Keen Boots

[Chucklee338]

Opinions on Keen Hiking boots?

 

[FLATHEAD]

Cant speak highly enough of my Keen Targhee 3's.
I wear a wide and their wide's are actually wide.
They've hunted Bear in MT., Javelina in NM, and Aoudad in TX.
I use them calling predators and have even wade fished streams in them.
My next pair of hikers will be Keen's.

 

[Fatcamp]

Ya, probably shouldn't have moved away from them as I have had excellent experiences with them.

 

[Chucklee338]

Thanks for the comments. Haven't heard much negative on the Targhee yet. Looks like they will be my next pair.

 

[ScottRK]

They’ve done well for me starting about 10 yrs ago with targhee, now Detroiter (targhee steel toe) and the utility. I use them for work and now been doing hikes to 6 miles with pack with them no blisters. Watch wet grass downhills if they have the sloped heel.
My newer Asolo pair has the same fit as my Keens.Sharp heel edge. No blisters there either in 30 miles.
Heel pic

 

[mtwarden]

I had a pair of Keen Aphlex miss- very comfortable shoe; they did great hunting until I had to put a load on- they simply weren't stiff enough for heavier loads- they may make a more suitable model now

 

[Marbles]

I had a pair years ago (6 to 9, don't remember exactly). The sole fell apart in less than 6 months with pieces of tread breaking off. The worst thing is they were not even a boot I wore every day.

Perhaps I just got unlucky, but with so many good boot brands, Keen is on my never buy list.

 

[Ariettabob]

Not overly thrilled with the Keen work boots I bought in May. They fit and felt amazing for a month but now they’ve stretched severely, to the point of being very uncomfortable, and the cloth lace ups are beginning to fall apart. For the $170+/- I paid they should be doing a lot better. This is my last pair.

 

[Cliffy65]

They’re the most comfortable boots for me and I do have a wide foot. I get blisters in Nike etc after walking 2 miles on flat ground. I broke in a new pair of Targhee’s in New Zealand in June by covering 46 miles in the mountains in 5 days with bow in hand. No blisters. Crossed a creek and had saturated boots for 24 hours.
Durand are the best model in my opinion, with the targhee a close second. You need to try each model on though as they fit differently, some are too narrow for me and I have size 9 & 9.5 in keen.

 

[xcutter]

My experience is the same at mtnwarden. Love Keen shoes/boots until I put a weighted pack on. They turn into flip flops. No support.

 

[Cliffy65]

Yeah, keen definitely lack support.
My current stiffer boots are meindl, but they are not as comfortable. So I always find my self putting the Keens on.
I haven’t tried on a pair of Crispi, but will when the meindl need replacing.

 

[Chucklee338]

Thanks for all the info.

 

[Maverick1]

Opinions on Keen Hiking boots?

Very comfortable.
Break in quickly.
Lightweight.
Breathe well.
No issues with slipping.

Have had some durability issues with the soles (they come apart, with the rubber lugs pulling away from the sole).

The waterproof e-vent membrane does not stay waterproof very long.

Depending on use and wear the support (cushion) goes “flat” after about two seasons of use and they stretch out significantly at that point. So not a long-lasting item.

All that said, I have been using the Keen Targhees for my mountain hunts for the last 15 seasons. Everything from hiking to packing meat they work well - for MY feet.

They last about two seasons before I go to the next pair. (Exception for Arizona: I wore one pair there for two weeks and they were shot. The lava rock underfoot on relatively flat terrain tore the lugs off way faster than normal mountain terrain in other states I’ve used them - NM, CO, WY, ID)

I tried out several other boots along the way - some of the expensive ones mentioned on this site quite often - just to see what (if anything) I was missing. No contest. For me - having a comfortable, 2.1 lb pair of boots was way better than a stiff, heavy 4.5 lb pair of boots. Boots, like feet, are different for everybody!

YMMV. (See what I did there? Very proud of myself! LOL.)

 

[Sanchez]

I have used Keen Targhee for most of my chukar and elk hunting over the last 10 years. Up until it snows or gets very wet they are my go to footwear.

My feet like them much, much better than the heavier, stiff boots that are popular with some, plus they are much less expensive.

 

[BobbyMac]

Had a pair a of Targhee's couple years ago. They were great during the summer and fall and very very comfortable!! When the rains hit, I could not believe how slick the soles were. I have never had a boot like that. I was on skates on any hillside with a slope that was wet....very dangerous and took several hard spills before quit wearing them...ended up giving them away...ymmv

 

[OregonSteeler]

I love my keens for camping and non-serious adventures in the woods. I'll never take them on a dedicated elk or deer hunt. Not enough support. They can handle a quick splash in a creek, but if its' raining or very dewy out, your will get soaked. Boots were less than a year old.

Sorry but can't remember what I had but they were on the higher end fo their products.

 

[Coldtrail]

My experience has been the same as a few others, for my weekend warrior pursuits I like them, but anything serious with a pack I use something better.

 

[JustJustin]

I had a pair of Keen's l loved. I think they were "Pittsburg" if I remember right. It had a leather liner, which I thought was a bad idea. They were super uncomfortable the first day or two but quickly became one of my favorite pairs of shoes. They had impressive traction on just about everything.

 

[Chucklee338]

Thanks for all the input guy's.

 

[Deadfall]

Excellent boot