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Fall is here, and with it the rain! To help you stay dry, here’s a reprint of one of our very first posts (95% of our current readers weren’t logged in when it was originally published, so this is new to most of you!). Even after two more years of use, my Vessi shoes have held up well.
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but it rains a lot in Seattle. And with small children to entertain, lawns to tend to, trash to take out, and ski lessons to take, I feel like I spend quite a bit of time in the wet.
Start your search for the best everyday shoe that’s perfect for being a Seattle dad. You’d think that wouldn’t be that difficult or that important, but you’d be wrong, folks. I’ve been searching for the right shoe for my everyday life for years. And a left-handed one, too. (That was a dad joke, in case you were wondering.)
At first, I thought I wasn’t that demanding, but now that I feel comfortable here, I’ll just admit: I have a lot of demands:
Comfort. Has to take a back seat when worn 12 hours a day.
Style. Has to be just the right balance so it doesn’t feel too dressed up when worn with sweatpants and a T-shirt, but looks good with a button-down shirt.
Waterproof. We’re getting into the nitty-gritty here, but it has to be water-resistant to withstand Seattle’s humidity.
Easy to put on and take off. Don’t try to sell me a shoehorn. I just want something that’s as easy to put on and take off as putting my phone on the charger.
Athletic enough. I wear a special running shoe for proper sports and training, but I need to be able to take the kids to the park, assemble Ikea furniture, or fix the pond pump that’s broken again in my everyday shoe.
I’ve tried different approaches over the years. Nordstrom sells a standard black, not-so-dressy shoe, but it’s still too formal and stiff. REI sells a very waterproof trail runner, which is too casual. Allbirds are like a warm hug for your feet—but even the waterproof version can’t withstand the Seattle humidity and isn’t easy to put on and take off.
In the end, algorithms helped me. Social media advertising led me to Vessi Footwear, and I bought a pair of their everyday shoes.
If you’re thinking about buying a pair, check out their website. They’re based in Vancouver (a plus!), and their material is unique in its combination of waterproofness and breathability. I have friends who say the material makes their feet sweat, but they work well for me, especially in fall and winter.
I’ve had them for 90 days now, and I think I’ve put them through their paces.
Here are five tests that make me love my Vessi’s.
Test No. 1: Running through a flooded hardware store parking lot with a three-year-old
Dry feet through the puddles and adequate grip while wearing them. Successful.
And by the way: I managed to complete a house project in just one trip to the hardware store. That never happens to me. So you never know if they might also be magical lucky shoes.
Test No. 2: Catching the Grass Test
Puddle-proof is all well and good, and I wasn’t too surprised that they passed Test No. 1, given that the ads seem to show happy people having fun stomping in puddles. But I have my shoes tested the same way I have my cars: not just in immediate side impacts, but also in long-term wind tunnel stress tests. Here are my shoes after 30 minutes of playing tag with my daughters in the wet grass:
You can see they may have absorbed some water on the outside, but my socks were dry inside. I’ve tried them with Allbirds and even trail running shoes, and Vessi’s perform better with prolonged dew exposure.
Test #3: Hands-Free Trash
The fabric feels almost like a more breathable and fashionable version of neoprene. Very forgiving. Crucially, my Vessi’s never suffer from heel wear when I put my shoes on without a shoehorn or put a lot of strain on the heel.
In fact, one of my favorite uses is for fast sprints with my shoes half on:
I can run to the trash cans with my hands full, put on my shoes, dodge the kids’ scooters and bike racks in the garage, and not feel guilty about how I’ll probably look on the Nest camera. That speed is crucial, because you have about 37 seconds before that wobbly compost bag bursts. (Side note: They could make these bags sturdier, but then we wouldn’t feel like we’re making sacrifices for the planet.)
Test No. 4: What to Wear After Ski Boots
At first glance, this test seems like a no-brainer. Clogs would feel good after ski boots. But hear me out. Vessis perform surprisingly well in the snow:
Snow slides off super easily, and it’s as if they’ve never been exposed to the elements. They don’t have as much grip as my snow hiking boots, but they have grip—enough to walk in the ski resort parking lot. I even once installed Ice Trekkers traction cleats on my Vessi ski boots, and the soles were sturdy enough.
And they’re extremely quick to put on and take off if you want to stand in one ski boot—a huge advantage when snowboarders are throwing shade at you in the parking lot because you’re fumbling with your gear.
Test No. 5: What to Wear to the Office and What to Pair with a Trendy Hoodie
And finally: style. Their understated black look with a light pattern is just chic enough to easily pair with a button-down shirt. They’re generally less formal, but can be dressed up in a pinch. They don’t feel uncomfortable with sweatpants either. Shorts would be too far-fetched, so I think Toms are still my future.
In short: They’re basically the footwear version of the well-cut and fashionable hoodie, just not as mainstream yet, so there’s still time before they become a cliché.
Final recommendation: It’s a real joy to stumble upon a product that seems to perfectly match all the criteria you’ve been looking for. After 90 days, I’m very happy with them. They run true to size, feel a bit stiff around the ankle, and aren’t nearly as warm as Allbirds or most other shoes. I bought thicker socks (in bulk at Costco) to go with my Vessi socks, and these were the perfect compromise. After 90 days, I’m only seeing slight fraying of the fabric near the toe, but overall, they seem to be holding up well and are very easy to clean.