Keen footwear and my feet get on well together so when Lynne spotted these sandals in Tiso's last week I was persuaded to buy.
I like them, but can you spot the somewhat flawed reasoning in the design?
I like them, but can you spot the somewhat flawed reasoning in the design?
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8 comments:
Waterproof?
Of course Conrad. My question should really have been a statement, "I'm sure everyone will spot the design flaw". The uppers are, apparently, waterproof but as to why is beyond my understanding.
Brilliant.
Hello Alan. Just as well it's not April 1st - nobody would have believed me.
They might have been better to use 'breathable' as a selling point. That said, they do look well made and supportive.
Hello Dave. I've always found Keen to be reliable and sturdy, if a little on the heavy side. 'Breathable' the certainly are.
This is irritating! Keen’s heritage is water sports based. The reason for the waterproof label to the side is to denote that they will not soak up water when submerged and become heavy, this is also the reason for the big bumper on the toe (so you don’t bang your toe on things you can’t see in the water) which has been on nearly all Keen sandals from the beginning 17 years ago. If you look closely at the Keen logo it actually looks like a Kayak. Sorry for the rant but this has been bugging me and wanted to clear it up. It is not a “design floor” in fact the complete opposite.
Geoff
Hello Geoff
Be irritated by all means but here is my take on it.
1. These sandals are sold in climbing/walking shops with no reference to 'water sports'.
2. Keen's heritage is not really very important here, only what their products do.
3. These sandals are advertised on Keen's site as 'trail shoes'. Type: hiking, Activity: hills,
beach.
4. A review on Outdoor Lab says Cons: hold water. Best use: dry trails.
5. I don't use these sandals for 'hiking' but if I did I'd be wearing socks and I suspect most, or
at least many, would.
Once my socks are wet the presence of a hydrophobic membrane is, at
best, worthless. In fact, membranes slow the drying process in my experience.
6. If the hydrophobic membrane is KEENDRY I am afraid to say that it is, over time, as
ineffective as all the other membranes when used in boots and shoes. If it is better than
KEENDRY why is it not in my boots and shoes?
7. I'm on my sixth pair of Keen Targhee II Mids and my third pair of Keen Targhee II shoes; my
feet get wet in all of them. Indeed the boots never dried out in two weeks of wet weather on
Skye in May. My wife's likewise. In this respect they are no better or worse than others I've
used.
I like Keen footwear and I like these sandals, but 'waterproof' in any meaningful
way, they are not. If it’s not a ‘design fault’, then they are, in my view over-designed.
As yet I have not worn them in heavy rain but when I have, I’ll post my findings.
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