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Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
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| Biographical Information |
Name:
|
Mark
Wood
|
A Brief
Introduction
I grew up camping with my
parents and had taken a few short backpacking trips, as well as a
couple of 10-day trips before I got married. While my wife and I have
enjoyed car camping and day hiking for close to 6 years, this year we
have decided to make backpacking a permanent part of our lives. Our
trips are generally shorter (2 - 5 days) over rocky, hilly terrain. My
general pack weight for a 3 day trip is around 25 lb (11.4 kg) including
food
and water. |
| Age
/ Sex: |
26 / Male |
| Height: |
5' 11" (1.8 m) |
| Weight: |
250 lb (113 kg) |
| Email
Address: |
mwood_bgt at frontiernet dot net |
| Shoe Size: |
Mens US 11.5 |
Web page:
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http://www.markandkc.net
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| Location: |
Chenango County, NY, U.S.A. |
| Product
Information |
|
| Manufacturer: |
Keen Footwear |
| Year of Manufacture: |
2006 |
| URL of Manufacturer: |
http://www.keenfootwear.com
|
| MSRP: |
None Specified |
| Listed Weight: |
12.6 oz (357 g) (Presumably per shoe) |
| Weight as Delivered: |
Left: 14.4 oz (408 g) Right: 14.7 oz (417 g) |
| Sizes: |
Available: Mens 7 - 14 US (half sizes available thru 12)
As Tested: Mens 11.5 US |
| Colors: |
Available: Grey/Green, Black/Burnt Orange, Dark Grey/Navy
As Tested: Dark Grey/Navy |
Materials:
(From Web page) |
Uppers: Synthetic, Webbing, Mesh
Lining: Woven Synthetic
Sole: Carbon (non-marking)
|
The Keen Humboldt shoes are part
of Keen's Trailhead series of shoes. From the website, the shoes
are described as an all terrain shoe with a "stretch mesh bootie" and
"secure-fit lacing system".
For more information, please see my Initial Report or my Field Report.
|
| Long Term Report |
Over the last four months, I've worn
the Keen Humboldt Trailhead shoes daily. I've worn them to work,
walking around town, on dirt trails and on some pretty rough ground.
Overall, they have performed very well.
Comfort
The Humboldt's have continued to break in over the four
month testing time frame. While they are starting to show their
wear, they have remained quite comfortable. I have noticed no
blisters when wearing socks and my feet have not become overly tired
even when wearing them all day.
I have noticed that during the last few weeks that the insole is
starting to become flat. While it's not terribly problematic (I
usually change my insoles out immediately upon purchasing a shoe), the
supplied insoles will need to be replaced very soon.
The Humboldt shoes are very unique. I will continue to think of
them as a mesh sandal with a full sole. While this is great for
most uses, I notice that with cold weather approaching, they are
starting to become a bit chilly for everyday wear. I know I
mentioned in my Field Report that I appreciated the breathability --
and I do. I just don't see myself using them much during cooler
weather.
Performance
The soles of the Humboldt shoes is starting to have a it
less traction as it wears. While I have not found traction to be
a huge problem, I've noticed that on loose dirt the shoes simply do not
dig in as well as they used to. I have not noticed any other
performance problems during the four months of testing. For a
person who generally wears out their shoes faster than I can buy them,
the Keen Humboldts have performed admirably.
Durability
During my Field report, I had a few concerns regarding the
durability of the shoes. There were some loose threads and some
scuffing on the foam around the heel cup of the shoe. While I
have noticed a few more loose threads and some more scuffing, I have
noticed no considerable degradation of performance from these items.
As I mentioned above, there is some wear on the soles of the shoes, but
nothing which is out of the ordinary after four months of every-day use.
|
| Field
Conditions |
I try to get out in nature at least twice a month
either car camping or backpacking. Most of the trips involved two nights
of camping. The Keen Humboldt shoes have accompanied me on all such
excursions.
Most of my hiking and backpacking trips centered around the Adirondack
and Catskill regions of New York as well as numerous overnight trips
along the Finger Lakes Trail which passes within 10 miles (16 km) of my
home.
Due to the timing of this test, the shoes have been exposed to a
wide range of weather conditions from cool spring to warm summer
months. Precipitation is very common in this region and our fair share
of rain was seen during the testing time frame. Average
elevation for the areas surrounding my
house is 500 - 2500 ft (150 - 750 m). Average temperatures during the
testing time frame ranged from 50 - 90 F (10 - 32 C).
Also, the Keen Humboldt shoes have seen almost daily use around town and
on my evening walks with my dog. Since I seem to destroy footwear
in around 4 months (the testing time frame), I attempted to put
as many miles as possible on these shoes.
|
| Testing Results |
In my initial report, I proposed to test the Humboldt
shoes in the following ways. I will attempt to comment on any items which I have further insight since my Field Report.
Fit and Comfort:
- Does the included insole comfortably support my feet? Will
I find that I will have to switch to my more supportive insoles during
the testing time frame? After four months, the insoles have pretty much worn out. While this isn't surprising, I do feel it's worth noting.
Durability:
- How well does the shoe wear over time? Does the synthetic
material on the upper of the shoe crack or scuff with repeated exposure
to the elements? Does the mesh begin to fray or tear? After
a full four months of testing, I have no concerns that these shoes are
built to take some abuse. None of my concerns from my field
report materialized into a significant problem.
- Does the sole hold up well during testing? I expect some
wear as I expect to use the shoes quite a lot, but is the wear
consistent and steady or do the shoes suddenly give out? After
four months, I have noticed steady wear of the sole of the shoe.
While they still provide adaquite traction, they were not nearly
as "grippy" as they were when new. I do not find the wear
excessive or unexpected.
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| Summary |
Overall, I have been very pleased with these shoes. I
think they are a great mix of lightweight and comfortable while
providing quite acceptable traction.
Likes:
- Comfortable and light.
- Breathe quite well
- Great traction on dry ground
Dislikes:
- Some minor durability issues that tend to be more cosmetic than functional.
- Lateral traction not as good as I would like
- Feet get quite wet just walking through damp grass.
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I
would like to thank Keen and
BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to participate in this test!
Read more reviews of Keen gear
Read more gear reviews by Mark Wood
|
