Columbia Mens Trailstorm Waterproof Hiking Shoe 13 Black/Black

I typically buy size 9 but had to exchange these to 9.5. Traction is good. Comfort is ok. When I was cleaning them the first time after a muddy and snowy hike, water was bidding up on the fabric. After the third hike, water is not bidding up anymore. I ended up with slightly wet feet. Waterproof qualities that last for 3 hikes is rather subpar for my liking.

I bought these shoes in late May of 2021. They are quite comfortable for everyday wear and I do a fair amount of walking at work. They are mostly waterproof, although I felt some dampness on the right shoe while walking through wet grass or a light rain. My main issue with this shoe is that the outer layer is ripping on both shoes. Within 2 months the left shoe has a rip along the top, near the front. It's the outer layer but a shoe shouldn't be ripping this quickly. The right shoe now has a few spots that look like they are going to rip. I reached out to Columbia's warranty department as clearly this shoe was poorly put together and while they will take the shoe back and provide me with a credit they refused to pay for shipping. Their product is faulty and as the customer, I shouldn't be expected to pay for something when I did nothing wrong to cause the issue. As a frequent Columbia customer, I'm extremely disappointed with this policy.