|
| Home | Guest - Not logged in | |||||||||||||
|
» Register
» Login
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
» Contact
|
Reviews > Footwear > Sandals > Keen Newport H2 > Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd > Field Report
The perfect hiking shoe. It's
the dream of every hiker, including me. Did I find this rare and
elusive beast in the Keen Newport H2 sandal?
Since feet can be very different from
person to person, let me describe mine. They are long and narrow,
and can best be described as 'hiker feet' - calloused, dry, rugged,
distorted toenails, and obviously spend a lot of time crammed in
hiking boots and exposed to the elements (disgusted yet?). I
have extremely flat arches (my footprints show no arch whatsoever), and
wear, on average, a women's size 9 narrow. Some shoes in my closet
are smaller, and some are larger. The shoes I typically wear hiking
(trail runners, boots, etc) tend to be larger (9-9.5) to leave room for
socks and swelling. Sandals, which fit closely, tend to be smaller
(8.5-9). I don't wear any specialized orthotics, but tend to prefer
Shock Doctor insoles over the provided insoles in my hiking boots and
shoes. That said, they have still seen a lot
of use. I have put a considerable amount of mileage on them on
dayhikes with a very wide variety of conditions. I have worn them
each and every time I have gone hiking since receiving them two months
ago. Also, I have worn them strolling around town while doing my
shopping or picking up a morning coffee. The first time I hiked in the Keen
Newport H2s was on Sunday, May 16. My husband and I did a beautiful
eight mile loop hike through the rocks of Pinnacles National
Monument. The trails here are dusty, rocky, and narrow, and there
are even sections with small steps blasted into the rock with only metal
handrails to keep a hiker from falling to their death, or at the minimum a
broken bone. Although not necessarily a difficult trail, it is not
for the faint of heart in these short but steep sections. I was very
happy with the performance of the Keens, and they exceeded my expectations
in every way. Hiking eight miles on difficult terrain in an
unfamiliar pair of sandals - I expected my feet to be unhappy and sore at
the end of the day, and I expected some slipping on the dusty and rocky
trail. In reality, the rubber soles of the
Newport H2s were very grippy and my feet only slid out from under me
once. They excelled when on bare rock with little or no dust - they
held on like they had suction cups on the bottom. At the end of the
hike my feet were absolutely fine - no sore spots, no blisters, and
overall they felt as good as they could after the hike I had just put them
through. They were amazingly dirty, but that is to be
expected. I did experience some dust and small
rocks getting into the sandal. The little pieces seemed to
congregate in the toe guard and a simple shake of my foot would cause most
of them, especially the bigger pieces, to fall out. It didn't bother
me since I am used to hiking in sandals, and the Keen sandals let less
debris in than others I have worn. The picture to the right shows the
Keens after this eight mile loop. I was disappointed that I'd gotten
my nice new shoes all dirty and dusty (compare them to the picture in the
product information section above!), so I decided to run my feet under a
water spigot. It would be refreshing for me feet as well.
Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of my feet after I rinsed them, but
they looked as good as new! The next day I took the Newport H2s
hiking on a four mile paved trail in the foothills of the Santa Cruz
mountains. This trail is next to my office and provides a nice
evening workout after sitting at a desk all day. I sometimes jog on
this trail and tried it in the Keens. They felt great! The
sole is cushiony enough and the sandal stays secure enough to the foot to
make jogging very comfortable. I was very impressed! I noted
that on this particular walk I noticed the sandal rubbing a little on my
left foot and to keep an eye on it. However, I have not noticed this
since. On this hike I learned something about the sandals that has
been happening ever since - when my feet get sweaty the right sandal
creaks. It isn't loud and it doesn't bother me, but it's
amusing. I have found that my experiences with
the Keens have been positive and consistent. No matter where I am
hiking or what the conditions are I have learned what to expect from the
sandals, and I have done this in only two months! My general
observations are as follows: * I ordered the Keen Newport H2s
in a size 9.5 As I mentioned above, I am on average a size 9 narrow,
but I found that my toes bumped the top of the toe guard on the Keen size
9s. The Keens are a regular width and they are wide on my
feet. However, I find that the extra room in the Keens is desirable
rather than uncomfortable. I like the extra space and I don't feel
insecure with a looser sandal, except on one occasion where I was on a
very steep incline and my feet were very sweaty. This also
allows my feet some room to swell - something I normally don't think about
with sandals, but with the Keens fitting more like a shoe, it is something
to think about. * * The anti-microbial footbed
doesn't smell. In the interest of testing, I sacrificed my olfactory
nerves and took a big whiff after my last wet hike. The sandals were
wet, my feet were dirty and sweaty, and everything was covered with
mud. I drove home, about a 15 minute drive from the trailhead,
giving my feet enough time to fester in the slowly drying sandals.
At home, I took the warm and damp Keens off my feet and lifted them to my
nose. They were scentless. My feet, however, were just plain
nasty. So, apparently the footbed does a good job of keeping the
smell off the sandal, but it doesn't do anything to help my
feet! * The toeguard does exactly what it is
supposed to - protects my toes. I have had a few stubs that would
have been much more detrimental to my feet if the toeguard weren't
there. * I love love LOVE the bungee
cinch tie. It is so easy to slide the sandals on and off and tighten
them to my desired amount. If I am hiking down a steep trail and
need to tighten them it is only a matter of a quick tug to make sure they
are where I want. Likewise, a quick tug will loosen them back
up. * They seem durable enough! A
close inspection after a recent rugged weekend hiking across lava fields
revealed no damage. There are no chunks missing or deep scratches in
the rubber sole, the stitching is all still intact, and the bungee
cordlock is doing just fine. The blue paint on the sole is wearing
away, but this is to be expected. I will report on wear and tear
much more thoroughly in the Long Term Report. * My only gripe - and I had to
think really hard to find one - is that the soles are so soft that I can
feel the pokies of the trail through them. The softest shoe I have
worn hiking prior to the Keens is a pair of New Balance trail runners, and
the Keens are much, much softer than the New Balances. I can feel
the rocks and lumps through the sole, but so far this has not bothered
me. My feet have not felt tired or bruised yet from the soft soles,
and the longest mileage day I have put on them is about 13 miles.
This is something I will be paying attention to during the Long Term
testing phase. Overall, I couldn't be more pleased
with the Keen Newport H2s. They have proven themselves in many trail
conditions over and over again. I am looking forward to wearing them
with the weight of a pack on my back - I do not worry about the
ability of these shoes to support me and my pack on the tough High
Sierra trails. They will make stream crossings much easier
too. My only regret is that after a recent weekend at the
beach, I no longer have the cool tan lines to photograph and add to my
report. Maybe for the Long Term report! Read more reviews of Keen gear Read more gear reviews by Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd Reviews > Footwear > Sandals > Keen Newport H2 > Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd > Field Report | |||||||||||||
Most of my dayhikes have been in the Open Space
Preserves (OSPs) of the Santa Cruz mountains in the San Francisco Bay
area. Hiking in these open spaces is a wonderful experience because
of the amazing range of weather, views, and trail conditions. On the
west side of the mountains the coastal fog keeps things wet and
cool. These west-facing mountainsides are covered with lush green
fern-filled redwood forests, and trails are muddy and banana slug
infested. Hiking in these forests is like walking through a fairy
tale. On the east-facing side of the Santa Cruz mountains the
terrain is dry and grassy, with intense sun and heat beating down.
My favorite OSPs are the ones that run along the top of the mountains,
because one loop hike can expose me to such a wide variety of views and
conditions. One moment I'll be hiking on muddy trails under
condensation dripping redwoods, and the next I'll find myself on a dry
grassy ridgeline facing intense sun and a lovely view of the ocean in the
distance. All in all, it's a pleasure to hike there! The
picture to the left shows typical trail conditions on the west side of the
Santa Cruz mountains, many miles of which I hiked with the Keen Newport
H2s. 
The Newport H2s handle mud extremely well. In the
Windy Hill OSP picture above, the trail was deep with mud for almost 2
hilly miles. I didn't slide once. At first I walked gingerly,
hoping that I didn't fall on my butt. By the end of the 2 miles I
was practically jogging down the trail. I feel that the H2s grip
rock and mud better than dusty or gravelly trail. I have slipped a
couple of times with the sandals on, but it has only been on fine
gravel.