Initial Report

Keen Newport SandalsInitial Report 25 May 2004 Biographical Information: Name: Tom Van Rossum Age: 47 Gender: Male Height: 5'10" (1.78 m) Weight: 155 lb (70 kg) Email: tomvr1@yahoo.com Portland Oregon, USA I started backpacking in Scouts and have been hiking ever since. Most trips are in the typically wet mountainous Cascade Range in Washington and Oregon - from thick underbrush, to old growth forests, to snow above the tree line, I enjoy it all. I also make occasional trips to the more arid region east of the mountains or along the very wet Pacific coast. One or two night weekend backpacking trips are my most common, followed by day hikes, and a couple of week long hikes each year. I am a traditional "heavy" packer enjoying comfort and low risk. The last couple of years I have tried to lighten my load but have had minimal success. I have not yet used sandals for hiking because I thought they would be lacking in support and protection. I saw these sandals at REI a month ago and thought these are the ones for me. I will test these sandals for the quality of their sole, support, and protection for my toes. Product Information (from their web site):Website: http://www.keenfootwear.com
Keen advertises these Newport sandals as designed to perform in the adverse conditions of a marine environment with:

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

Colors: Men's Black, Charcoal, and Ink Blue Women's Plum, Stone and Ink Blue
Sizes: Men's 7-14 (half sizes through 12) Women's 5-11 (half sizes through 10) Weight: Men's 13.9 oz (397 grams) Women's 11.2 oz (317 grams) Description and Initial Impressions: I received them via UPS, safely packaged with the shoe box inside another corrugated cardboard box.

Color, "charcoal" as I requested. Just a note on the "charcoal" color, it does match that shown on their web site but I have asked several people and no one would call the color charcoal. It is more gray and with the yellow stitching it almost becomes a shade of green. Having said this they are just what I expected, (having seen them in the store). Size, men's 8.5 USA (41 EU) as I requested. I normally wear a size 8.5 but I have a wide foot so if shoes are narrow or have pointy toes then I end up with a larger size. Keen sandals only come in one standard width so before specifying my size I went to the shoe store and verified that 8.5 USA (41 EU) is the best fit. Weight - I measured them at 13.6 oz (381 grams) each, slightly less than the 13.9 oz (397 grams) Keen specifies on their web site. After wearing them for several days my initial impressions are:

Excellent construction, they appear very well made
The footbed is very comfortable
The neoprene lining in the uppers rubs slightly on my toes and foot so I wore thin socks the first few days. It seems to be better now. Either the sandals are wearing in or my feet are getting tougher.
The rubber toe-guards put a light pressure on the top of my big toes. I am hoping that as they wear in this goes away.
They are easy and quick to put on and off. I find that for casual use I do not even need to tighten the bungee laces.

Website: I have a dial-up connection and found their website slow. They use Macromedia Flash Player to make navigation intuitive, just point to the product and the descriptive information changes to match that product. The text is difficult to read as it is too small for an old man like myself with bifocals. Test Strategy: My plan is to wear these sandals almost continually for the next six months. Three areas I will be making special note of are 1) Durability, 2) Fit & Comfort, and 3) Traction. I will test and answer the following questions:

DURABILITY
Does the inner neoprene liner remain elastic over time and use?
Does the bungee speed lace remain elastic over time and use?
How slowly does the sole wear with use?
How long do the leather uppers remain attractive (wearable in public)?
How do the leather uppers hold up under use in the water?
Can I clean them?

FIT & COMFORT
How comfortable are they new?
How comfortable are they used?
Do they stretch out when wet? How long do they take to dry out?How comfortable are they on hot and cold days?
How comfortable are they when standing all day?
How comfortable are they when hiking all day? How easily does debris get in the footbed?Do they smell? How well do they work when I carry a heavy pack?
TRACTION
Are they slippery on smooth wet surfaces?
Do they provide traction on the trail?
Do the bungee laces adequately secure the sandals to my feet?

Since I will be wearing them most of the time they will be subject to a wide variety of environments - trails, streams, sandy & rocky beaches, sidewalks, malls, and offices. I have a number of day hikes and weekend hikes planned in Oregon and Washington and will wear these sandals. Tom Van Rossum

Read more reviews of Keen gear
Read more gear reviews by Tom Van Rossum

Reviews > Footwear > Sandals > Keen Newport > Tom Van Rossum > Initial Report

All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson