Vented footwear

A footwear construction comprising:

• an upper forming a void configured to receive a foot of a user, the upper including a forefoot region, an arch region and a heel region, the upper including a longitudinal axis extending along a length of the upper and separating the upper into a lateral side and a medial side, the upper including a toe box in the forefoot region and an instep extending rearward of the toe box within at least one of the forefoot region and the arch region, the instep defining an aperture bounded by a boundary edge that extends around the aperture along the medial side and the lateral side, the boundary edge having a first thickness;
• a vent panel disposed over the aperture and joined with the boundary edge, the vent panel including a central portion aligned with the longitudinal axis, the vent panel including a boundary step including a stitching flange and a wall extending away from the stitching flange, the stitching flange including a second thickness, the boundary step being stitched to the boundary edge around the aperture with a stitch extending through the first thickness and the second thickness with the 4 boundary edge being disposed adjacent the wall, the vent panel being of a hyperbolic paraboloid shape and disposed rearward of the toe box, the vent panel defining a plurality of elongated slots that extend transverse to the longitudinal axis from the medial side to the lateral side, the plurality of elongated slots extending completely through a third thickness of the central portion;
• a mesh panel extending across the plurality of elongated slots from the medial side to the lateral side;
• and an outsole joined with the upper and including a plurality of ground contacting treads, wherein an airflow can pass through the plurality of elongated slots and the mesh panel, and into the void and vice versa to provide venting to a user's foot disposed in the footwear;
• wherein the instep transitions to a shaft that is without a tongue and a lace, the shaft extending above an ankle region.

A footwear construction comprising:

• an upper forming a void configured to receive a foot of a user, the upper including a longitudinal axis extending along a length of the upper and separating the upper into a lateral side and a medial side, the upper including a toe box and an instep extending rearward of the toe box, the instep defining an aperture bounded by a boundary edge that extends around the aperture along the medial side and the lateral side, the upper including a shaft extending above the instep, the shaft including a finger strap along the shaft;
• a vent panel disposed over the aperture and joined with the boundary edge around the aperture, the vent panel being disposed rearward of the toe box, the vent panel defining a plurality of holes that extend transverse to the longitudinal axis from the medial side to the lateral side, the plurality of holes being separated from one another via plurality of transverse beams adjacent respective ones of the plurality of holes, the vent panel including a vent panel interior surface;
• a mesh panel disposed adjacent the vent panel interior surface;
• and an outsole joined with the upper, wherein an airflow can pass through the plurality of holes and the mesh panel, and into the void and vice versa to provide venting to a user's foot disposed in the footwear.