soft, Terry cotton furry inlining of the shoe feels great and never overheats your feet, as the whole shoe is always getting airflow. The CM002-Mid’s inner lining keeps the top of your feet and ankles snug around the shoe on cold sessions and locks them in on hotter ones, and avoids any chance for your feet to be knocked around on the inside while wearing them.
The higher collar gives you that extra bit of protection around the ankles, which is really useful if you’re coming back from an ankle injury or just want something that feels more locked in when you want to hit a spot at speed.
Mid-top fans love that feeling of having a really tight fit around your ankles, and if you’ve not experienced them, the CM002-Mid is a great shoe to start with.
The terry cloth lining in the collar is the same material that’s on the back of the tongue, which further increases the snug fit that they give.
You may think this could add on unnecessary bulk but another great feature of all of these factors is the overall lightness of the shoe. They are some of the lightest shoes and for a midtop model, that’s very rare and very welcomed.
It manages to feel solid without that overbuilt vibe you get on some other mids.
Midtops can be too bulky and overprotective; the CM002 succesfully navigates that balance and gives you something that has more than enough protection for what you need, while also being thin, light, and looking very stylish and unique.
(3.) – The Toe: “Pointy but round, sick flips”
They’ve totally nailed the toe on the CM002 model, and the CM002-Mid uses the exact same round but pointy mold as the lo-model.
The front end feels roomy enough to let your toes move around when you’re flipping, which is sick for control.
(4.) – Laces “Widen to your size”
The extra lace holes on the sides of the shoe means you can get the fit you want. You can open the shoe up or lock it down depending on whether you have wide or narrow feet.
The wide-footed lace placement will be welcome if you have wide feet, and it’s great they added it.
The CM002-Mid in Deep Forest that we skated came with a dope pair of light lime green laces that really complement the colourway.
They also have a dope pair of zig-zagged green and grey striped laces in the box that do the same thing but give them more of a subtle and colour-contrasted look.
(5.) – Insoles: “Classic last Resort Sturdy Insoles”
The CM002-Mid has the standard premium Last Resort Cloudy Cush insoles offering fantastic levels of foot protection. The cushion layer does a solid job of protecting your feet and keeping them stable inside the shoe.
A lot of brands just insert a random thin, cheap insole into the shoes, which can ruin the experience and add more cost on top when you need to buy insoles for ten, but the Cloudy Cush insoles are the complete opposite. They’re solid, reliable, and stay strong after hundreds of sessions.
(6.) – Heels: “Light on the branding, heavy on protection”
The CM002-Mid also has really wide panels around those mid-top points and heels, giving it a far bolder, crisper, and simplified look. It looks tech and modern without looking overly busy and means you can wear it with a lot of other types of clothing.
Speaking of branding, like many of Last Resort’s shoes, there is a very subdued and subtle logo on the heel and bottom of the outsole with their globe logo planted in the middle of the tongue and some gold accented versions on that on top of the insoles. We like how they let the shoe do the talking, not making it too logo heavy and present, making it easy to pair these with any other branded apparel.
There is more layering in the heel at the top near the embedded logo at the top of the heel and below in the suede patch; this helps to not only give the shoe some aesthetic balance but help you to stay on your feet by protecting you against a stray rolling board hitting your foot there that can always potentially ruin your skate session.
The extra material around the back, and the way the collar sits high and is thick stop your heel from lifting, and it gives you that bit more security when you’re pushing really fast or coming down back on your board from a trick and you need to stay balanced. The CM002-Mid’s whole heel setup keeps you planted.
(7.) – Outsole: “Crispy, Simple, Effective”
Simple, effective, grippy, and stylish. The CM002-Mid tread does not go all the way out to the outsole but that’s fine because where it is, is concentrating grip on where your feet are, making sure you get the grippiness on your board you need.
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(8.) – Soles: “Classic LRAB Grippy Tread”
The soles of the CM002-Mid are very grippy; on all sides of the shoe, they really go the distance, and you’re not going to see a decrease in their traction quickly, the rubber they use is really strong and they have a very high level of durability.
However, like all good things after a few hundred wears, they do lose some grip, but still hold some due to the artistic, granular tread pattern on the sole tread.
(9.) – Skateability: Fit – “100 percent true to size”
Similar to the previous model, CM002-Mids are also true to size.
(10.) – Skateability: Break-in time
This model breaks in straight out of the box. The CM002-Mid is just an incredibly well-built, put-together shoe. I think that a lot of different brands could learn from the CM002-Mid. They feel ready to go after the first session. No long wait for them to soften up or anything; just lace them up and go shred.
(11.) – Skateability: Street “Sick for flip tricks, big stairs, ledges and drops”
The CM002-Mids are great for skating in the streets. They handle ledge skating, flatground, flips, and low, mid, and bigger drops without any drama.
(12.) – Skateability: Transition “Rad for ripping ramps”
There’s a reason why a lot of skaters loved midtops in the 80s; the foot protection from those massive boards was definitely needed. But nowadays if you do a lot of flip tricks you still need something to stop getting those ankle deck hits.
The CM002-Mid do a great job of protecting your feet from any potential mishap or missed flip that might go down where you are shredding.
The high collar and solid heel setup keep your ankles and feet safer when you’re blasting transitions.You can trust the CM002-Mid to work when you need them and anyone who’s had a board fly into their foot probably wishes they had these.
(13.) – Colorways
The CM002-Mid is available in a series of rad colourways including: a standard Black/White, a thoughtful Deep Forest/Dark Slate, a revamped classic Reflex Blue/Coffee Brown/Black, a fresh-looking Olive Grey/Black, a very earthy-looking Deep Green/Deep Brown, and a toned-down Burgundy/Brown.
The CM002-Mid is available in a range of colourways that basically suit any fit.
The colour options are low-key enough to go with whatever you wear but still distinct enough that they don’t just disappear. They don’t scream for attention, but wearing these people will still be checking out what’s on your feet regardless.
(14.) – Price
UK: £40-£85 – Pricing variable depending on colorway
US: $72 – $112 – Pricing variable depending on colorway
(15.) – Rating – 8.5/10
The CM002-Mid is one of the best-looking, highest performing midtop cupsole skate shoes on the market right now and for either the prices for older colorways from previous seasons or the newest more expensive models, it’s a steal.
They will last you an incredibly long time. The CM002-Mid takes what was already a very impressive, technical skate shoe silhouette and builds on it.
If you are in the market for a new pair of kicks, we would 100 percent recommend getting this shoe.
They are a strong option if you want the extra support of a mid without losing the flexible feel of a lower model or if you’re a fan of vulc. They hug and protect your ankles and heels. They’re good for everyday sessions, and the mix of protection, durability, comfort and flexibility makes them more than worth grabbing.
We’ve never given a shoe this high a rating, but they are seriously some of the best mid-tops out there and will be for a very long time in the future.
We haven’t seen other models with such a series of great features for this price. These are easily some of our favourite shoes we’ve ever skated and could be yours too.
