Keen Shoes

[+san diego brian]

Does anyone hike in Keen h2 or Keen Newport shoes? I am thinking of buying them but wonder if hiking 10 miles in them would kill my feet !!

Thanks.

[+Team Shydog]

Ran up and asked my girlfriend before she went to sleep about her Keens. She wears the H2's out hiking all the time. She highly recommends the shoe. She says they grip the trail very well and have a great arch support. Hope this helps.

[+JohnnyVegas]

Footware

 

footware

[+san diego brian]

thanks for both of your answers! I may just buy two pair now !! Keens and and a hiking boot........

[+TeamK-9]

Make sure to spend a lot of time wearing the boots for small hikes before you go on for the ten miles... As with any good new pair of boots, you'll need to break them in, by hiking a long distance over many short periods of times..

[+TandGG]

I hike in a pair of Vasque ankle high, water proof boots and they are the best. I am getting ready to buy a pair of Keen H2 sandals and look forward to incorporating them into our hikes. Nice to hear some feeback on them. Thanks for this thread. G

[Lesbaru]

I have 2 pairs of Keens (H2 and Seattle Mary Janes) and am very happy with them. I recommend them and Chacos to a lot of my patients. My son pronates significantly, but doesn't need his supportive insoles in the Keens because they are built up enough. (Chacos are even better, but they are bare-toe sandals.)

[+JohnnyVegas]

Looking at the Keen shoes, I would not use them on a real hike, they look more something for use around town. I do not see how they can give any ankle support.

Edited May 11, 2005 by JohnnyVegas

[+Criminal]

Looking at the Keen shoes, I would not use them on a real hike, they look more something for use around town. I do not see how they can give any ankle support.

I don't know about that, I know at least one serious hiker that swears by them.

[+JohnnyVegas]

Looking at the Keen shoes, I would not use them on a real hike, they look more something for use around town. I  do not see how they can give any ankle support.

I don't know about that, I know at least one serious hiker that swears by them.

There is still no way they are going to give any real ankle support.

[+briansnat]

Looking at the Keen shoes, I would not use them on a real hike, they look more something for use around town. I  do not see how they can give any ankle support.

I don't know about that, I know at least one serious hiker that swears by them.

I've seen people hiking in Tevas and I even encountered a backpacker with a full pack wearing a pair of $2 "flip flops".

 

Doesn't mean its a good idea.

[+briansnat]

I found some pretty thorough reviews for the Keen Newport H2 in Backpackergeartest.

 

Here's one very positive one.

Here's another

and another

and

another

 

Here's a negative one.

 

For those of you who don't want to bother reading all those, in short, the reviews are generally extremely positive. The reviewers were all hikers who took the shoes out in all kinds of terrain under many conditions.

 

The positives were light weight, durability, comfort and soles with excellent grip in all kinds of conditions and on a wide variety of surfaces.

 

The negatives include uncomfortable grit building up on damp feet, sand and trail debris getting in the shoes (and not easy to get out short of taking them off), foot slippage (inside the shoe) when wet or used in mud, feeling pebbles, sticks and stones through the soft sole and the fact that the shoes are not waterproof as advertised.

Edited May 11, 2005 by briansnat

[+JohnnyVegas]

The positives were light weight, soles with excellent grip, comfort and durability.

There are lots of shoes that will be light weight, that have soles with excellent grip and that are durable. these features alone do not alone make a good shoe

, the key with any shoe or boot is finding one that will fit ones foots properly.

 

The negatives include uncomfortable grit building up on damp feet, sand and trail debris getting in the shoes (and not easy to get out short of taking themt off),

Why wear a shoe that is uncomfortable the fills with debris

 

foot slippage (inside the shoe)

This can equal blisters

 

feeling pebbles, sticks and stones through the soft sole

This does not sound very pleasent

 

the fact that the shoes are not waterproof as advertised.

So much for the claim of waterproof leather

 

To me the negatives list are very serious why buy a product that is not going to be comfortable

Edited May 11, 2005 by JohnnyVegas

[+san diego brian]

What did the Indians in Oregon wear? Maybe barefoot is the way to go!!!

 

just kidding,,,,,,,,,,,

[dyee]

I am considering getting a pair of taos but would probably get H2 if I was planning to dip my feet in more water.

 

BTW: taos look like they have more ankle support I would also try a pair of boulders but can't find them locally.

[+JohnnyVegas]

Unless the boot comes up above the ankle, it is not going to offer any ankle support. You just cannot get ankle support from a low top boot or shoe.

 

BTW, REI has a boot sale going now, I picked up a new pair of Vasque Zephyrs last night, $125.00 marked down from $160.00

[+Criminal]

Why all the angst? Either you like them or you don't. Point is, few geocachers are going to hike so far and with so much in their backpack that ankle support will ever be an issue. For the ones that actually do go out and bag the 8+ milers, they know what they need in that area.

[+san diego brian]

Thanks for all of the great input. Those links were very very helpful.

 

I think I will get the Keen Newports for use in town (San Diego). They would go fine with khakis and shorts and be good for short dry hikes (since debris gets inside the sandals on muddy hikes).

 

I will probably buy a trail shoe as well. Something comfortable, semi-waterproof, and cool; along the lines of a trail runner. I hike on-road, so to speak, and don't climb difficult terrain. I will be taking them to North Cali and Oregon in July for hikes near Crater Lake and Silver Falls and we will be stiking to clear trails.

[Jeremy]

Why all the angst? Either you like them or you don't. Point is, few geocachers are going to hike so far and with so much in their backpack that ankle support will ever be an issue. For the ones that actually do go out and bag the 8+ milers, they know what they need in that area.

I don't wear boots but I have pretty strong ankles. I think it just has to do with what type of body type and preference you have.

 

My big thing is breathability. I've been known to use Bite Shoes sandals but I'm usually wearing Merrell Mesa Ventilator IIs. GoreTex is king in the Pacific Northwest.

 

I sat through a presentation by a young lady that hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail. She wore sneakers and said she would hike with nothing else.

[+calipidder]

I am a geocacher and one of the test moderators at backpackgeartest.org (kind of like the approvers here at geocaching.com). I also happened to be one of the H2 testers. I still wear them regularly for hiking and trail running (and road running too). I really love them, and I alternate between them and Chacos for hiking and backpacking when I don't want to wear a boot or trail runner. I know that Shane had a terrible experience with them, and if you read all the reports you'll hopefully get an idea if they will be right for you based on the experiences and hiking style/terrain/personal stats of the testers. That's the reason we have three testers for everything we test - we can provide a bit more perspecive than a single user who writes a brief blurb in a magazine, which hopefully benefits our readers in the end, as well as the manufacturers who use our site for feedback.

 

Keep in mind that when you are geocaching some of that off-trail walking can be a bit uncomfortable if you are in sandals! I prefer a good shoe or boot if I know I'm going to be poking around off-trail for a cache. of course, I live in rattlesnake and poison oak territory too. I usually reserve my Keen H2s or Chacos for when I'm specifically hiking or trail running.

[+Geologygirl]

I got a pair of Keen Newport and I love them - especially the toe protection. I actually wear them more for school (standing all day) but I bought them to be water shoes/light trail walkers for caching this summer. I have a bad ankle, and poison ivy just loves me , so for longer hikes I'll stick to the over the ankle boots.