When your intention is to explore while traveling, you can be on the go and on your feet for the majority of your day. Especially when you’re sightseeing and discovering new cities. It’s crucial to have the appropriate footwear that allows you to tolerate the duration of your activities. What’s even better, is when you can have a versatile pair of shoes for traveling that can do it all. I found Vessi shoes a few years back and have been wearing them for the past 2 years when I finally decided to make the purchase. Vessi shoes can take you through all types of weather, allows your feet to breathe, and looks stylish with your outfits.
Why I Like Vessi Shoes For Traveling
First of all, I love how versatile it is. Especially when it comes to weather. Although I look at weather reports before my trips, it’s always unpredictable. In case it does rain, I definitely feel safer with my Vessi shoes when traveling. There’s been a few times where it randomly rained when I was out and about, but I wasn’t worried since I knew my shoes are waterproof. One of my pet peeves is wearing wet shoes that are soaked through. I’ve been through enough of that during my school days, especially during winter. And I have since switched to almost waterproof everything when I know it’s available. Vessi shoes come in super handy for that reason, but they also look just like a regular pair of stylish sneakers.
They’re a great option as your everyday shoes and are super lightweight. You don’t even need to wear socks as they’re all slip-ons. But, 3 out of 4 styles that they currently have do have false laces that you can tie, but it’s just for the looks. Although they don’t go well with dresses or a fancier outfit, they match perfectly with jeans, leggings, and shorts.
Whether you’re going to the beach, touring around the city for the day, or just casually exploring your travel destination, Vessi’s are suitable for most of your planned activities.
Can I Take My Vessi’s Hiking?
The reason why I say most of your planned activities, is because I wouldn’t say they are the do-everything kind of shoe. I mean, I don’t think any kind of shoe is. But I took my Vessi’s on a day trip to go hiking thinking they’d be okay, but since we got lost and walked for more than 5 hours on uneven and off-the-beaten-path kind of grounds, my Vessi’s weren’t able to provide my feet the support and protection it needed. Plus, I didn’t wear socks so it was my own fault. I ended up getting blisters on my feet and my feet were also very sore.
If you’re doing light and easy hikes, I would say they’re perfectly fine as I’ve done that before too. But if you’re doing a full day of hiking on non-paved pathways and uneven terrain, wear your hiking shoes! Here are 13 Things You Absolutely Need To Bring On A Hike as well as which hiking shoes I wear.
The Vessi Shoes I Purchased
After doing lots of research and reading tons of reviews, I purchased my first pair of Vessi Everyday Sneakers in All Black. When I received them, I thought the shoes were a little wider than I had expected. They made my feet look a little big. I purchased the same shoes for my husband in a limited edition color, Midnight Black and they look perfectly normal on him. The reason why I chose the Everyday Sneakers first was because they claim to have more support.
Not too long after, I purchased the Vessi Cityscape Sneakers in Storm Black. Now these ones were as I had expected. They are a little sleeker and not as wide as the Everyday Sneakers so it went well with more outfits. I had also purchased the Cityscapes for my husband in the same color. The Cityscapes are ultra-lightweight as well.
The Everyday Sneakers and the Cityscape Sneakers are both great shoes, but both my husband and I prefer the Cityscape as they are sleeker (fitted) and more stylish. They’re also a little bit lower on the ankles than the Everydays which make it more comfortable.
Vessi’s Are Great For Both Men And Women
Currently, there are 4 different Vessi shoe styles available: Everyday Sneaker, Everyday Slip-On, Cityscape Sneaker, and Weekend Sneaker. They are also constantly coming out with limited edition colors and new colors to spice things up. What’s great about Vessi is that they make the same style of shoes for both me and women. Including all the great features that I’ve listed in the next section.
For women though, I find that the Vessi’s opening to slip your feet in is bit tighter than men’s so I can’t really wear socks with mine. Hence why I didn’t wear them when I went hiking. My husband can wear socks with his Vessi’s and does so 95% of the time and they never feel or look tight. If you don’t want it tight fitted, I’ve read that you can purchase the men’s version for a slightly looser fit. Just find the right size for you.
What Makes Vessi So Special?
The great thing about Vessi shoes is that you can wear it all year round through sun, rain, slush and snow – and of course, traveling. Dyma-tex is Vessi’s patented 100% waterproof, breathable knit. And it is not a coating. Their patented knit keeps your feet dry from the inside. It is also breathable and lets your sweat out, but no water in. For those who are worried about sweaty feet, there’s a built-in anti-odor, anti-bacterial insole and can be removed and washed whenever needed. These shoes also provide your feet support and are very comfortable to wear.
Features
- 100% waterproof
- Vegan materials
- Lightweight
- Breathable knit
- Easy to slip on
- Can be worn without socks
- Removable insoles if you want to use your own
Are Vessi Shoes Actually Waterproof Though?
Now a question you may ask is, are Vessi’s actually waterproof though? I’ve taken my Vessi shoes traveling and walked through tons of puddles, walked in the water on the beach, and dipped my feet into lakes and oceans. My feet were never wet.
Recently though, I’ve really put my Everyday Sneakers to the test. (I’ve also worn these shoes for almost 2 years now.) I’ve been taking a lot of road trips around my province, visiting different waterfalls, beaches and lakes. As long as you don’t have water over your ankles, your shoes should be fine. When I wore them in water, I had them dangerously close to my ankles. And every time I would dip my feet in water, I ended up staying in longer and longer. I would literally just stand there and soak my shoes while the waves were splashing around me. Why not, they’re waterproof right?
After a full day of doing that, I found that my shoes felt just slightly damp on the inside. Although the water splashed around my ankles, the shoes are too tight to let water in. And I would have felt it going in the top of my shoe. It was wet on the outside for sure and needed time to fully dry, but it felt a little cool and slightly damp on the inside. I just used a blow dryer to dry up the shoes in case it was actually wet on the inside. It was so slight that I can’t say for certain it was wet on the inside. Or if it was just wet on the outside and the coolness made it feel like the inside was wet too.
Either way, the waterproofness of the shoes held up extremely well. And if you’re not like me just standing in water for an extended amount of time, your shoes will be 100% waterproof. I’ve never had any issues with this especially with the amount of times I’ve stepped in water. And I don’t think they’re meant to be used the way that I did, but I was really pushing the Vessi’s to their limits to see how waterproof they were.
How To Take Care Of Your Vessi’s
Vessi shoes are one-of-a-kind and are great for everyday shoes as well as for traveling. I definitely won’t go without them when I’m taking a trip somewhere as I’ve found them extremely useful. And if you want to make the most out of your Vessi’s, you’ll want to take care of them so they will last you. Here’s how you can keep them clean:
- Run your shoes under warm water.
- Scrub the sole with a toothbrush and the knit with a sponge.
- Let your shoes air dry.
Check out my Instagram to see the reel I’ve created on our Vessi’s while using them in water on our road trips!