Product Description: A closed-toe sandal with Ghillie-style lacing. The exterior straps are waterproof polyester webbing, backed with a “hydrophobic” neoprene-like foam fabric. The laces are made of shock cord and do not tie, but are threaded through a cord-lock that allows for easy tightening and loosening of the laces. Underneath the laces, running up the middle of the shoe, is a tongue made of thin synthetic suede, with the same foam fabric underneath it. The soles are non-marking carbon rubber, and in the front of the sandal the rubber extends up and over the toe area, forming a protective cap over the wearer’s toes. The anatomic footbed is anti-microbial EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate), to inhibit odor. There are small webbing loops on both the single rear strap of the sandals and at the top of the lacing, to assist in putting on the shoes. These loops reflect light in dim conditions. Please see my Initial Report for an extremely detailed description of the shoes.

Tester: Colleen Porter (biography at end of report)

Field Information: I have used the Keen H2's mainly in southern California - for a week of beach camping, for walks in our local eucalyptus forests (the trees were imported from Australia over 100 years ago as part of a harebrained scheme to make money in the railroad tie industry), and as an everyday shoe. I was able to use them for 2 weeks in northwestern Montana - boating and swimming on Flathead Lake, and an overnight trip on the east side of Glacier National Park. Temperatures were overwhelmingly warm. Terrain ranged from sandy to rocky to mud 6 inches/15 cm deep. There was rain, but very little, and mostly brief.

Field Performance: On an overnight trip along the Belly River in the northeastern corner of Glacier National Park, the H2's faced their greatest challenge so far in this test. It had rained heavily for two nights in a row, and the trail was nothing but mud. Rangers on horseback started down it a few minutes before we did, churning up the mud and adding horse dung to the mix - yummy. My water-resistant socks were 1300 miles/2093 km away, at home in California. I knew it was madness, but I was already there and wasn't going to quit so easily. My hiking companion loaned me a spare pair of gaiters (which sounds ridiculous, but it turned out I wasn't the only sandal/gaiter wearer on the trail that day), and we set off.

By choosing my footing carefully, it took a while before any mud got into the shoes, and initially those small amounts of mud didn't bother me. But once things got deep (over my ankles at some points), the mud inside the H2's started making trouble for me. The slippery mud coated everything inside the shoe and it began to feel as if my feet were in an oil-wrestling match. They slipped around inside the shoes, which forced me to choose my footing even more carefully, which slowed us down woefully. I tightened the shoes as much as I could, but could not get them tight enough to hold my feet in place. On the hike in, it took us 5 hours to walk 6 miles/9.6 km. I was kicking myself for not bringing my socks, which might very well have helped. I do need to note that the soles performed just fine; the slipping I'm discussing was all inside the shoes.

After setting up camp, we headed for Lake Elizabeth. This was quite possibly the wettest hike I have ever had without being in a rainstorm. By the time we got to the lake, I was soaked from the thighs down, due to the lush vegetation and deep mud. I had the H2's on as tightly as possible, and we did make better time, but the slipping problem still happened. The next morning, the H2's weren't fully dry (probably due to the high humidity in the valley), but the trail had dried out enough that I was able to keep from getting the shoes full of mud again. When we got back to the trailhead and I removed the shoes, I found I had developed three blisters - on the tips of two of my toes, and one on the back of my heel, under the rear shoe strap. None of the blisters were severe (I didn't even notice them as I walked), but had I been out for a longer trip in those conditions I would probably have quit, due to the slippage and the blisters. I can't say whether socks would or would not have helped under those conditions. From here on out, I will bring hiking socks along on my trips with the H2's, to evaluate the difference they make. Since I despise socks, it will be a real challenge for me, but it has to be done.

I wore the Keens for boat trips on Montana's Flathead Lake, and as swimming and wading shoes. I was very happy with their performance in this regard. I never slipped or had any misgivings about my footing - on docks, boat decks, wet rocks and slippery logs, they gripped nicely and never slipped.

I also used the Keens as my daily shoes during a week of camping on the California coast. As walking (on dirt, pavement and sand) and even running shoes, they performed very well. As ocean surf shoes, they leave much to be desired. Every wave swept water and sand into the H2's. The water flowed back out, but the sand stayed (as did any tiny sand crabs which were unfortunate enough to be swept in). Eventually the shoes were full of wet sand, which was most aggravating. I ended up taking them off and going barefoot in the waves (and stubbing my toe on a rock). I would have been better served by using my surf shoes.

So far, I'm still using the H2's daily. In many ways, but not all, the Newport H2's are fantastic. As daily shoes, they are extremely comfortable - the kind of shoes you forget you have on. As boating and watersport shoes, they are also comfortable and functional. The soles have excellent grip on wet, slick surfaces - better than Chaco's Colorado soles and comparable to Teva's Spider Rubber soles. However, Keen's claims for waterproofness and "hydrophobia" in the upper components really don't seem to hold up. These shoes get wet and stay damp, unless the air is dry enough to draw out the moisture overnight. Here in dry California they take a few hours to completely dry out, but in moist northern Montana they were still not completely dry in the morning (after 8+ hours of sitting outside my tent). Also, due to the thickness of the straps and the enclosed toe box, the H2's are definitely warmer than other hiking sandals I have used. That is simply the price paid for better protection of the foot.

The footbed has an antimicrobial treatment that is supposed to control moisture and inhibit odor. My feet do get a bit humid inside of the H2's, but it's never uncomfortable. That said, I am sad to report that my feet still stink after a day of wearing them. My feet also seem to feel dirtier in the H2's than in other sandals - I think because the humidity inside the shoes allows dust & tiny debris particles to "stick" to my feet, whereas in other sandals my feet stay drier and so the dust and dirt doesn't cling so much.

In less than two weeks I will be embarking on what I jokingly refer to as the High Sierra Trail Deathmarch. Some friends and I will be doing 18 miles/29 km a day for six days, blasting across the Sierra Nevada, going up Mt. Whitney, and then blitzing back across again. The H2's will be the only shoes I bring for the trip, and I think for the conditions I expect they will perform perfectly. I just have to remember to bring those blasted socks.

Tester Information

Name: Colleen Porter
Age: 29
Height: 5'8"/1.73 m
Weight: 140 lbs./64 kg.
Email address: tarbubble at yahoo dot com
Location: Orange County, CA
Date: May 25, 2004
Backpacking Background: I have been hiking for over 15 years, backpacking for 8. I’ve only been serious about it for the last 2.5 years or so. I hike and backpack primarily in southern and central California, so environments run the gamut from coastal to desert to alpine. I love to hike in sandals, but am still searching for the perfect pair. Almost all of my trips are on established trails - I never intend to bushwhack, but occasionally I end up on a disused trail and at least make an attempt at getting through the overgrowth. When I manage to get out on my own I pack quite lightly (about 13 pounds/6 kg base weight), but more often than not my husband and 2-year-old son are in tow.

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