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Reviews > Footwear > Boots > KEEN Tucson Mid > Owner Review by Nicholas Bielecki

KEEN TUCSON MID WORK BOOT (STEEL TOE)
BY NICK BIELECKI
OWNER REVIEW
February 28, 2019

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Nick Bielecki
EMAIL: nbieleckiAThotmailDOTcom
AGE: 41
LOCATION: Westville, New Jersey, USA
GENDER: M
HEIGHT: 6' 0" (1.82 m)
WEIGHT: 215 lb (97.50 kg)

Nick's my name, the outdoors are my game! I've logged countless miles traversing the New Jersey Pinelands as well as the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Hitting the trails with bushcraft tools and some healthy food offers a refreshing escape from reality. I love discovering remote places to relax, practice bushcraft skills, study plants and trees, whatever! I focus on shorter weekend trips in order to get out more often. I enjoy a slow to moderate pace in order to take in my surroundings and hopefully discover something new.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: KEEN, Inc.
Year of manufacture: 2017
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.keenfootwear.com
Style No.: 1009180
Listed weight: 28.2 ounces (799.5 grams) per boot
Weight as delivered: 28.2 ounces (799.5 grams) per boot
MSRP: $160.00 US

Toe Type: Steel toe
Duty Type: Medium Duty
Material: Waterproof nubuck leather upper, Oil and slip resistant non-marking rubber outsole, Hydrophobic/hydrophilic 2-zone comfort lining, Removable metatomical dual density EVA footbed
Colors Available: (1) magnet/chili pepper
Sizes Available: 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, 11, 11.5, 12, 13, 14, 15
Care: For day to day wear and tear, especially on lighter color leathers, use a leather cleaner and conditioner, found at most footwear dealers and/or shoe repair shops

The photos below from KEEN's website show what the boots look like out of the box.

IMAGE 1IMAGE 2IMAGE 3


PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The Tucson Mid's were very comfortable right out of the box. They are wide, soft and flexible, which is a pleasant surprise for new work boots.

The initial comfort makes them feel more like sneakers than boots. There is a minimal, almost non-existent, break-in period.

They feel tough and well made with no loose stitching or peeling rubber. The insoles are removable and there are four lacing eyelets and three locking metal hooks per side on each shoe. The laces are thick but really long.

Perhaps the most noticeable aspect of these boots is that they are extremely lightweight. The work boot styling and protective toe in no way seem to inhibit that sneaker feel.

They are listed as waterproof and ASTM certified non-slip.

FIELD USE

IMAGE 4
Wharton State Forest, New Jersey
IMAGE 5
Welch-Dickey Loop, New Hampshire

I've been wearing the KEEN Tucson Mid's for over a year now. They are my daily, year round, companions performing my day job inspecting bridges and are put to the test traversing embankments, sloshing through water and balancing across steel beams. As such, these boots have been subjected to rain, snow, heat, humidity, freezing temps, you name it.

That being said, they have also been serving as my primary pair of hiking boots. A typical hike is a five to ten mile (8-16km) roundtrip through the pines of Wharton State Forest New Jersey. I like to hike during the spring thru fall seasons. My personal favorite hike being the nine-mile (15km) Mullica River Trail and campground. The terrain encountered in Jersey is flat with sand, gravel, slow moving streams and stagnant cedar swamps.

I've also tackled the slopes of the White Mountains of New Hampshire on numerous occasions. My personal favorite hike being the four-mile (6km) Welch Dickey Loop in New Hampshire. Terrain in New Hampshire is rocky with an abundance of protruding roots, mountainsides with shear granite faces and of course significant elevation changes.

During their all-season use, the coldest temps encountered have been 15 to 20 F [-9 to -11 C], wearing one pair of 80% wool socks. Warmth was uniform and consistent from heel to toe for about an hour. At that point my toes did begin to feel cold. Overall, however considering temps at or around freezing, the boots were really cozy for extended periods of time. On occasions where snow was encountered, these boots trudged right on through and kept my feet dry as a bone. During the summer months, the ventilation at 85 to 90 F [29 to 32 C] is also really good. On hot, humid days my feet feel dry and show no signs of excessive moisture buildup.

What I liked initially about these boots was how much they actually felt like sneakers. However, after a break-in period of only a day or two, I noticed that the insoles weren't very soft. It felt like a lack of sponginess beneath my feet. To equate it to a car, it felt like the shocks were too stiff. This issue was easily overcome using gel inserts but really shouldn't be necessary on a high quality pair of boots in my opinion. What I'm saying is the removable metatomical dual density EVA footbed provided by the manufacturer isn't that great.

Something I did expect to encounter during extended downhill grades in steel toe boots was discomfort with my toes pushing against the steel. Turns out that wasn't an issue at all. My feet were hugged comfortably on all sides, no slippin'n'sliding in there at all.

These boots have proven to be durable and reliable. No peeling or delamination of the sole/boot bond or any of the rubber has occurred. They have offered superior protection from rocks, roots, stumps, logs or anything else I've inadvertently tripped over. I've even dropped an axe on my foot and escaped injury due to the protective steel toe. The molded plastic outsoles over the toes seem indestructible.

The laces are way too long, however. They required triple or quadruple knots or ankle wraps to prevent a tripping hazard or getting snagged on low-lying branches. The good news about the laces is they are tough, I'm still using the original pair after more than a year of daily use. I also like how the hooks and lacing eyelets don't tend to shred the laces over time.

The Tucson Mid's are advertised as waterproof and have lived up to the billing! I've tackled mud, streams, swamps, rain and snow. Feet stay dry as bone. No problem here. They also shed water quickly and don't get soggy and heavy.

As far as traction, the Tucson Mid's deliver. The treads have a thick, aggressive design that seems to have a high resistance to wearing down. I've balanced across many wet, slimy logs crossing streams in the pines and they have more grip than boots I've used in the past. Traction was most evident on the sparkling granite surfaces of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Also need to mention again how light these boots are, they really feel like sneakers!

SUMMARY

The KEEN Tucson Mid Work Boot (Steel Toe) is a lightweight, sturdy and durable boot. I feel they would more than hold their own in most seasons and terrain, the exception being the extreme cold. They function well as a hybrid for both work and hiking tasks.

THINGS I LIKE

- Durability
- Waterproofing
- Dual capability as a work and hiking boot

THINGS I DON'T LIKE

- Insole support/comfort (not spongy enough)
- Laces too long

SIGNATURE

Nick Bielecki

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.

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