Reima Shoes Review

I have four boys who are notoriously hard on gear, especially shoes. That makes shoes a little tricky and always a pain to track down. I prefer something that can get handed down at least once to help save some money but that usually requires a bit more of an investment to begin with.

This post will detail the reasons both the Reima Wetter Wash and Reima Passo shoes absolutely fit the bill!

We were given the Wetter Wash sneakers with my 9 year old and my 6 year old and the Passo sneakers for my 4 year old to test. They were similar in a lot of ways and I’ve done my best to note the differences below! If you are looking for a toddler-sized version of Wetter Wash, try the Patter Wash sneakers! All opinions are my own.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Use code MTNMAMA to save 20% on all Reima Gear.

How I Chose Reima

My Requirements

Durability

As I mentioned before, durability is probably the number one thing I look for in shoes for my boys. I really dislike constantly buying shoes because they have worn out. Most of the shoes I’ve found hold up ok, but definitely look like “hand me downs” after one owner. I have been searching for a durability unicorn!

Versatility

We have limited space in our home, so I like items that are versatile. The more versatile a pair of shoes are, the fewer pairs I have floating around to keep track of!

Comfort

No one wants to spend a ton of money on a pair of shoes only to have their child complain while they wear them. Or, even worse, refuse to wear them! A lot of really durable shoes aren’t necessarily comfortable so I also look for a shoe that they want to wear.

Three boys posing on a muddy, snowy hiking trail. — They don’t look happy, but their feet are warm and comfortable!

Easy to Get On

With four kids it’s always a circus getting out the door. Having shoes that are easy for each of my boys to put on makes things go much faster. Bonus points if there aren’t laces they have to tie (and retie, and retie…)!

Looks Good

Honestly, I really want shoes that look good, but sometimes that has to take a backseat to practicality. Most of the time my boys don’t care but it’s a lot easier to get them to wear shoes they think are cool.

Price Point

This may be the last thing I look at when choosing my boys’ shoes, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a factor. I usually end up paying more for shoes because of the requirements I listed above. I am willing to pay more for quality, but I don’t have enough money to just throw it away on fancy shoes that don’t cut it.

Reima Product Claims

Initially I didn’t realize that Reima even made shoes. I had heard a lot about their killer snow and rain gear and I noticed people constantly mentioning the quality. I also knew that Tales of a Mountain Mama highly regards the Reima products and even has a discount code (“mtnmama” for 20% off) so I decided to give them a try!

All Season

Only the Wetter Wash sneakers are advertised as all season but all my boys have worn them in similar conditions. Could this be true?! A shoe my boys could wear year-round until they grow out of it? This would definitely check off my versatility requirement!

Waterproof

I always love a good waterproof shoe because it hits that “versatility” box for me again. But finding a truly waterproof kids shoe without it being a rain or snow boot seemed like a tall order. Both the Wetter Wash and the Passo shoes are advertised as waterproof!

Navy blue high top shoes with bright blue bungee laces. — Wetter Wash sneakers in Navy.

Machine Washable

We have owned another brand of shoe that is machine washable. In my previous experience it’s a cool feature that helps mainly with the stinky feet factor. I was willing to hope these shoes would actually look better afterwards as well, but I didn’t really have high expectations.

Elastic Lacing (or Velcro)

I was excited to see that both styles were laceless. That’s a game-changer for me and my boys prefer it as well. I was still a little nervous because high-top shoes are often more difficult to get little feet into. I’m looking at you, toddler snow boots.

Navy blue high tops with red soles and velcro straps. — Passo sneakers in Navy

Reima Shoes Review

Now for the good stuff! Did these Reima shoes live up to my high expectations and their own product claims? We put them to the test for over three months through all sorts of weather and this is what we found.

How We Have Used Them

These shoes have been worn non-stop by my three oldest for over three months. They’ve worn them biking and hiking, for neighborhood games of football and soccer, and everything in between. They’ve also been worn in all different types of weather.

Three boys pose with one foot up on a snow covered log. — On our first hike with the Reimas!

Rain and Puddles

On basically the first day they wore the Wetter Wash shoes my two oldest found a puddle that was inches deep. Like, completely submerged the footbed of their brand new shoes in a dirty parking lot puddle.

I panicked because I just knew their socks would be wet and then they would be cold and complain-y for the rest of our excursion! I mean, no shoes except rain/snow boots were that waterproof.

Wrong. Their socks and feet were still completely dry. They stayed warm and comfortable post-puddle and all through all our other rainy day adventures!

Three boys dressed in jackets and sweatshirts posing on a large frozen puddle in a parking lot. — This is same puddle the older boys went splashing through a few weeks earlier. Here it is now frozen solid!

Mud

Where rain is, mud follows and so do kids. Am I right?! Both styles of shoes found themselves in mud multiple times. They wiped off easily and still looked pretty good afterwards as well. We have them in navy and black, so I never noticed any kind of staining afterwards.

A close up shot of a boy wearing blue Reima sneakers in mud. — Even after hikes in the mud, they clean up well.

Snow and Slush

My boys still have dedicated snow boots, but these shoes have spent plenty of time in snow and slush. They have spent hours in the snow with them and their feet have stayed warm. I will say, their feet got wet more often in the snow, but that was because snow was coming over the top.

A little boy smiling while he splashes in slush. — Warm, dry feet even after playing in the slush just before Christmas!

Are The Product Claims Accurate?

All Season

We’ve worn them through wet, dry, cold, and snowy and they keep feet warm and dry without the weight of a traditional boot. They are perfect for school since they transition from the classroom to recess and right back again easily. We haven’t worn them in high heat (yet) and I’m guessing they are probably too heavy for everyday summer wear, but I think they will still be great on summer hikes. Again, the Passo sneakers are not advertised as all season, but have performed well.

Waterproof

These are definitely puddle proof! Since they aren’t as high as rain or snow boots, you do need to watch for snow or water coming over the top though. I will say that my 4 year old didn’t do the puddle test in the Passo shoes. His feet have stayed warm and dry in all other scenarios though!

Machine Washable

Finally, the moment of truth came: I washed them. They recommend you remove the insoles first and wash them in a garment bag. I took the insoles out, but didn’t use a garment bag. I just popped them in on the gentle cycle and waited.

YOU GUYS. They looked practically brand new. And I didn’t get a picture before my boys were off wearing them again! Ahh!

But trust me, minus scuffs and scratches on the soles (can’t wash those away), the shoes looked fantastic. The fabric uppers had come completely clean and looked mind-blowingly good. Even my husband commented! We have the black and navy shoes, so I can’t speak for the lighter/brighter colors, but these washed beautifully.

I’ve only washed them once in the past few months. Partly because they haven’t needed it (they wipe off easily). But mostly because my boys literally wear them all day every day. It’s hard to find a time to wash them and let them air dry without someone asking where their shoes are.

Elastic Lacing (or Velcro)

These have been so easy to put on that I haven’t had to help my older boys at all, and my 4 year old got the hang of them really quickly. I especially love that the Passo shoes are extra firm on the back of the shoe so my 4 year old can slip his foot in easily without smashing down the heel.

The back of a little boy walking down trail in the fall. — My 4 year old loves his Reimas and can get them on by himself. Win!

Visibility

The reflectors on the shoes are really awesome as well. They show up well on our night time walks and my boys love to see how fast they can “make the lights go.” Light up shoes without batteries? Win!