Tester Information:
Name: Jason Boyle
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 6"/ 1.68 m
Weight: 170 lb/ 77 kg
Email address: c4jc"at" hotmail "dot" com
City, State, Country: Waldorf, Maryland, U.S.

Backpacking Background
I have been camping and backpacking for about 16 years. My introduction to the outdoors started with the BSA and has continued as an adult. I have hiked mostly in the Southeastern and Northeastern United States. I currently live near Washington D.C. and have made the mid-Atlantic mountains my playground. I used to carry everything and the kitchen sink, but I have become a lightweight hiker.

Product Information:
Manufacturer: Keen
Model: Newport H2
Size Tested: Men's size 9 (UK 8.5/EUR 41)
Year of Manufacture: 2004
URL:www.keenfootwear.com
Listed weight: 13.9 oz (397 g) per shoe
Measured weight: R Sandal 12 oz (340 g)
L Sandal 13 oz (369 g)
Total 25 oz (709 g)
**Disclaimer: the closest my scale will measure is in whole ounces**
MSRP: $85.00
Country of Manufacture: China

Summary:

After six months of testing and 250 + miles (403 + kilometers) the Keen Newport H2's have held up very well. They have been very durable and show little signs of wear. I have really enjoyed wearing them on short trips and in casual settings, but have found them to be severely lacking as a serious long distance hiking sandal.

Field Test Conditions:

These sandals have been used on all types of trails on the east coast, to include typical forest paths, pavement, mountain streams, and the extremely rocky trails of the Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia. I also backpacked in the sandals on trails in Shenandoah National Park, Cedarville State Park and a 100-mile (161 kilometer) section of the Appalachian Trail through central VA. I finally experienced cooler temperatures in the 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 Celsius) range during the final four months of testing and hiked in the sandals in the rain.

Long Term Results:

I had initially thought the fit of the sandals was right on, however, high mileage backpacking days quickly changed that. I used the sandals on a 6-day, 100-mile (161 kilometer) section hike on the Appalachian Trail through central Virginia that quickly pointed out areas where the fit was not perfect. By the end of the second day of hiking, I had begun to develop some pretty wicked blisters. The blisters were not in the same places on each foot. On my right foot, I got a large blister on the outside of my big toe, and on my left foot I got a large blister on the inside of my big toe. As the days wore on, I also developed blisters on the bottom of my pinkie toes. My feet are normally callused from running; I average 30 + miles (49 kilometers) a week depending on where I am at in my training schedule. The blisters really caught me by surprise on this trip because I had not previously experienced any before. Additionally, during day 5 of my trip I began to experience pain in my left Achilles tendon. With the help of vitamin I, I toughed it through my last day and rested it at home. I barely made it home on that last day and, I know I would not have been able to hike any further in the sandals. I was able to wear other shoes with no pain, but every time I put the sandals on for the next three weeks I had pain in my Achilles. I have not worn the sandals since that time and have concluded that the heel strap pressing on my Achilles everyday for 9 + hours a day caused the pain.

Since I did not have any of these problems on previous trips where I hiked less mileage, I conclude that it was the amount of mileage and time in the sandals that caused the blisters and Achilles pain.

The durability of the sandals has been great. The tread has not worn down significantly and there is no sign of wear on the straps themselves. The spots that looked like they pulling out did not grow any larger over the last four months. For more information on this please click here. I am pretty impressed that the sandals have lasted this long. I definitely think I will be able to get another season out of them. The shock cord lacing is still springy and the toe guard looks better than the toes of my other hiking shoes after similar mileage.

I was also able to wear the sandals with socks for some of my hikes. The socks have a couple of advantages over hiking with bare feet. The first is cushioning. This is pretty self-explanatory. The second is the sock material makes a better bond with the sandal and does not allow as much hiking debris to get into the sandal.

I don't think Keen's claim of waterproofness was completely accurate. I think the footbed was waterproof, but the sandal upper, definitely was not. Crossing streams and such water would run off of the footbed, but the upper would retain water. This did not really cause any issues while hiking, it just did not support Keen's claim of waterproof sandals.

Keen also claim the anti microbial footbed would keep the sandals smelling nicely. This was again partly true. The footbed did not smell, but the straps themselves retained odor. Nothing too serious, but another claim that was not really true.

Overall I think these are pretty nifty sandals. I really enjoyed being able to freely hike through streams and what not without having to change footwear like my companions. I am disappointed that I cannot use them for extended section hiking, but I guess everything cannot be perfect. I will continue to wear them until they fall apart, just not on extended trips.

Improvements:

My improvements are the same as before, an easier way to remove debris, and maybe a tougher sole. I would also like to see a wider back strap, I think it might help spread out the Achilles pressure point.

Thanks again to BackpackGearTest.org and Keen for the opportunity to participate in this test.


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Reviews > Footwear > Sandals > Keen Newport H2 > Jason Boyle > Long Term Report