I’m hard on shoes. I tend to wear them day in and day out without swapping out to another pair. I walk, jump, crawl under the house, ride a motorcycle, stand in them while fishing all day on the ocean in a small boat, wade out to retrieve my boat and generally beat the hell out of them.
I also have rather tender feet. I don’t like going barefoot, and I usually have to add supports to my shoes to take care of the plantar faciaitus.
I prefer shoes/boots that are mid height and cover my delicate ankles.
Recently I needed a new pair of hiking boots, and I decided to try out a new brand. I’d read good things about Keen shoes, and saw that they were considered to be feet friendly with their roomy toes, and protected rubberized toe area.
The Keen Targhee II Mid appealed to me with their rather utilitarian earth shoe sort of look about them and the roomy comfortable fit looked mighty appealing.
Went to a couple of outdoors sort of shops including REI. REI was out of the shoe, but they did have other models that I could try on to see how their fit was. According to other online reviews I’d read about Keen shoes, it was reported that they tend to run half a size small. So, the normal size 11 I wear would not fit me, and testing a couple models out at REI confirmed that a size 11 1/2 was called for. So I went home and ordered a pair from onlineshoes.com (get affiliated). Got the shoes in a couple days, and by far they were the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn out of the box. It was like walking on a cloud, yet they felt secure on my feet, and had the support I needed around the ankles. I almost felt like I had springs on my feet. Amazing.
Well, I’ve worn things for about five months now and they are good and worn out. They squeak like hell when I walk, and a liberal application of foot powder did not stop the squeaking.
??Cracking of the rubber just above the sole. Shoe laces worn out at three months. They show their age and hold dirt from the camping trip I took recently. Sole is worn so that my feet are planted in a cockeyed manner.
Good things:
Roomy in the toe and mid portion of the shoe. Feet do not at all feel cramped. Comfortable out of the box with good support. Rubber toe protects my feet when I’m on the boat, or hiking, or working in the garage with all sorts of ankle biting powertools and clutter.
Not so Good Things:
They did not last any longer than my $80 HiTek Hiking boots, though they are more comfortable out of the box and in the long term.
Made in China. – How come we can’t make shoes in the US and buy them at a competitive price? What happens when China becomes a sworn enemy and we go to war with them? Who makes our stuff?
Seem to be well made.
Pricey compared to similar shoes. $120.00
I agree with most of your comments, however, here’s a couple of my own.
Totally comfortable out of the box with a half size larger than my normal street shoe. Totally comfortable on a flat surface and climbing up hiking trails and over boulders. But…going downhill is a different story, and I have black toenails to prove it since my toenails bang on the front end of the boot going downhill. So, now after wearing my half-size larger boots for 100+ miles, I am ordering another pair, but this time, a full size larger. I haven’t experienced any problem with the construction of the boot breaking down although I don’t have a really long track record yet. The same goes for the waterproofing since I have only waded in water 2-3″ deep, but they remained totally dry. I also agree that these boots are expensively priced. Unless you buy last year’s model at close out prices early in the spring (usually around $80-$99, and they sell out fast), you won’t find anything else less than Keen’s carefully regulated new model price of $125. Having said all that, I love mine and am firmly committed to the Keen Targhee II for what I do.
As a Keen Voyageur wearer, I can concur with the comfort comment. The shoe feels fantastic. But damn, they wear out fast. I can’t believe how fast the sole has worn out during my short walks to work, long days of sitting and, oh, the odd weekend hike, usually on well-used trails. In well under a year the heels are pretty much flat, and the rest of the rubber is going down with them.
For the price, pretty shoddy.