I own five other pairs of KEEN shoes, three of them being different versions of the Targhee II hiker, and I will continue to purchase KEEN because of the fantastic wide toebox and phenomenal cushioning. They don't last as long as some, they aren't as light as some, but when I need a comfortable boot I can wear in the city and in the mountain, for situations ranging from overseas travel to brisk trail running to tactical situations/training I have found none better than KEEN (with Merrell Moab coming in 2nd place).
This KEEN, however, is not your typical KEEN. It is the company's take on a hard rubber sole Chukka boot, and having owned Chukka boots by several other pricey manufacturers, I must say that KEEN did a fantastic job.
SIZE: As expected. I generally wear a size 11 in KEEN, and these fit fine with plenty of room for my orthotics and thick socks.
FIT: While these don't have the typical KEEN wide toebox, these are still very wide and I was actually a bit surprised when I took them out of the box. Another reviewer referred to these as "clown shoes" and while I do think that was overstated I do understand his sentiments. These are not your typical narrow dress boots. I have moderately wide feet--but fit D-width (medium width) in KEEN just fine--and these shoes in 11D fit me just fine. I would say these fit like an 11EE in most other conventional brands. Not huge, but not smashing my toes together and that's important to me.
SOLE: While this is a hard rubber sole, KEEN still manages to fit a little bit of cushion in and even the stock insoles are quite decent. Of course, I toss them out and use Superfeet Green or SOLE orthotics, but I still appreciate the effort.
MATERIAL: As is generally the case with KEEN shoes, and especially the non-hiker types, the quality of leather and other materials is phenomenal. The retail price of this shoe is $140 and you can see why.
ARCH: There's a little hint of an arch, which is a surprise with most shoes these days. In any case, I put orthotics in all of my shoes so it doesn't really matter to me, but for those of you who don't, this shoe does have a moderately discernable arch support with a very comfortable insole.
COMFORT: These were delivered to me about five hours ago so I've only had the chance to wear them around the house while cooking dinner, but I own a LOT of shoes (at present, about 45-ish pairs) and I'm pretty decent at judging how well a boot will fare after just a brief testing period. From what I can tell, this will be a good, tough, comfortable boot.
VERDICT: For those nights where I won't wear my Targhee II hiking boots--like date night in jeans or khakis--and I prefer to wear a nice boot or slip-on, I believe these boots will perform admirably without the usual aches and pains associated with cheaper/stiffer brands and variations (i.e., Skechers). And considering that I got these things for SIXTY BUCKS...yes, $60 DOLLARS, here on Amazon, I am a very, very, very happy traveler.
The leather in this product was produced by a Leather Working Group (LWG) certified tannery, supporting more-responsible leather production. LWG brand members may make on-product claims if they have submitted a sourcing declaration and 100% of the leather is produced by a LWG certified tannery.
As certified by
Leather Working Group
Leather Working Group certifies tanneries with more sustainable manufacturing practices focused on resource efficiency, reduced waste generation and emissions, better chemical management and increased traceability. LWG brand members may make claims on meeting a number of criteria, including submitting a sourcing declaration stating the percentage of leather purchased from LWG certified facilities. A claim can only be made when a product contains leather as the prominent material and 100% of the leather was produced by a LWG-certified tannery.
