Field Report

Keen Taos Sandals
Field Report
August 2, 2005

Biographical Information

Product Information

Introduction

Field Test

Attributes

Summary

Keen Taos Sandals

Biographical Information
Name	Jennifer Pope
Age	24
Gender	Female
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)
Weight	140 lb (64 kg)
Shoe size	8.5 US
Email address	Jennifer dot Pope at gmail dot com
Location	Los Angeles, CA
Backpacking Background Newbie. I’ve been a car-camper as long as I can remember and started backpacking in Northern California when I was 16. I'm starting to get back into backpacking after a hiatus during college. I recently moved to Southern California and so far I've only backpacked in the Angeles National Forest but I'm planning on branching out to other Southern California mountain areas; the California desert; and the Sierra in the summer months. I'm a tent camper leaning towards lightweight; but I am a fan of gadgets and I like being comfortable. I also do a mix of short and long day hikes in and around Los Angeles.

Product Information (back to top)
Manufacturer	Keen
Manufacturer URL	www.keensandals.com
Year of Manufacture	2005
Listed Weight (presumably per sandal)	11 oz (310 g)
Actual Weight (size women's 8.5 US, both sandals)	23 oz (650 g)
Upper material	synthetic, webbing, mesh
Lining material	nylon, stretch mesh
Rubber material	carbon, non-marking
Color	Fuzz/Loden also available in bison/red rock (dark gray/red) and midnight/royal (dark gray/blue)
MSRP	$99.99 US
Product Description (from website)	The Taos elevates performance footwear to the next level. It combines the support and function one would expect from a functional trail shoe with the open breathability of a sandal and Keen's patented toe protection. This redefines the meaning of hybrid.

Introduction (back to top)

These sandals have seen a lot of use in the 2-month testing period. I have worn them nearly every weekend since I’ve received them and sometimes more often. I’ve worn them on the beach, on muddy trails, on dusty trails, while bike riding, around town, and even on small patches of snow. The sandals worked adequately in pretty much every situation I used them in. I’ve worn them on long and short hikes (up to 11 mi/18 km in one day).

Field Test (back to top)

Long, Strenuous Day Hike - San Bernardino National Forest – 7,000-10,000 ft (2,100-3,050 m) – 65 F (20 C)

I wore the Keen sandals on this strenuous day hike. This was an out-and-back hike of around 12 miles (20 km) and around 2500 ft (750 m) of elevation gain and loss. This was a difficult hike for me.

This hike was an excellent test of the Keens on different terrains. I encountered rocky areas, small stream crossings, LOTS of mud, patches of snow, and dust. The sandals performed well in all instances; particularly the mud. There were parts of the trail where it had become a small stream due to the extreme amount of snow melt-off. This meant the trail was very muddy and pretty much couldn’t be avoided. There was also a point along the hike near a stream crossing where I thought I was stepping in a muddy are, but then ended up sinking up to my ankle in mud. I was afraid that the mud would creep in through the ‘vents’ and fill my shoe making for a very squishy hike. However, this was not the case. The sandal was covered in mud, but I was able to rinse it (while still wearing the sandals) in the creek and it cleaned up very nicely. At the end of the hike I just ended up with muddy vent marks on my socks, but the rest of them were still relatively clean.

climbing

Unfortunately my feet weren’t fairing so well by the end of the hike. My feet were very, very sore. Granted the rest of my body was sore as well, so all this should be taken with a grain of salt. I feel like the Keen sandals aren’t really suited to hikes of this length and difficultly. They work wonderfully in other areas, but long-distance, strenuous hiking isn’t their calling (for my feet anyway).

Short Day Hike – Malibu Creek State Park – slightly above sea level – 70 F (20 C)

I often set out for day hikes in this park. The trails are well-maintained and generally fairly crowded. This particular trail is about 4 miles (6.5 km) and starts with a short walk on an asphalt road through a neighborhood and then turns to a dirt trail that follows a stream through a canyon to a lower falls. The trail past the lower falls to the upper falls involves some climbing over large rocks and scrambling up steep slopes as well as several stream crossings. The picture at left shows me climbing along a steep wall. My feet (and shoes) were even wet at this point; but I still maintained traction. The Keens excelled on this trip. They performed well on the easy path as well as scrambling up slopes and over rocks. The highlight was probably being able to walk into the pool below the falls even though the bottom was mucky. Almost everyone else just looked at the falls from the shore (it was a nice way to cool off as well).

creek

Short Day Hike – Lassen Volcanic National Park – 6,700 ft (2,050 m) – 70 F (20 C)

Again, on this short day hike, the Keens shined. This hike was only about 3 miles (5 km) over a well-maintained, dusty trail. There was one tiny stream crossing on the trail, but I used the opportunity to cool off my feet. I was worried that my wet shoes combined with the dusty trail would mean my feet would be a muddy mess. However, I was pleasantly surprised; the wet shoes did not attract dust at all.

Bike Ride – Santa Monica, CA – sea level – 75 F (25 C)

This was a 13-mile bike ride that I went on while wearing the Keens. I found that the sandals griped the pedals well. My feet did become hot and sweaty; but not more than a regular tennis shoe.

my feet

On this bike ride I noticed that my right sandal was rubbing on the back of my heel. I tried to tighten the sandal, but it kept rubbing. It was uncomfortable, but not unbearable. However, once I returned home I noticed a small blister on the back of my right heel. The sandals were cinched so tight that they left indention marks all over my feet (see picture at left). Having the sandals cinched tightly was not uncomfortable; just annoying that they were tight, yet my heel was not snug.

Sandal Attributes (back to top)

Comfort

The sandals still feel comfortable to me. Over time I think the sandals have gotten somewhat stiffer after continued exposure to water, mud, and salt water. The sandals are still comfortable with and without socks. After I have gotten the shoes wet they seem to rub my feet and become slightly more uncomfortable. I should emphasis the ‘slightly’ here. It was never so much that I wanted to take the sandals off.

I have had very few issues with getting rocks and other debris in the sandals. On any given hike I’m likely to get one or two rocks in my shoes. I definitely have to take off the sandals to get the rocks out; but this hasn’t really been a problem. The only time I’ve had a problem with debris getting in my sandals was when I wore them to the beach. Walking across the dry sand the toe box of the sandal completely filled with sand. There was a lot of sand inside the sandals. Eventually, I took them off and walked across the sand barefoot. I didn’t have this problem on the wet sand, however. I only consider this a minor flaw since I don’t do a lot of hiking in the sand and I’m not sure any shoe performs well on the sand.

I still have not been able to adjust the laces to be tighter around my heel. This still leaves me feeling as if my heel is somewhat loose. This ‘looseness’ is less noticeable when I’m wearing socks; but the fit could still be a little more snug in the heel area. This looseness also causes the back of the sandal to rub against my heel causing it to be uncomfortable. As mentioned above this rubbing has caused me to get a blister on one occasion.

Durability

So far in the testing period the sandals have held up well to pretty heavy use. I’ve noticed one loose thread. The seam is not unraveling; just a small loose thread that can easily be trimmed away.

I’ve washed the shoes twice over the testing period. Washing is simple; I just throw the shoes in the washing machine with a few other things and then air dry. The drying process does take some time. After washing it took over a day before the sandals were fully dry. The tread also appears to be as good as new, with no real signs of wear. The sandals not accumulate foot odor. My feet aren’t particularly smelly; but these sandals don’t hold on to smell at all that I’ve noticed.

discoloration

The leather on the sandal has begun to discolor (see picture at left). The discoloration is most significant underneath the laces (but this, obviously, is not noticeable while wearing the shoes). The discoloration on the rest of the shoes is also not noticeable from a distance and is only slightly noticeable closer up.

Functionality

I have used these sandals in a variety of different conditions and they have performed adequately so far. I have worn the shoes on rocky, dusty, wet, muddy, and even snowy surfaces. The sandals met and exceeded my expectations in all of these. The traction has been good on all surfaces. The only time I’ve had problems with traction was while rock-hoping on rocks completely covered in algae. Although I’m not sure there’s a shoe out there that could handle that. The sandals even held up to walking over snow patches without sending me sliding around.

Summary (back to top)

Overall I really like these sandals. So far they have met my expectations. They work well as a day hiking shoe on a variety of terrains. They don't do so well on long, strenuous hikes, but that's not really suprising to me. They could do a better job of keeping my feet cool, but I prefer hot feet to lots of debris getting in my shoes.

The Good

Perform well on a variety of terrains.
They look cool!

The Bad

Aren't suited for long, strenuous hikes.
Make my feet too warm.
Can't tighten heel strap.

I want to thank BackpackGearTest.org and Keen for giving me the opportunity to test this item.

Read more reviews of Keen gear
Read more gear reviews by Jennifer Pope

Reviews > Footwear > Sandals > Keen Taos > Jennifer Pope > Field Report

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