We’re always on the lookout for new products that will help us on our travels. When we heard about these super lightweight, waterproof and vegan shoes made by Vessi, we were intrigued! They’re made in Vancouver, which isn’t surprising due to the amount of rain on that coast. We’ve spent the last couple weeks testing the shoes so we could let you know our thoughts about these little beauties.
Meet the Cityscape, which Vessi markets as ‘a totally knit, waterproof shoe’. Out of the box we were pretty stoked with the shoes – they’re extremely lightweight, perfect for backpacking or travelling. When choosing a size it’s helpful to know they don’t do half sizes. Rachel is usually a 7-7.5, and she ordered a size 7. It seems that the shoe runs small, so it’s actually better to go a little larger if you’re not sure.
The hole for the shoe opening is on the small size. If you have wider feet, you might have trouble getting the shoe on – so consider getting a size up. But, holy heck, when you have these shoes on they’re so comfy!
Our first test of the shoes was a hike in Hawaii. We’d heard the views on the Lanikai Pillbox Trail were epic, so we got up early and headed out that way. The shoes held up surprisingly well, with more grip than we expected and allowing us to have easy movement on the trail. And as a bonus – it wasn’t hard to clean the mud off afterwards.
The next test was to see how the shoes did against water. They’re supposed to be 100% waterproof, so we took them to the beach. It felt strange trying to actually get them wet, rather than running away from the waves. We found the shoes held up to the test – our socks were dry after quite a few waves.
One thing we did notice though – if there was a big enough wave to completely submerge the shoe, water can come into the top of the shoe through the opening. Jeremy’s shoe had a bunch of room around the top so he experienced that more than Rachel. At least the shoes dry quickly!
Our final test was taking the shoes through some puddles and snow in Canada. The shoes are so much more lightweight than snow boots and when you pair them with woolly socks, they’re a good alternative. The only thing we’re not 100% sure about is the grip situation, it felt a little slippery on the ice. The big plus from this experiment – our socks stayed dry after playing in the snow and jumping in some puddles! Wet feet in -15 degree weather would not be fun…
So would we recommend the Vessi shoe? If you’re looking for a great travel shoe, that’s waterproof and lightweight – yes! It’s good value and they look pretty awesome too. If you have wide feet there could be some issues, so think about sizing or perhaps look for an alternative. If you are interested in snagging a pair, head to Vessi Footwear and use THEKIWICOUPLE10 for a discount. We also have a vlog on our YouTube where we review the shoes in detail, so you can learn a little more and see them in action. Vessi did provide us with the shoes for this review (Thanks Vessi!), but all opinions are our own.
