Stuff We Love: I Bought These Waterproof Sneakers and I’m Never Taking Them Off

Are these kicks the ultimate antidote to Vancouver winters?

I originally bought these shoes for a recent trip to Japan—they’re lightweight and cushy, but with a streamlined design that wouldn’t make me look like too much of a comfort-forward tourist—but it was immediately clear upon touching down back into Van that these sneakers have a greater purpose than helping me trek from ramen joint to ramen joint blister-free: Vessi sneakers are super, super, super waterproof. Like, stick-your-foot-in-the-sink-and-then-spray-them-with-a-hose-and-then-spill-a-whole-pint-of-beer-on-them waterproof. It’s a veritable Vancouver miracle.As you no doubt already know, my rain-drenched friends, keeping dry is practically a competitive sport here in Puddletopia (cute new city nickname I’m workshopping…thoughts???), so this feature is going to be the key to my happiness over the next few months of the traditional Miserable Holiday Downpour Season. The Vancouver-based, Kickstarter-backed brand uses some sort of magical proprietary fabric that feels a lot like a wetsuit to repel water, so you can splash your way down the sidewalk without worrying you’ll be sitting in wet socks at your desk for the rest of the day.