Back in 2021, I posted a review of my first pair of Vessi sneakers. I was impressed by their ability to live up to the claims of waterproofness, but had a couple complaints about the build of the Cityscape variant I owned at the time. Four years later, I am still casually wearing those Cityscapes, as well as a second pair of Everyday Move shoes I bought a year later. They are my go-to shoes for damp weather, or activities where I know “regular” shoes would quickly soak through such as disc golf on a damp and dewy morning.
You can imagine how quickly I jumped on the opportunity when Vessi reached out asking if I wanted to take a look at a few other styles out of their lineup! As always, there was no expectation of a positive review or any oversight from the brand on this blog post. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.
Stormburst high top
It has been a particularly snowy winter in Southern Ontario, and my Blundstones met an unfortunate end after 10 years of loyal service. So I was eager to try one of their high top styles such as the Stormburst for an upcoming ski and snowshoeing trip to Mont Tremblant.
Warmth has always been surprisingly good with the Vessi shoes I’ve owned in the past. Because of the waterproof material, all styles of Vessi shoes are naturally warmer than their appearance may lead you to believe. My old Cityscapes even held up in -30C weather on a recent trip to Regina, Saskatchewan!
As you can imagine this can turn into a negative over the summer months, making Vessi shoes best suited to Fall through Spring wear.
For this reason, I was never concerned about the warmth of the Stormburst. I simply wanted something with better grip, in a boot style to keep snow and wetness off of my socks in deeper snow. Whether walking on plowed paths or being tested while snowshoeing in 60+ cm of fresh snow, the high top boots performed very well, providing great grip in snowy conditions in a surprisingly light form factor.
Because of Vessi’s tendency towards slip-on and off styles, the elastic body of the shoes was putting some extra pressure in this area, even with the laces fully undone. At the end of my drive up to Tremblant from Ottawa (2 hours), I couldn’t wait to get them off my feet. However, after a few long days of use they wore in to a more comfortable state.
With that being said, they do not feel like “traditional” hiking boots, with noticeably less ankle support and added pressure on the top of the foot if you tighten the laces too much. These are clearly aimed at more casual wear rather than long distance trekking. But once worn-in, I would not hesitate to take them on longer day trips.
The only area where both my girlfriend and I felt some discomfort was on the tops of our feet towards the end of the first few days of wear as mentioned above.
Overall I think that these are a great pair of casual waterproof shoes in all sorts of wet or snowy conditions. If you often find yourself needing dry feet, but don’t like reaching for a pair of full on winter or rain boots, these are a great intermediate option.
Weekend sneakers
Despite being pleased with the Stormburst High-top, what has always attracted me to Vessi is the ability to have waterproof footwear in something that doesn’t LOOK technical or high-performance at first (or second… or third…) glance.
The Weekend Sneaker is a perfect example of this, and hands-down my favorite pair of the 4 different styles I’ve owned so far.
What appeared as a simple pair of brown shoes on the website turned out to be thoughtfully designed sneakers with a variety of patterns and textures that immediately attracted several genuine compliments through my first day of wearing them.
Again using a “lacing optional” sock-like design, these would be a great airport or travel shoe where easy on-off is a priority.
I was happy with how they felt equally at home in casual or business casual outfits which is exactly how I broke them in during a conference taking place in Ottawa in the middle of a snowstorm.
Through repeatedly coming indoors onto slippery tile floors from slushy streets, I also discovered the very affective non-slip capabilities of the Weekend’s soles. With my Cityscape or Everyday Move shoes, this would have been an absolute no-go.
Overall, I’m VERY happy with the Weekend Sneaker and highly recommend it if you’re looking for a clean casual option from Vessi. One of the reasons for such a strong recommendation is my past experience with other Vessi models, and a slight inconsistency from style to style:
Cityscape – Fell a bit short of expectations
Everyday Move – Good but not GREAT
Stormburst High-Top – Meet your briefing and use case perfectly
Weekend Sneaker – Exceeded expectations
Final word
It’s been really interesting to see the progression of Vessi shoes since my first pair several years ago. They are continuing to develop and improve on an already solid product, and I’m excited to see what new models will come out in the future.
