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« Friday Headlines | Main | Ultralight Bear-Proof Food Storage » January 27, 2006Review: Keen Newport H2 Sandal
This past summer I was looking for something to wear while kayaking, swimming, quick hikes and daily walks around town. Unfortunately I hate thongs, traditional sandals, and basically anything sandal like or with an open toe. Considering the aforementioned issues, it's easy to surmount that I've personally never worn anything in the summer but a standard tennis shoe, even in the river or lake setting. That is, until I purchased the Keen Newport H2 Sandal. The shoe is simply amazing. I know it's a sandal; however, it's a sandal that wears like a shoe but still allows the open air, quick drying freedom of a sandal. The straps are an ultra comfortable nylon material with a healthy dose of neoprene for good measure. It has what most people refer to as "Shock Cords" for laces. These things rock. It's a one step process for comfort; just give them a tug on the shock cord to tighten them down as much or little as you want. The soles are made of a very sticky, soft rubber that seems to grip anything they touch like glue. It's also one of the most comfortable soles I've ever had the pleasure of walking in, regardless of the type of shoe. And the best part: A wide front end "toe box" that encompasses your toes like a shoe to prevent cuts and scrapes, as well as aiding in mobility through the use of your protected forefoot for maneuvering. The sole has a unique feature, partly responsible for the amazing comfort, in that it actually cradles all of your toes. To explain further, basically there is an indent and ridge that separates your toes from your foot, and each toe from the others. Additionally, the shoe sole "melts" to encompass the shape of your foot within about a week of wearing them. It's like nothing I've experienced in a shoe before. Soon after breaking in the shoe, it was like they were hand crafted to fit my foot, and my foot alone. The bonus of this is that once they craft themselves to your foot, you don't even need to tighten down the laces, you can just sort of flop around on them with-out experiencing any chaffing or blister causing movement. As far as in the water, they perform superbly. The soles are sticky wet, dry or underwater. Walking on rocks or wet docks made no difference in the confidence level I had in these shoes to keep me upright. Transferring from wet to dry and dry to wet environments is seamless, as the shoes do not get heavy like Aqua Sox or similar water shoes. I would also go as far as to say that if anything they helped, rather than hampered, my ability to swim. Verdict: Available at REI for $90.00 and Amazon.com for $89.95, with additional reviews Keen has more information available on their site. Posted by Jesse Gunderson at January 27, 2006 8:36 AM Trackback PingsTrackBack URL for this entry: CommentsGreat sandals for comfort but I find them really hot and therefore they smell! Posted by: Travis at January 27, 2006 10:45 AM That's interesting.. I suppose they could be slightly warmer than a normal sandal considering the toe box and such. I forgot to mention this in the article, but they also have an anti-bacterial coating on the soles, so unless you're inclined to have generally smelly feet they should hold up =) Posted by: Jesse Gunderson at January 27, 2006 11:03 AM I've had a pair for about a year and a half. Yes, they do get a bit funky after extended wear. Also, they don't do well in places where there are a lot of small pebbles or gravel. Because of the way the shoe is constructed, they tend to suck up the pebbles into the back, which work their way up to the toes and stay there. Otherwise, they're absolutely fantastic. Posted by: Adam Fields at January 29, 2006 7:04 PM Post a comment |
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