Mountrek Cascade Water

These shoes are nearly as expensive as Keens, but with much worse construction and no way to contact the company.

I purchased these shoes on sale at Bass Prop Shops awhile ago. They were about 50% off and I had been looking for a pair of shoes with a thick sole that were also great for wearing in the water and these fit the bill.  

About one month later I wore them on a hike including some mud in the Everglades. There is a bar inside the sole about halfway down that can be very uncomfortable and causes rubbing on your inner sole. I never got a blister but the skin in that area was raw afterwards.

Other than the rubbing they were quite comfortable. The thick sole allowed you to step on roots and branches without any problem. The grip on these shoes was also great on slippery logs. The holes are large enough to drain water well, but occasionally you will get a small pebble or twig stuck in there but it is easy enough to remove.

After about 4 miles, the elastic band used to tighten the shoes snapped in half.  I had to do a quick improvisation and used a lighter to melt the pieces back together to be able to finish the hike.  

I attempted to return them to Bass Pro Shops but because it was past 30 days they told me to contact Mountrek. I went on their website which doesn't entirely work properly and found an email address for customer service. I emailed them and it was immediately bounced back.

I am going to attempt to contact them again because I would really like either my money back or my shoes repaired.  I wish I had purchased a pair of Keens instead.