My $10 OP paddling sandals are about shot and I like the looks of the Keen sandals, but what makes them worth $90?
Same thing that make a Tilly worth it
– Last Updated: Jun-09-04 9:51 AM EST –
but honestly, I wore Tevas for many years and still have a pair but after years of use I've developed spurs where the achilles tendon attaches to the heel. Doctor says it because of the strap on the tevas were it fastens across the tendon. So for me it's a pain thing, the Keens are far more comfortable than any other sandals I
've tried and I love the way you CAN'T stub your toes! http://www.zappos.com/n/br/b/427.html
you get what
you pay for.
steve
Flatpick, I agree, usually.
Do you wear them?
Flatpick
Sometimes. Sometimes you get hype and advertising with no difference in quality. I bought a Murray riding lawn mower which is significantly cheaper than a John Deere. It cut my grass well and lasted for about 12 years. The engine was still running strong when I gave it to a friend. A Murray may not last as long as a John Deere, but I can buy about 3 Murrays for the price of a JD.
dig those Keens
I bought 7 pair of Keen Newport / H2 sandals. They fit! And the incessant rain hereabouts in the Portland Oregon area doesn’t bother them. I bought them because I can wear them to work as closed-toe sandals and get air ventilation, and shower my patients in them. Great colors. Both men’s & women’s fit very well.
But I don’t wear them for kayaking because my heels get sore unless I wear shoes that have plenty of support and padding in the heels, with the pressure on the kayak of bracing against the foot pegs. To kayak I’m wearing NRS hydroskin socks with Nike Kokatee Mid shoes which have some reinforcement running up the heel.
The Keens for me are ultra comfy and a sporty fashion statement 
REI sale
shoulda added that the price feels steep to me too so I timed my purchases for the recent REI sale … for some odd reason Keen seems to have discontinued a lot of the best-selling sandals and is coming out with more of a shoe line-up for Fall. If only they’d put out a Newport H2 in purple and kelly green …
Like anything else
If you think they’re worth the money, then they are. If you don’t, they aren’t. Value is relative.
awesome sandal
have worn them pretty much non-stop since i bought them and they are very comfortable and protect my little toes as i shuffle around. best sandals i have ever owned. one of those things that when you see them and put them on, you think “duh - i knew this!! why isn’t this my invention again?” really like these shoes.
HOWEVER…any sandal and kayaks are not an ideal mix. lots of little things to get caught on a peg and then you risk entrapment should you capsize or need to get outta your boat in a hurry. why risk it? howabout buying a pair of water shoes for the 'yak and then keep the keens for dry land?
teva makes some good water shoes that have a bit of heal protection and will last awhile without the little bits to catch you up on your foot peg in an emergency. 5-10’s are even nicer if you can find 'em…both are more appropriate for kayaking than the keens.
Well, I know. That’s why I paddle a
SOT and a canoe.
Magazine Review
Just read a yak magazine article on about 10 yak shoes and they put them way on top far above the others.
no
but I probably would if I wasn’t soooo hooked on Chacos. I like less of a shoe or I wear my 5.10’s.
Just got off 18 days on the Colorado/ Grand Canyon and many of the folks wore the Keens all the time and LOVE 'em. High quality, fit and IMHO value.
most of the sub $50 river sandals/ shoes I see ‘in action’ are junk. and I see alot.
steve
Did You Like The Ocean Pacifics?
I had a a pair of $60 Tevas that wore out pretty quickly, but I also have a pair of $15 OPs that have lasted for years.
If you liked the OPs maybe just buy another pair…
If it ain’t broke…
anyone
else wear out Tevas quickly? Been Debating on getting a pair.
If you stay in and around the water
Tevas should last OK. They are not street sandals. I hhave some leaether Tevas with Vibram soles that just keep going.
URLs to view these shoes
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47650442&parent_category_rn=40002867
Keen Newport
http://www.alpinekayak.com/detail.aspx?ID=62
Nike Tokatee Mid Kayaking Shoe
http://www.ospreybay.com/nemohigh.htm
Five Ten Nemo High Kayaking Shoe
I had a great pair of $10 sandals, then
– Last Updated: Jun-09-04 2:18 PM EST –
I went out for a walk on a summer's day in Fresno california, (desert hot). The adhesive failed due to the completely outrageous conditions. So now I am barefoot in those conditions. Ouch! Confined to a white sidewalk, looking to buy something to rework my sandals to protect my feet so I can walk across the street or take a bus back to my room. Asphalt temps were probably around 120-140. went ant bought $45 tevas no regrets, I do not wear them paddling.
$90 for a pair of sandals? Not me! Buying another pair of $10 sandals for extreme conditions or travel with all its unpredictability? Also not me.
Been wearing Tevas for 15 years
and almost live in them during the summer. Never had a pair last less than 3 years!
Randy
5.10s vs Kokatees?
Steve, have you worn the Kokatees at all and if so, how do they compare to the 5.10s?
Fresno? Extreme?
Dude! Fresno is summer is only slightly warmer than Stockton.
Summer has not started here until the air temp busts 100, and 115 degrees is not uncommon. Asphalt can burn human skin in summer.
Guess that is why the soles on the Tevas separated…