SNEAKERS: Kobe 9 "China Pack"

I recently picked up a pair of the Kobe 9 "China Pack" the other day and I do have to say that this is my favorite of the colorways released so far.  Feel free to read on and hopefully I can help those of you still "on the fence" whether this should belong in your collection as well.

 

Standard Kobe 9 box, nothing special

Let's start with the basics.

FIT:  The shoe is true to size (length-wise) but it does run narrow so those with wide feet beware.

PLAYABILITY:  Excellent overall shoe to play ball in (good traction, good cushioning, great stability) which we've come to associate with the Kobe line since the Kobe 4; so no real surprises there.  I'd recommend wearing half a size bigger to avoid foot fatigue given the narrow fit.  I play in a size 11 of the Kobe 9 but the rest of my shoes (along with this one) are a size 10.5.

The beauty of this shoe is in the subtle details. I really like the oriental snakes at the top of the tongue which was a really nice touch.  Good job, Nike designers!

There is a hint of reflective gold all along the toe area of the shoe giving it a gold in-lay look that looks pretty cool.
 

The gold Nike swoosh and gold speckles on the mid sole along with the embossing on the heel area are the other subtle details that give this shoe a sense of elegance and sophistication.  This sets the China Pack apart from the rest of the current Kobe 9 colorways in my opinion.

The Kobe 9 China Pack with its subtle yet elegant design details is a great shoe to add to any collection if you could muster up enough of your hard earned cash (or orchestrate a trade with another sneakerhead) to own a pair since these bad boys are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination.  It is however a rare colorway (Quick Strike release) and it should hold decent value in the resell market if you ever decide to part ways with it in the next few months or until the Kobe 10 is released in 2015.  Till my next post.  Thanks, everyone!