Sandals this Summer

[jimed43]

Thinking about picking up some Keen H2, however also notice the Keen Canyon. Does anyone know the difference? Below are the links.

http://www.zappos.com/keen-newport-h2-black~1

http://www.zappos.com/keen-kanyon-black-gargoyle

 

[matt s]

More of Teva guy myself. Either way are you sure you want the toe cover? To me it becomes a shoe at that point.

A Teva plug. I got a new pair for my birthday last summer and was shocked at how comfortable they were. Of course my previous pair of Teva's that were on my feet at the time were going on at least 10 years old. I guess they design improved a bit in that time. If the durability of the first pair is found in the new ones then I will be a happy guy.

 

[jimed43]

Up until my lab puppy ate my last pair of Teva's that is all I work. I did have one toenail, get ripped off, while out in the woods.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Newports and Kanyons are similar in feature, but just use different styling to the webbing part of the shoe for a different aesthetic. For lack of a better description, they made the Kanyons to be less "clunky" looking than the Newports. Women thought the Newports were too manly, so they made the Whisper for women. The Whisper didn't have as much of the clown shoe toe to it, which women loved. So, Keen made the Kanyon to be a more light looking Newport for men.

I'm the inventory buyer for a store and we sell Keen. We've literally sold thousands of Keens. I'll toss this out there - they're likely gonna fall apart on you. Our failure rate on Keens was nearing 10% for 2009. It's improved for us, largely because we only sell them to people who don't plan to use them very hard. At one point in 2009 and early 2010, Keen was sending entire containers of shoes back to Asia because the build quality was so poor. I think they have addressed many of those quality concerns, but they still have a way to go to increase the overall construction of their shoes. There are too many light components bonded together to really be durable.
Although they're not as sandal-like as the Newports, I'd look into the Arroyos as they have a much more durable midsole.

 

[Christophe Noel]

To be more helpful than to just knock Keens....

Look into Salomon. The Salomon Tech Amphib has been the gold standard in water shoes with that sandal-like feel. Great shoes/sandals. I'd also look into Ahnu. The Ahnu Reyes is another nice sandal/shoe very much like the Keen. Stands to reason since Ahnu was started by the brain trust at Keen. Ahnu is now owned by Deckers/Teva, so the quality is better than most.

 

[ChadHahn]

I have had a pair of Keen Bronx(?) for over 6 years. Until this year I wore them all the time in town and in the desert and they have held up fine.

I tried a pair of the sandals with the toe box but my little toe was just short enough that it tried to come out over the top of the sandal. This made them impossible for me to wear.

Chad

 

[Christophe Noel]

I have had a pair of Keen Bronx(?) for over 6 years. Until this year I wore them all the time in town and in the desert and they have held up fine.

That's not an uncommon thing to hear about the first few years of Keens. Keep in mind, Keen ramped up production ten fold since you bought your shoes so they could distribute through Dillards, Macy's and other big box retailers. This required them to move to bigger Asian factories. They've made that move a couple times now. They also switched to more eco friendly water based adhesives to construct their shoes. They have certainly improved over their 2009 quality, but I'd still be aware they aren't the most robust footwear out there. Not to say people shouldn't buy them, but be aware they may not be as durable as some users need them to be. They still liberally use multi-component outsoles with lots of exposed EVA foam.

 

[refried]

the Kanyons have thinner straps than the Newport, I think the soles are the same.
I highly reccomend Salomon Amphibians as well, I have the original model as well as the Amphibian II along with a pair of Newports and they are all very comfortable and dry quickly but my favorites are my Chaco Z/1's, they last forever (and can be resoled), dry quickly, don't trap rocks and I haven't done any damage to my toes yet with them being uncovered.
http://www.chacousa.com/US/en-US/ViewProduct.mvc.aspx/18618M/0/Mens/Z-1-Pro?galleryId=M-SAND
Looks like the price has doubled since I bought mine.

 

[Honu]

To be more helpful than to just knock Keens....

Look into Salomon. The Salomon Tech Amphib has been the gold standard in water shoes with that sandal-like feel. Great shoes/sandals. I'd also look into Ahnu. The Ahnu Reyes is another nice sandal/shoe very much like the Keen. Stands to reason since Ahnu was started by the brain trust at Keen. Ahnu is now owned by Deckers/Teva, so the quality is better than most.

thanks for giving some alternatives so would love to ask a question as a buyer ? what in that keen open style fits super wide feet well ?

thanks again

I had some tevas in past but like the toe box of keen over open toe

 

[Storz]

I've had a pair of Chacos for the past 7 years that have held up awesome

 

[jimed43]

I guess I should put Chaco's on my short list, as the weather is warming up here in Texas.

 

[Squatchout]

I've been a huge Teva fan for many years. I spend a lot of time in the water and they are my go to sandle for that. Different models seem to have different comfort levels. Like all these companies these days as soon as I find one I really like they change them.

 

[refried]

I guess I should put Chaco's on my short list, as the weather is warming up here in Texas.

Another plus of the Chacos is the great tan lines they leave that all raft guides love.

 

[nickwc]

Chacos the best. You can always find good deals on last years models at REI and steepandcheap.com always has them on there.

 

[ejason]

I have both keens and chacos. Love them both and both are super comfortable. My foot did have to get used to the chacos at first. I had a few small blisters at first, then they were perfect.