Warning: Sperry soles dry out and become unusable within just 2-3 years.  A Sperry rep told me "a natural degradation process will start" if the shoes are stored for more than a month.

I liked my Sperrys.  They were my go-to shoe through all the warm months of the year.  But I'm leaving a bad review because my last two pairs have had the soles dry up and become slippery in just a couple of years, and they also split on the bottom and started sucking up water any time I'd walk through a puddle.  Below is a chat conversation I had with a Sperry customer service rep:

Sperry: If they were stored for prolonged periods, this doesn't sound like a manufacturing defect. I can set you up for an inspection and have you mail the footwear in if you'd like

Me: When you say prolonged periods... All I mean is they sat in the closet for a few months from November to February, the coldest months of the year when boat shoes are not practical. Do you really consider that a long period?  There are certainly no instructions for storage (or warning against storage) that come with the shoe.

Sperry: That would be a prolonged period. The footwear is really made to be worn and not stored. If stored, a natural degradation process will start

Me: What causes it? The shoes don't know whether or not they're on your feet.

Sperry: If the footwear is being worn, the chemicals are moving and stretching - not sitting stagnant. Since our products are made from leather and rubber materials, there are chemicals in them that will break down over time
Warning: Sperry soles dry out and become unusable within just 2-3 years. A Sperry rep told me "a natural degradation process will start" if the shoes are stored for more than a month. I liked my Sperrys. They were my go-to shoe through all the warm months of the year. But I'm leaving a bad review because my last two pairs have had the soles dry up and become slippery in just a couple of years, and they also split on the bottom and started sucking up water any time I'd walk through a puddle. Below is a chat conversation I had with a Sperry customer service rep:

Sperry: If they were stored for prolonged periods, this doesn't sound like a manufacturing defect. I can set you up for an inspection and have you mail the footwear in if you'd like

Me: When you say prolonged periods... All I mean is they sat in the closet for a few months from November to February, the coldest months of the year when boat shoes are not practical. Do you really consider that a long period? There are certainly no instructions for storage (or warning against storage) that come with the shoe. Sperry: That would be a prolonged period. The footwear is really made to be worn and not stored. If stored, a natural degradation process will start

Me: What causes it? The shoes don't know whether or not they're on your feet. Sperry: If the footwear is being worn, the chemicals are moving and stretching - not sitting stagnant. Since our products are made from leather and rubber materials, there are chemicals in them that will break down over time