Vessi Shoes Review

I like sneakers, I really do, but I also live in Canada, and like to dress appropriately for the weather. So for most of the year, I find myself throwing on something warm and waterproof. That was, until I discovered these shoes from a company called Vessi.

The style I went with is called the cityscape, which comes in either black or charcoal, but they do have a small range of other styles and colors available. The magic of these shoes isn’t immediately visible, and that’s kind-of the beauty of them. They’re made using a proprietary waterproofing technology called “Dyma-tex”, which is a specially knit membrane material.

Because the material itself is what’s providing the waterproofing, and not a spray or coating, it means that as long as the material lasts, the waterproofing lasts. No need to regularly re-apply, re-seal, or otherwise treat them.

And the waterproofing really is quite impressive. To rain, splashes, or sprays, the shoes remains completely and utterly bone dry.

What’s more impressive is that it doesn’t stop there. I was sure these shoes would be water-resistant, but being a soft fabric, I had no expectation that they’d be water-PROOF. You can literally take one of these shoes, hold it underwater, and it will come up completely dry…

Like you see in their ads, you can confidently walk through water as long as it’s not more than ankle deep. Really impressive stuff for an otherwise ordinary looking shoe.

The two gripes I do have about these shoes are specific to the cityscape style in particular. I don’t love the laces, or the sole support. Being lifestyle shoes, I understand that they aren’t designed to be the final word on ergonomics, but I feel that the lateral support provided, as well as the arch support, leave a lot to be desired for any kind of extended walking or wear. I would opt for a different model if you plan on using them for anything remotely active. My fault for not doing some more research.

The laces on the cityscape are also not the best. Unless you tie them very tightly, the eyelets will tend to flop outwards which looks sloppy.

If you tie them up too tightly, they will start to cut into the top of your foot due to the lack of padded tongue in the one piece design. Kind of a lose lose.

But those were really the only two things I could find to dislike about these shoes, and I like I said, they’re exclusive to this style in particular. More importantly, I’m willing to live with those couple small complaints because of how great the shoes are in every other way. They look great, feel great, and live up to the marketing claims of total waterproof performance.