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Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Keen Oregon PCT > Test Report by Edward Ripley-DugganKEEN FOOTWEAR OREGON PCT BOOT INITIAL REPORT October 26, 2008 FIELD REPORT January 10, 2009 LONG TERM REPORT March 13, 2009 TESTER INFORMATION
I enjoy walking in all its forms, from
a simple stroll in the woods to multi-day backpack excursions. Though by no
means an extreme ultra-light enthusiast, from spring to fall my preference is to
carry a pack weight (before food and water) of 12 lb (5.5 kg), more or less. In
recent years, I've rapidly moved to a philosophy of "lighter is better," within
the constraints of budget and common sense.
INITIAL REPORT PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: KEEN Footwear Front view of boots INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
The boots arrived in great shape, and were pretty much exactly as I expected from the website. There was no literature included, other than a packing slip. I tried them on immediately, wearing a pair of expedition weight Dahlgren alpaca/wool socks (my usual trail wear, pretty much year round, as I like the padding these socks supply). The fit, on walking around the house initially, was noticeably comfortable.
The boots flex well, and I don't have any sense that these boots are likely to chafe or rub unduly, though confirmation must await further testing. My heels feel locked firmly in the heel cups, without any sensation of being constricted. The toe-box is a comfortable width for my toes. The large front rand makes the toe-box quite rigid. This means that my toes should be well protected against stubbing on rocks, etc. For boots not yet broken in, they feel comfortable. So far as I can tell they are free from the sort of "slop" in fit that can give rise to rubbing and blisters. A preliminary break-in hike on level terrain of about four miles (6 km) has confirmed the impressions I've just noted. As a consequence, I feel that the fit can be fairly described as true. This is critical so far as I am concerned, as I have some longstanding foot problems that can be exacerbated by ill-fitting boots. At the same time, my feet are fairly "average" in overall shape, if there is such a thing: I have found that more boots fit me well than badly. The Keen Footwear warranty (taken from the website) seems industry-standard. "KEEN offers a one year warranty on all our products from the original date of purchase. If you believe your KEEN footwear, bag or socks are defective for any reason, please contact the KEEN dealer where the original purchase took place. The dealer is the best place to get your warranty issue resolved. The dealer can usually accommodate an immediate replacement or credit toward a special order for new product if a replacement is not in stock..." And so on. The impression I have after examining the boots is that they are carefully designed and well manufactured. While there is a good deal of external stitching, all the seams are double-sewn and appear flawlessly constructed. My hope is that they will prove comfortable and durable, as they will be exposed to rugged conditions. They will also be used in quite cold weather, on snow and ice, sometimes in snowshoes or with crampons attached. That's a given, due to the fall-winter testing period. The two-tone soles, which are of proprietary manufacture (note the KEEN logo on each boot in the image below), are heavily lugged, with what Keen describes as "4mm multi-directional traction lugs." The lugging on the heels is similarly formidable, and each heel has a core of a cork/EVA composite (a brown material with visible wood particles), that is intended to reduce heel shock (it is stamped "Natural Cushioning," the text just visible in the center part of the heel in the photo). The insole is shanked with what is described by KEEN as the "Keen Key-Tec full length TPU stability plate." I'll have to take that on faith! There is a sturdy rand all the way around the sole of the boot, extending over the toe box as a substantial "bumper." This has a small yellow "alert" triangle cast into it. I'm unclear if this is a decorative element or if this symbol is indeed intended to impart a warning of some kind. The lugged soles. The cushioning can be seen at the center of each heel
The boots from the rear SUMMARY
From the preliminary walking I've done in these, I have reason to hope that these will be a comfortable pair of boots. I will be interested to see if the strong tread pattern provides good traction on the slick rock (and soon, snow and ice) that predominates in my hiking areas. The lacing system works well, based on early indications. It has some latitude for alternate, non-standard lacings, should these prove to be necessary.
FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
I used the Keen PCT Oregon boots in moderate to serious winter conditions for about eight days of hiking over the Field Test period, as well as occasional strolls, trips to the stores, and other non-hiking use. I did not use them for winter backpacking, for reasons discussed below. Use was in the Catskill and Shawanagunk Mountains of New York, to elevations of about 4000 ft (1220 m). Conditions included moderate snow cover, as well as rain and occasionally ice-slicked rock, with temperatures from about 15 to 32 F (-9 to 0 C), give or take a few degrees.
PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD My first concern with any new pair of boots, after the overall fit, has to be break-in time. I have owned pairs that have never broken in to my satisfaction. My experience is that boots with a composite construction, such as these, are usually much easier than full leather boots in this regard. This has proved to be the case here, but while the Oregon PCTs could conceivably be worn for serious hiking straight out of the box, based on my experience I wouldn't entirely recommend it. I found that some minor ankle chafing during initial wearings, and it wasn't until this fairly robustly constructed area of the boot had enough use to render it reasonably flexible that I found the boots entirely comfortable. I do have fairly thick ankles, which may have been a contributory factor. The footbox was entirely comfortable from the outset.
Now they are fully broken in I find these boots extremely comfortable, both on and off trail. As mentioned in the initial report, I wear these with heavyweight socks, and wearing these (Dahlgren and Patagonia expedition weight), I found the boots (which have no added insulation) amply warm in temperatures down to the 'teens (around -9 C), and they are as good a fit as any off-the-shelf boot I have encountered. My heels seem to be firmly locked in place on steep downhills, and there is no noticeable slop on sidehills (which is always a good test of boot fit). I would judge these a superior fit, though as with any boot I must qualify this by saying they are comfortable on my feet, and every foot is different. I have used the footbeds that came with the boot exclusively, and I've not had any problems (so far) with the Morton's Neuroma that periodically afflicts my right foot. In other pairs that I have used in past years, I've nearly always had to use a semi-custom (heat-formed) footbed. The boot's external resistance to moisture is at least adequate, and indeed maybe a bit better than average. Still, if there are water crossings (or even snow-melt) the surface does wet out noticeably. My feet have so far remained dry within the boot, indicating that the moisture is not fully penetrating. Also, though I find this hard to judge precisely, I would say the linings are quite breathable. My socks have stayed dry, except when I have ended up with a bit of snow in them (I've mostly used these without gaiters, for the simple reason that until recently both my current pairs had been mislaid). Provided that I carry dry socks (and I always do—a pair of vapor barrier socks, to be precise), a wet boot is not a serious issue for winter day hiking. So far, they have dried fairly rapidly upon my return home. Still, for winter backpacking in snowy conditions I always use plastic climbing boots, both for the comfort and warmth of removable liners (which I can use in my sleeping bag), and because plastic boots do not freeze. Unless I sleep with them in my sleeping bag, which is less than comfortable in my opinion, leather and composite boots can become extremely stiff in sub-freezing conditions. Thawing them on my feet first thing in the morning is an excruciating (and, in deep cold, potentially dangerous) experience. Been there, done that. If we have a period of predictably mild conditions during the test period, I may use these for overnights, but otherwise I must report on the backpacking aspect of these boots in an addendum, once milder weather returns. SUMMARY The Oregon PCT boots have been very comfortable and an excellent fit, once broken in. They appear durable, and have been a pleasure to wear for their excellent traction on compacted snow-covered trails. I don't have any significant criticisms or issues to date. FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS For the past two months I have used the Oregon PCT boots on numerous snowshoe mountaineering trips in the Catskills and Shawanagunk Mountains. It has until recently been a cold winter (far colder than the period of the field report, with daytime temperatures in the hills on occasion as low as -10F, -23 C). There has been a great deal of snow in the mountains, by the standards of this region, often well over three feet (one meter), with deeper drifting in areas. The cold has eased suddenly with the advent of March, and in a recent brief respite from the Arctic cold I undertook a backpack trip with the boots, about which a little more later. I have also taken one rather arduous trip in up to three feet (almost one meter) of unstable "rotten" snow of the kind characteristic of spring conditions in these hills, in temperatures well over freezing (likely up to 45 F, 7 C). This severely tested the waterproof nature of the boots.PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD The boots continued to be comfortable, and are extremely well broken-in. They have proved well suited to wear with snowshoes, and they also work adequately with non-technical flexible crampons (used on sections of trail ice). Because they are more flexible than the boots I usually use in winter, I occasionally felt minor compression from the straps of snowshoes and crampons, but not enough to be an issue. This is important to note, as constriction of footwear by such straps (and the resulting squeezing of feet and circulation) is potentially dangerous in harsh winter conditions. At all times I continued to wear expedition-weight socks, and my feet were generally sufficiently warm.Though the waterproofing of the boots was adequate (moisture limited to snow-melt on the surface), the one March traverse mentioned in the section on conditions proved too much for them. I was on wickedly unstable off-trail snow, with several descents (and ascents) of between 500 and 1000 feet (150 and 300 metres), at temperatures well above freezing. It was also raining, in the afternoon at least. Wet snow soaked into the the boots. There was also snow that was forced into the boots during various helter-skelter slides (the final descent on this route is exceptionally steep). The rain and numerous falls on snow caused my boots to become utterly saturated inside and out, despite the use of snowshoes. Fortunately, the combination of milder air temperatures and thick socks helped keep my feet warm. (I was carrying dry VBL socks, but decided I was not at risk of frostbite or hypothermia and did not change.) I would not call this soaking a defect, as I don't think anything except plastic boots (too warm for these conditions) would have done too much better. I was leading a group on this occasion, and one member said that it felt like a winter survival course, despite the milder temperatures, so wicked was the condition of the snow. I am pleased to report that when, several days later, the boots dried out at home, there was no foul odor. Wear to heel strap Durability has, with one exception, been excellent so far. That single exception may be the (pun intended) Achilles heel of the boot. The webbing strap that acts to hold the wearer's heel firmly in place has started to abrade at the eyelet on the instep side of the left boot. The wear extends almost to the center of the strap. Similar wear does not show on the other eyelets, I wonder if this damage resulted from sharp abrasion from rock. That it has happened at all is a concern. The nature of the boot's construction, with a strap running over a hard nylon eyelet, does seem to carry with it the risk of this kind of "hammer and anvil" damage. If it were possible, I would love to see this strap totally sheaved in future versions of the boot. The idea of a heel retaining strap is excellent, but based on this evidence, the execution could be improved. If and when the heel strap fails, I don't know what the impact on the fit of the boot will be, but I cannot help but think it will be adverse. I have worn the boot on one backpack over this winter period, and that with a degree of trepidation. I was carrying what was (for winter) a light load of about 30 lb (14 kg). This is hardly extreme, and the boots were perfectly comfortable and stable on the snow over which I was traveling (wearing snowshoes). I will be interested to see how they handle hard trails in the summer, a rather more typical test of a backpacking boot. My concern for winter backpacking use, remarked on in the field report, comes from the strong possibility that the boots will freeze hard during the night. Fortunately the temperature in the tent did not descend much below freezing on this trip, and the boots did not become especially wet during the previous day. Still, I hesitate to recommend these boots for winter backpacks, given that (as already noted) they can wet out. In deep winter such mishaps can cause (at best) morning unpleasantness (putting on rock-hard frozen boots is simply excruciating) and potentially, it can lead to serious frostbite. SUMMARY These are, for me, very comfortable, well-fitting boots that are surprisingly suited (given the lack of insulation) to winter dayhikes. I do not think that they are especially suitable to winter backpacking in sub-Arctic conditions. Since the terrain I hike been almost uniformly snowy at elevation over almost the entire test period, I can only comment that on those occasions when I was on rock or trail rather than snow they handled admirably, and they do grip wet and snowy rock pretty well. I like the way my heels are cinched in by the heel strap, but wish the webbing were better protected against abrasion. In all, though, my experience with these boots is very positive, and I will certainly continue to wear them into the spring and summer.
My thanks to KEEN and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to test these boots. This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Read more reviews of Keen gear Read more gear reviews by Edward Ripley-Duggan Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Keen Oregon PCT > Test Report by Edward Ripley-Duggan |