Initial Report

Keen Newport Sandals
Initial Report
5/30/04

Personal Information:

Leesa Joiner
ljo@midmaine.com
Southwestern Maine
41 years old
Female
5'7" (1.7 M)
150 lb (68 kg)

Background:

My camping, hiking and backpacking experience has included trips varying in length from one day hikes to 2-week trips. My experience hiking began with my father, when I was about 6 years old. We hiked along the river pathways in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. During cold weather, I backpack, hike, snowshoe, cross-country ski, go ice fishing and winter camp with friends and family. Although I am not a lightweight backpacker, I am trying to ‘lighten up’ and even have converted to using a hammock while camping. I find that I spend almost as much time outside during the long Maine winters as I do during the summers.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Keen Sandal Company
Product: Newport Sandals
Year of manufacture: 2004
URL: http://www.keenfootwear.com

Size: Women's size 9.5
Listed weight: 11.2 oz (317 g)
Weight as measured: 12.4 oz (342 g)
Keen advertises the Newport sandals as being designed for marine type environments. To meet these conditions, the sandals are designed with:

~ waterproof nubuck upper.
~ lugged, razor-sipped, and non-marking sole.
~ Anatomical last and EVA midsole for comfort.
~ Anti-microbial EVA footbed for odor and moisture control.
~ toe guard for protection.

Initial Impressions:

The sandals arrived via UPS, packaged in a standard shoebox, within a shipping carton. There was a hangtag attached to the sandals, which describes some of the features of the sandals, along with pictures of the complete line of footwear and the color choices.

I received my color choice- Ink Blue. It is a light-medium shade, well represented on the web site. The tread appears to be aggressive enough to provide good traction for most uses. I tried the sandals on, and took the dog for a mile walk. They fit very well. The tightening cord is easily adjusted. Looking down at the sandals, while they are on my feet makes the sandals look very wide across the bottom part of the toe area. They are not loose in that area though. There are no areas that rub against skin uncomfortably. I find that the raised section in the instep area fits comfortably against my foot. I have an extremely 'normal' foot. Not too wide, a moderate arch and no real problems with my feet. Well, except for the fact I really like going barefoot, and don't like the confined feeling hiking boots give me, particularly in the summer.

I have since worn the sandals about 5 times, both hiking, walking and while doing a little climbing. They are comfortable, but I did notice some perspiration on the bottom of my foot.

Test Strategy:

I will be wearing these sandals quite a bit now that the weather is slowly warming. I will look at how durable they are. I want to see if they can handle being wet, without it decreasing their lifespan. Part of my test plan is to determine how long I can wear them at one time, while still remaining comfortable. I do not do much climbing, at least not at any great height. I will be looking at how much traction they provide while climbing over rocks and up small inclines. Some of my hiking is done along the edge of rivers and creeks. This will give me the opportunity to check out how well the Newports handle wet hiking. Since I am not too coordinated, they can prove their usefulness while I am climbing in and out of our canoe and a boat. I am concerned about grit getting into the bottom of the sandals and irritating my feet. I like how the toe area is protected; it should keep stubbed toes to a minimum. I do wonder if the sandals will 'stretch out' when wet, and if so, will they be wearable? Will they tighten back up when dry?

Test Conditions:

The majority of my testing will be done in northern New England, where current day temperatures are in the 40 to 60 F ( 4 to 22 C) range, with night temperatures falling to the low 40s ( approx. 22 C ). Over the next six months the temperatures I backpack in will rise to close to 100 F (38 C) at times. We are due for a lot of wet hiking this spring, now that the frost is coming up out of the ground. Most of my hiking is done below 3000 ft. (914 M), but the trips to Mt. Washington will be at over 4000 ft (1219 M). There is a wide range of types of terrain on these hikes. Everything from well maintained trails to hiking through heavily wooded areas. At times, the trails follow the rivers' edges, which makes for some wet hiking also.

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Reviews > Footwear > Sandals > Keen Newport > Leesa Joiner > Initial Report

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