SPECIFICATIONS

The Keen Newports are manufactured by Keen Footwear

Web: http://www.keenfootwear.com

Year of Manufacture: 2004
MSRP: U.S. $90.00

LISTED WEIGHT:   13.9 oz (397 g)
LISTED SIZE:          Varies.  Available in men's sizes 7-14 (half sizes thru 12).

TESTED SIZE:         My shoe size is 10 1/2 EEEE.  I ordered a size 10 1/2, and they fit perfectly.
TESTED WEIGHT:  Left: 14.28 oz (405 g) Right: 14.46 oz (410 g) Pair: 28.74 oz (815 g)

FIELD USE

TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

I have worn the Keen Newports almost daily since I received them.  I have worn them on my daily walks, on backpacking trips, and even to work under extenuating circumstances detailed below.  I had two overnight trips and several day hikes.  Terrain was variable, and included sandy beaches, river sandbars, gravel bars, swamp mud, sand/gravel/clay river beds, bottomland hardwoods, and rolling hills.  I used the Keen Sandals primarily in weather that was hot and humid.

USE IN THE FIELD

Writing reports for BGT is usually fun and enjoyable, because the report is usually written after many positive experiences with a product.  Writing a negative review is much harder, because nobody wants to write unkind things about a product that a manufacturer believes is good enough to withstand the scrutiny of actual field use.  I know that a lot of time, effort, energy, passion, sleepless nights, and love probably went into the creation of the Keen Newports.  It pains me in a way then, to have to write about negative experiences, but after two months in the Keen Newports I can only draw one conclusion.  Wearing Keen Newports is like driving a Hummer H2.  It looks cool, it looks powerful, and it looks impressive.  Once that bad boy gets out of the parking lot and off good roads, though, it's nothing but trouble...  The Keen Newports are similar in a way because they're great for hanging around and looking like a cool backpacker with the latest in high-tech gear or walking around on city streets, but once they encounter real trail - complete with rain, dirt, and sticks, oh my! - the nightmare begins.  

There are a few positive aspects of the Keen Newports that should be understood.  While it is hard to communicate, I think that the idea of the Keen Newport design is sound, but in many ways the execution leaves much to be desired.  I should note that I have normal feet.  That is, having been examined by pedorthists, I have been assured that my feet are within normal biometric standards, if a little wide.   I buy shoes off store racks in my size and 9.5 times out of 10 they fit me well.  I go barefoot a lot, and my toes spread out nicely like good feet should.  The Newports provide ample room for my toes, and I am very pleased in this regard.  To illustrate this point, I broke my left foot on July 9, 2004, and the ONLY shoes that I could tolerate wearing to work were the Keen Newports or my Teva Hurricanes.  The Keen Newports, being much more attractive, came to work with me for three weeks until I healed enough (and the swelling subsided enough) to allow me to fit back into my boots.

The outsole is described as Carbon Rubber (55a shore hardness).  The carbon material is synthetic, not actually rubber, and really like any other athletic or running shoe sole.  It is a one piece, molded sole that is not replaceable.  The sole is razor siped, and this is visible in an image in the Initial Report.  The sole proves to be the best feature of the Keen Newports.  The siping does seem to make a great difference in traction, and the Newports' soles performed nearly as well as the Vibram Lug 100 soles on my hiking boots under all conditions.  Traction was risky in wet mud, but the only thing that will save you from wet mud is a set of crampons or something similar.

The Keen Newports have no laces in the traditional sense.  The laces have been replaced with an elastic cord that cinches with a cordlock.  The cordlock end tucks under the elastic 'laces' and so they don't flap around when you're walking.  When dry, the elastic is suitable for keeping the shoes snug.  When dry, with the elastic laces tightened properly, the Newports are very stable.  Every bit as stable as my hiking boots, actually.

The finger loops used to pull the Newports on are large enough to slip my fat fingers through.  Usually these tabs are way too small to be useful.  The back loop on the heel strap allows the Newports to be donned with one hand, which is very useful in the field, in my opinion.  The loops also contain reflective threads that glow brightly under the light from my headlamp.  I was able to use the Newports as a kind of 'lighthouse' on the banks of rivers when I went for evening swims.  Shining my light around, I was able to quickly locate the Newports - and the only way up a steep bank.  

Unlike a traditional sandal, the toes are totally enclosed by a sturdy toe box.  My toes were totally protected.  Unfortunately this caused some issues as described below, but the biggest problem is that they fill with sand, gravel, or mud, and the Newports must be removed to clear this debris.    

Given all of these features, the Keen Newports are great for hanging out in the mall.  Taking these dogs for a walk in the woods, though, proves the true nature of their character.

I have to start with the things that I mentioned in my Initial Report.  One, there isn't much arch support, and I will now declare that there is not enough arch support for footwear intended for walking - at least in the educated opinion of my arches, which are not overly high to begin with.  Arch pain was the least of several problems, however.  Two, the biometrics of the footbed are wrong for my feet.  I spent a lot of time 'proving' that the biometrics are just plain wrong, but rather than confuse the issue by posting all of that here, I'll leave it at 'wrong for my feet'.  Three, the footbed needs to be somewhat softer in my opinion, especially in the area of the heel.  

The metatarsal ridges are too far forward.  Rather than striking between the toe pads and the metatarsal pad, they strike me right through the middle of my toe pads.  Even kicking my toes all the way forward into the toe box, the metatarsal pad still doesn't strike far enough back on the toes to be comfortable.  If I kick my toes into the toe box until they are all smashed together very tightly, then - and only then - do the metatarsal ridges come close to striking my foot in the right place.  It would be impossible to wear the Newports in this manner anyway.  Frankly, I'd rather not have the metatarsal ridges at all.  Positioned as they are under my toes, they're driving me nuts, and I am not too shy to say that I hate them.  It always feels like there's something in the shoe, or like the insole is wrinkled - which it isn't.  Even wearing heavy socks doesn't alleviate this problem, and unnatural stress is created in my feet because of this issue.  I took a trip to a local outfitter and tried smaller sizes, thinking that I had a fit issue.  Smaller sizes were too narrow, and the metatarsal ridges still struck me in the wrong place.  I understand that not all feet are the same, and so far I recruited six friends with various foot shapes who all wear 10 1/2 size shoes, and had them try the Newports.  They all liked them well enough, but noted that the metatarsal ridges were in the wrong place for them as well.  On my two mile daily walks, the Newports become progressively less comfortable.  For lack of a better way to express it, my feet become frustrated.  "There's something wrong, you idiot.  Fix it!"  I can't fix it, though, because I can't remove the footbed.  In the end, I hate the footbeds, and they seriously ruin the shoe for me - but I'll come back to that in a minute.

On my daily walks, I started to notice a little hot spot on the very back of my heel at the very edge of my heel pad.  I have pretty tough feet as I tend to go barefoot a lot, and I didn't notice this at first.  I was never walking in the Newports for more than two miles at a shot for my daily walks, so the problem didn't become apparent to me until I took them on my first backpacking trip in June.  And then, as the saying goes, it was all downhill from there. 

As I walked along in the scorching heat of the Black Creek Wilderness in Mississippi - a land of easy rolling terrain and sandy trails - I began to sweat freely.  Under the natural draw of gravity, my feet became damp, and the various flaws in the Newports became apparent.  I frequently walk in sandals, and I appreciate that a piece of debris might find its way into a sandal from time to time.  I have learned to pick up my feet when I walk to eliminate most of this.  The toe box of the Newports also prevents a certain amount of forward striking debris from entering the shoe.  Unfortunately, what debris does find its way into the Newports tends to stay there, and they must be removed from time to time to clear them.  I have never had this trouble with any other pair of sandals.  

The little hot spot on the very back edge of my heel pad became a big hot spot.  I noticed that this was much worse when ascending than when descending and so I investigated the cause.  The hard sole cup at the heel meets the insole as a hard edge.  The heel strap is not adjustable and is long enough (and therefore too long, in my opinion) to allow my heel to slip down and my heel pad to contact - and essentially step on - this hard edge with every step.  The micro-suede covering of the topsole collected fine sand under my sweating foot and the metatarsal ridges began chewing into my toes like hot sandpaper.  I tolerated all of this for about four miles, at which point I began having toe and leg cramps.  I should note that toe and leg craps are such a rare condition for me that I cannot recall the last time I had them.  I assumed that this was perhaps a hydration/salt/potassium problem, so I took a break and kicked the Newports off and walked around in the leaves for a minute while I took some salt, some potassium, and drank some water.  I noticed, however, that as soon as I had taken off the Newports, that all the tension in my legs and feet drained away.  I picked them up and walked barefoot for about a mile then put them back on.  The toe/leg cramps immediately reappeared.  From that point on, I walked barefoot for the rest of the hike, donning the Newports for a river crossing with a gravel bottom.  A lot of gravel wound up in the Newports and caused me some misery.  In my other sandals, it is an easy thing to clear this gravel by arching my foot against the footbed and washing the sandals from side to side in the water.  This 'trick' does not work with the more enclosed nature of the Newports.

Once I had gotten them properly wet, the little tag that says 'WATERPROOF' on the Newports was proven to be some kind of sick joke.  The entire shoe saturated quickly.  The leather upper, Serdia, and micro-suede were all soaked through.  Water entered between the topsole and the outsole, as evidenced by the squishing after I exited the river.  I was so disgusted that I nearly ignored both the rules of LNT and BGT and nearly chucked them into the woods.  They had caused me pain, they had caused me misery, and the uppers were junk.  I take my footwear very seriously, and if this had not been a BGT test, these would have been in a box and shipped back to Keen the very next day.

As it was, I am conscious enough of my obligations that I continued to torture myself in the name of gear testing. 

To add insult to injury, the Newports took no less than two full days to dry.  Once wet, they stay wet.

I took the Newports home, and using the skills and knowledge that I had gained in my years at Beehive Shoe and Luggage Repair, I started to work out what was 'wrong' with these shoes.  The primary problem is that the heel strap is too long, allowing my foot to slip too far back on the insole.  The second problem is that the metatarsal ridges are biometrically incorrect.  The third problem is that the use of leather of dubious quality in an outdoor shoe is a Bad Idea on the Good/Bad Idea scale unless it is top grain leather of good quality and backed with something that will not stretch - like Spectra or Nylon cloth.  I had some opinions at the time on what to do to correct these issues - like deconstruct the shoe and rebuild it, which is something that I'm qualified to do - but the rules of BGT prevent this kind of gear modification.  Understanding the issues presented to me, I wore the Keen Newports for periods of time until the hot spots on the rear edge of my heel pad turned into thick calluses and my toes got somewhat used to their uncomfortable relationship with the metatarsal ridges and developed some calluses of their own.  This would at least allow me to walk in the Newports for more than four miles.  I will have to grind these off my feet after the test period.  

Foot modifications in place, I took the Keen Newports on my hike this past weekend - again to Black Creek Wilderness in Mississippi.  Again the Keen Newports were the only footwear I had with me.  Indeed, the Keen Newports were the only article of clothing I wore for most of the trip, which should somewhat indicate their importance.

Walking in them on Friday night seemed to indicate that the calluses were holding up and that the Keen Newports weren't causing me too much misery.  I was not wearing socks, as is my usual habit in sandals.  I picked up some debris, but only had to stop to clear the Newports every half mile or so.  When I got to my stealth campsite - a wedge of land at the confluence of two streams - I setup camp and went down to check the river crossing in the moonlight.  Not thinking, I walked into the river wearing the Newports, which quickly filled up with sand.  I finished crossing over to the other side, took the Newports off, and rinsed the sand out of them.  Despite having been in the water for little more than two minutes, they were totally saturated.  'Waterproof' my posterior!  I was going to have to wear wet shoes for the next two days, and it wasn't going to be pleasant.  I believe my exact remarks at the time were a metaphor concerning the group sexual practices I had heard about in the region of the Khongorin Els.  

Every other pair of sandals I own would have been dry or no more than slightly damp by the next morning.  The Newports had drained, but were still what I would call 'wet' and not simply 'damp'.  While I could have simply continued barefoot as I have done both at this river crossing and on this trail countless times, I decided that I would continue the test and see if the Newports would try to cripple me or not.  I slipped them back on, crossed the river again, and proceeded down the trail.  After about a mile the Newports were kind of loose, so I tightened the elastic laces and continued without much thought.  After the second mile, they were loose again, and I tightened the elastic laces maximally.  Then I noticed the difficulty.  The wet leather was stretching.  Alas.  My life is strewn with cowpats from the devil's own Satanic herd.  

I continued in this way for some time, the callus on my right heel being chewed on by the back edge of the sole cup, my toes getting cranky, my feet sliding around in the ever loosening shoes, and with wet feet to boot - or sandal, in this case.  After some time, I took a break, removed them, and hung them on the back of my pack.  It was much more comfortable to walk barefoot than to walk in the Newports.  

Once I arrived at camp, I donned the Newports once again to take a walk down Mill Creek to find Black Creek.  The distance is less than a hundred paces walking in the creek.  The creek has a hard, but slick, clay bottom that is muddy in a few places.  Once the mud worked its way into the Newports, they failed in a most spectacular way.  Made slick by the mud, they rolled around on my feet.  The elastic laces didn't have the strength to maintain any stability around my foot after that, and the Newports became, in my opinion, dangerous.  Breaking an ankle in this place would mean a lot of pain, and a rescue that would take at least 24 hours once someone figured out that I was missing.  I took them off and chunked them into the woods, then continued my jaunt in bare feet to Black Creek where I had a nice swim.  

I will spare the reader any suspense; the part of me that is aware of my obligations retrieved them on the way back, despite the protests of the part of me that prefers that I not mangle myself.  

I considered drying them by a fire, but drying leather goods in this manner has proven to be a Very Bad Idea on previous occasions unless one is very careful.  Since I was not wholly united in all my parts on the matter, I was unsure if I could dry them successfully or if some misfortune might occur, so I forewent the fire in hopes that they would dry enough to wear again the next day.  

As the saying goes, "If wishes were fishes, beggars would ride.", which is to say that the next morning they were wet as ever.  I pulled them on anyway, deciding that I would wear them at least until the halfway point and then go barefoot where the ground was a little better.  I didn't make it that far by half, but a new issue arose in that time.  

My usual habit while wearing sandals is to apply DEET to my feet and then put the footwear on.  I try to avoid spraying DEET directly on things because of the chemical nature of DEET and it's propensity to destroy all things plastic.  I have, on numerous occasions, however, sprayed DEET on my leather boots with no ill effect, and no precaution was provided from Keen on the matter.  Without thinking, I had pulled the Newports on and began spraying DEET on myself.  When I got to my feet, I just sprayed a moderate amount over the wet Newports because I didn't feel like pulling them back off.  When I took the Newports off after less than a thousand steps, the leather uppers were coated in sticky black tar.  There was evidently some reaction to the DEET.  While I probably shouldn't have sprayed DEET on them, and I take full responsibility for that, I think that it isn't unreasonable for a manufacturer to expect that outdoor footwear would come in contact with DEET and either plan for that or issue dire warnings in the product literature.

When I got them home, a double scrubbing with Dawn dishwashing detergent and a nylon brush removed the dirt but failed to remove most of the sticky.  I usually just put my sandals through the dishwasher, but I was afraid that the Newports might disintegrate if I did that.  While I entertained such tempting thoughts, I decided that ritual destruction of the Newports was in conflict with my responsibilities as a tester.  Two days later, they are dry, but still sticky.  I just washed them a third time, and they are still sticky.  Alas.

COMMENTS ON MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION, AND FEATURES

Despite their performance, the construction of the Newports is quite fine.  The stitching is all excellent, with no loose threads remaining, and so far no stitching has failed or even looks like it wants to fail.  As noted in my Initial Report, my only concern as far as construction is concerned is that the Serdia material is brought together in a seam at the center of the inside of the back strap right on the Achilles tendon.  From experience, this is one of the points of greatest wear in a shoe, and I will be keeping an eye on this area for any trouble.  So far no trouble is evident.  The back strap itself is pieced together this way, which isn't necessary.  It could be a single piece.

FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS AS LISTED ON THE WEBSITE:

(This tester's comments in red.  Some of these features are described in various sections of this report.)

"The Newport is the foundation of the Keen footwear line.  Designed to perform in the adverse conditions of a marine environment, the razor-siped outsold and 3mm lugs provide excellent traction both on land and on the slick surfaces of boat decks or river rocks.  (The soles do indeed perform.  I can't say the same for the balance of the shoe, however.)  A true hybrid, the waterproof nubuck upper withstands the abuse of saltwater and dirt, while providing supple comfort and a stylish look.  I'll verify the stylish look, but the nubuck - which I take to mean that this isn't top grain leather we're talking about - is anything but waterproof.  'Spongelike' comes to mind.  I have not yet tried the Newports in salt water, and to be honest, I am afraid to do so.  

• Built on Keen's unique anatomical last for a perfect fit right out of the box.  They do fit nicely, but the footbeds are just pure murder.

• Non-marking outsole rubber compound provides superior coefficient of friction for all environments.  Swamp mud and river clay not included.  I am actually very happy with the soles.

• Razor-siped pods on outsole provide increased surface area for greater traction on smooth surfaces.  The siping does give a benefit.

• Compression-molded EVA midsole is contoured for superior comfort and support of the foot structure. I am unable to remove or examine the midsole, but I did not experience superior comfort or support of my foot structure.  Methinks that marketing is blowing a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas somewhere unmentionable...

• Elastic closure with Cord Lock creates a quick, snug fit while allowing flexibility.  It does, until the shoe gets wet or filled with mud.

• Waterproof nubuck leather upper wraps around the foot for stability, allowing generous ventilation.  I'll grant the ventilation, but have to again state that 'waterproof' does not apply to this leather by any definition of the word in any standard dictionary.

• 3M(tm) Reflective pull-tabs provide added visibility during nighttime adventures.  Totally true, and a nice feature.  

• Patent-pending toe guard so you can worry about the activity, not your toes.  Also true.  I did enjoy the toe guard.

• Serdia (tm) anti-microbial EVA footbed inhibits foot odor and controls moisture.  Odor, yes, moisture, no.  The stuff stays wet for awhile.

TESTING STRATEGY

Yikes!  They mutilate my feet, cause me pain and suffering, are potentially dangerous in aqueous environments!  I hate them, and I'm supposed to have a continuing testing strategy?  Sheesh!  Ok...  Let's see.  In order to make these at all wearable during the test period, I could conceivably disassemble the Newports and reconstruct them, but then I wouldn't be testing Keen Newports anymore.  At a minimum I will have to (A) shorten the back strap about the width of my little finger, (B) replace the elastic laces with real laces so that they can be tightened properly when walking on treacherously slick surfaces or in muddy conditions (C) find some way to excise the metatarsal ridges (D) treat the leather with a silicone sealant if I can manage to get the sticky goo off the nubuck.  If I can accomplish A and C, B and D will be little trouble and I will try to wear them some more.  I will take them down to the shop and get busy.

SUMMARY

THINGS I LIKE

1.  The Serdia material is truly odor proof.  
2.  Good fit once I got the right size.
3.  Quality construction.

THINGS I DON'T LIKE

1.  Seam at Achilles tendon.
2.  Metatarsal ridges in the wrong place.
3.  Little arch support.
4.  Nothing waterproof about them, despite the 'Guaranteed Waterproof' claim.  
5.  Elastic laces do not provide enough stability in treacherous environments.
6.  They capture and trap debris.
7.  The leather uppers stretch when wet.
8.  The sole cup at the rearmost center of the heel causes hot spots, calluses, and potentially blisters.
9.  The groove in the footbed captures sand and creates an irritation.
10.  The micro-suede of the footbed captures and holds fine sand, turning the entire footbed into a sheet of sandpaper that is irritating to the foot.

THINKING ABOUT THE DESIGN

If I were going to recommend changes to the Keen Newports in order to make them serviceable for backpacking, I would make several recommendations.

1.  Back the leather with something that will not stretch.  Nylon or Spectra cloth would be ideal.  This would be an easy process.  All that is necessary is to back the leather with the material before punching out the parts with the clicker.
2.  Provide a smooth footbed, in the manner of Chacos, for instance, with no metatarsal ridges or fancy grooves.
3.  Use a non-porous material for the footbed that does not capture sand or water.
4.  Make the heel strap adjustable, or actually provide a full heel cup instead of a strap.
5.  Instead of having holes in the neoprene lining, leave the neoprene in tact to act like a top sock that will keep out debris.
6.  Make the elastic laces a little beefier.
7.  Use high quality, top grain leather instead of the cheaper nubuck.
8.  Use a chemical resistant sealant for the leather.

FINAL COMMENTS

As I said in the beginning, it isn't easy to write what is, in all frankness, a negative review.  In my opinion, the Keen Newports are not suitable for real backpacking.  I would not take them on a hike of any length by choice.  I have tried to be fair and balanced, and I hope that I have achieved that balance. 

Thank you for your time.

Shane Steinkamp
shane@theplacewithnoname.com
www.theplacewithnoname.com/hiking