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 abandoned the Keen Newports entirely, and only wore them once, in Black Creek Wilderness, Mississippi, during the Long-Term Testing phase.

USE IN THE FIELD

I was finally able to wash the sticky off of them by putting them through the dishwasher.  The Keens came out nice and clean, having survived the dishwasher perfectly.  Unfortunately, this did not make them any more comfortable.  I gave them one more chance in the field, but after about a mile they chewed the callus off my right heel and I started getting a hot spot.  I left them behind a tree and did the rest of the hike barefoot.  When I returned, I was disappointed to discover that they hadn't been stolen, nor were they eaten by marmots or something, so I took them home with me - cursing my LNT ethic...  

For some reason I did the entire Green Eggs and Ham poem with the Keens.  "I do not like them, Sam-I-Am.  I will not wear them here or there, I will not wear them anywhere.  I will not wear them in a house, I will not wear them with a mouse..."

COMMENTS ON MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION, AND FEATURES

My final test with the Keens was to document my contention that the claim 'WATERPROOF' as stipulated on the Keen website and on a tag attached to the Keen Newports themselves is....well...let's say it's a misrepresentation.  No nice way to say it really...

Consulting Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 (MICRA, Inc.)  give the definition of the word 'waterproof' thus:

waterproof \Wa"ter*proof`\, a. Proof against penetration or permeation by water; impervious to water; as, a waterproof garment; a waterproof roof.

I devised a simple test involving the Keen Newports, a scale, and a pan of clean water, 4 in (10.2 cm) deep.  I made sure that the Keen Newports were completely dry and clean and then I weighed them.  Then I completely submerged them in the water and swished them around a bit, removed them from the water, and weighed them again.  That provides a baseline for surface wetness.  If the Keens were waterproof, they would absorb no more water than that.  I then submerged the Newports in the water for a period of ten minutes and weighed them again.  I then submerged them for an additional fifty minutes, for a cumulative soak of one hour, and weighed them again.  The resulting table gives the results.

This data demonstrates that the Keen Newports are not waterproof in the sense that they are not 'proof against penetration or permeation by water'.  The Keen Newports further fail the 'impervious to water' test, as once they saturate, the leather stretches.  

SUMMARY

THINGS I LIKE

1.  At this point, I still like the idea of the Keen Newports.  The execution just leaves a lot to be desired.

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.

FINAL COMMENTS

As I said in the Field Report, 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.  

To ameliorate my negative experience, the reader should know that I have given the Keen Newports to my friend Bob, who swears that they are the most comfortable thing he has ever worn.  He wears them everywhere.  I examined his feet, and they are a little strange, and he wears an orthotic.  The Keens work perfectly for him for going to the gym, the store, and for banging about the yard.  He hasn't taken them out into the 'real world' conditions of backpacking, and he never will.  

Thank you for your time.

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