Nike’s Trippy Grateful Dead Sneakers Have A Tiny Hidden Pocket Perfect For Keeping Tabs On Your Possessions

I was first introduced to the concept of “pregaming” while standing in a parking lot in Hartford, Connecticut surrounded by thousands of fellow high school kids using a Dave Matthews Band concert as an excuse to get as hammered as possible.

It was easy to become increasingly confident that you could pass for 21 with every sip you took from the totally inconspicuous Solo cup you were equally convinced wouldn’t arouse the suspicions of any cops who walked by. However, when they rolled through one final time to herd everyone toward the show, you had to accept the reality that no amount of self-assuredness could cancel out the fact that you’d have a hard time scoring booze inside the venue with a vertical ID that said you were 16.

The ultimate goal was to maximize your buzz without miscalculating your tolerance and succumbing to the same fate as the passed-out souls that littered the walk to the amphitheater. Sadly, there wasn’t really anything you could do to stop the train to Soberville from arriving at the station at some point around the middle of the set.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. There was one thing you could do: drugs.

There are a few reasons I didn’t resort to that approach back in the day but the biggest one is that I was absolutely scared shitless of getting caught by security. I now realize you didn’t need too much ingenuity to pass a screening that involved a light patdown and someone looking at the inside of your hat, but at the same time, it never hurts to be too careful.

There are plenty of reasons Nike got my attention when it announced it had whipped up some absolutely bananas SB Dunks inspired by the Grateful Dead, including the yellow and teal colorway, the dancing bears emblazoned on the tongue, and the fact that they’re covered in fake fur.

However, nothing caught my eye more than this little guy.

If you have to ask what such an absurdly tiny pocket like that could be useful for, these sneakers probably aren’t for you. It may not also be super appealing to people who understand the utility but find it a tad unnecessary, which is fair, but A) It doesn’t hurt to have and B) Does it really make you want these any less?

If the yellow doesn’t do it for you, then maybe these will.

I would say there is a 1000% chance these sell out immediately when they drop on July 24, and while I have no idea if they’ll end up fetching the absurd prices Nike’s Ben & Jerry’s collab did on the secondary market, you’re making a solid investment in multiple senses if you manage to get your hands on them at retail.