Freet Mudee
On July 13, 2021 by Noelia
I’ve been looking at this brand for a while. I’ve read different reviews, I saw different people post about their amazing experience with them, but I was not convinced with their looks. It wasn’t until I wanted a true waterproof boot that I finally convinced myself that I had to try them. I bought them with a discounted price and I paid shipping myself (which was pretty expensive!).
I took them with me on an RV road trip around the US and wore them in different terrains for at least 15 miles before writing this review.
You can use my code MAESTRA10 for 10% off or you can buy at Pedterra here if you are in the US.
Company
Based in North Yorkshire, UK.
According to their website, they design their shoes in the UK and manufacture them in a small factory in China, with whom they have a 10 year relationship. They adhere to the EU requirements on safety and environment issues with regard to materials used and working conditions. I tried looking up what that means and I was not able to figure it out. I wish they would list what those requirements are.
They also state that the Chinese factory pays a little more than “average” to their workers and that they will never support a “sweat-shop” environment.
The shoes that they consider “seconds” or the returns they get are sent to ShoeAid. They also support Sea Shepherd, Woodland Trust, CLAN Cancer Support and Salvation Army.
Materials
- Upper: Hydrophobic Microfiber – which performs similar to the highest grade of leather but quicker drying.
- Lining: Polyester (breathable and water resistant)
- Insoles: Polymer (synthetic)
- Outsole: GripPus – which is recommended for light trail or mixed trail/urban use. It wears quicker than their MultiGrip on concrete.
These shoes are vegan.
Design
- Zero drop
- Wide and with natural foot shape, which allows toes to spread naturally.
- Flexible: both uppers and sole, which allows shoe to mold to different foot shapes.
- Sole has great traction for hiking (I have not tested them on ice nor mud).
- OrthoLite insole 3 mm (removable)
- Stack height: 7mm + 3 mm insole
Sizing and Fit
Freet recommends to buy one or two sizes larger than your usual size. They do post the length and width of their insoles.
According to their website size 40 (my usual size) is 25.2 cm in length and 9.9 cm in width, while size 41 is 25.8 cm in length and 10.1 cm in width.
Most of my closed-toe shoes have an insole that is 26 cm in length. Size 40 was going to be too small for me and I even considered buying size 42 (26.4 cm), but I could not bring myself to buy a shoe 2 sizes bigger than my usual size… so I bought size 41.
First impressions:
They felt huge! They are designed for high volume feet and even though I was planning on taking out their insoles, I was not able to do that… I had too much space already! Even with the insoles and socks, I have a lot of extra space.
In my quest to make them hug my low volume feet, I tighten them too much and my ankle started to hurt. So I stopped using the top eyelet and that helped with the problem.
After the first wear, the uppers relaxed a little but even after wearing them a few times, I am not done with their break-in period. I still find them uncomfortable and I prefer to wear boots that do not hurt my ankles.
Performance
The first time I wore them was for a 3-mile hike with a 600 ft elevation gain in a rocky terrain… and it was raining! They felt secure, they had great traction, and kept my feet dry. I did have to stop and play with the laces a few times because my ankles hurt.
After that, I also wore them to hike in the dessert and in the forest. They did not make my feet feel too hot and they did not hurt after hiking.
I tested them last winter and I would not recommend them for colder temperature or snow, my feet did not stay warm in them.
I am happy with their shape, waterproof, and grip but they still hurt my ankles, so they are not the boots I reach for. I do believe these can be great for high volume feet.
Care
Because the uppers are made of microfiber, they are really easy to keep clean. Freet recommends to use Nikwax, although I haven’t tried it.
If you need to wash them, you can hand wash with lukewarm water and mild detergent, and let air dry.
I’ve worn them in extreme terrain and they still look new. Mud was easy to clean, I did not have anything stick to the uppers and even the soles look clean!
Looks
I’m going to be honest… I did not like the looks of Freet, but I did want a waterproof boot. I’m so happy I decided to try them!
Once you have them on, they actually look like traditional hiking boots, so they blended right in in all the trails I hiked!
Do you have questions? I would love to answer them!
Ready to buy? If you are in the US, you can buy them at PEDTERRA (here).
I’ve written a review for my other barefoot hiking boots: