KEEN Men's Newport Closed Toe Comfortable Durable Leather Water SandalsLeather Working Group

I will state right here, that this is all based off of first impressions, since I haven't had an opportunity to exhaustingly test these out. I ordered a size 9 1/2, because when I went to a conversion site online, it said a European 43 is equivalent to a 9, and I heard these tend to run small, so I went up a 1/2 size. Since I have 3 pairs of Vibram 5-Fingers, all in 43, that fit snug, I figured that 9 1/2 would be fine. Well, let me tell you, they were quite tight. I promptly contacted the seller and informed them I would be making a return and had size 10 replacements in the mail within a few days- I got my replacements before they got their returned pair back. So, the moral of the story is, order at least 1 size greater than your estimated shoe size, if you are converting from European sizing, and that their customer service is excellent and speedy. They even reimbursed $6 of my return fee.So, on to the shoes. The new ones are great. The pictures give you an idea, but these things look and feel incredibly sturdy. I bought some mandals in Israel, that had Vibram bottoms and looked very rugged, but they started coming apart sooner than I would have anticipated (and, to add injury to insult, they were more expensive than these!). I feel these won't suffer that fate. The bottoms are incredibly thick, and everything looks really well put together. I read some reviews where people claimed to have had theirs in good working condition for years, and I am inclined to believe them. The leather is thick and high quality looking, not the cheap stuff you often seen on boots or sandals. Not using loop-holes or buckles probably also helps to keep these going. They provide good support;, and properly snug. The toe is no joke, where I feel you could actually kick rocks and not be the worse for wear. Plus, you don't have to worry about those places that won't let you in because you have open-toed shoes, which is always nice. Oh, and these definitely look good. Obviously not good, but fashionably interesting.The negatives? Well, I anticipate that foot sweating will be high, since you dont have as much ability for your feet to breath in these as normal sandals and they ARE quite snug. I wish there was a bit more ability to adjust things, like the heel strap, for instance. I am not having a fitting problem, but I think it would be nice to have that option, and I can imagine some people might not be satisfied with how they are adjusted (using the elastic cord thingy, which allows you to make specific sections along the top and sides of the foot more or less tight).So, I bought these for some trekking in S. America. I plan on spending 6 months down there, hiking all over the place, so I'll update this when I get back, or possibly a little sooner, depending.* Update *After using these almost exclusively during my 6 months in South America, they are still going strong. Lost a bit of tread, but certainly not even close to bald. Fortunately, they never developed the "stinky feet" smell, which is a big plus. I ran in them and hiked in them, and walked countless hours in them, and never had a problem. Quite comfortable and practical. They are sufficiently attractive looking that I could wear them when going out, and while they probably didn't look great, they were passable- never got told I couldn't enter a club with them on (though, admittedly, there is more leeway given to gringoes in general). Had lots of people compliment me on them, because they liked the design. Never got a stubbed toe, which is pretty awesome. I can say, they literally have zero problems- the quality is quite good. Very happy with my decision to purchase these, and highly recommend them.

I hate to admit it, but I'm becoming more and more like my dad. He has several pairs of Keens (buys a pair about every 2 years) and thinks they are the greatest. I bought these when I noticed they were selling for an unusually low price ($80). I didn't buy them because I wanted them... I bought them because my dad loves them so much I figured I would too, although I definitely did not want to! Well... They're the greatest thing ever lol. I wear them literally every single day.Review and useful information:I wear these everyday as slip ons. No socks and I walk on the heal, but they're still comfortable and let my feet breathe. The part in contact with the sole gets sweaty, but at least it's leather so you get used to it. Because of the design, walking on the heal hasn't damaged them at all. When I go to the store or take a walk I tend to throw on some black cotton socks and honestly they breathe better than this way and tend to be less clamy. The grip these things have is incredible. I walk on trails and around the steep banks of water almost daily and these have much better grip than most shoes, and that's while I'm still walking on the heal! When I put my foot properly within the shoes I can walk anywhere including up the steeply inclined dam wall that EVERYONE slips on. I really can't say enough about how impressed I am with these. I guess dad was right lol.On the downside, these are sized terribly. I have somewhat wide feet and usually wear size 11 in shoes. Sometimes even 10.5 fit me, but I had to get these in 12 and return the first ones I bought. That said, these now fit me perfectly, so I think that means they are narrow for the average 12, because I fit these in width and length.Supposedly these are waterproof, but they are made with genuine leather and of course water goes right through the gaping holes, so I have no idea what they mean by that. There is no such thing as "waterproof" leather. When these are old and I have a second pair I'll feel more comfortable using these in the reservoir and creek walking, but for now I only do that with them occasionally. I tried buying a couple pairs of knockoff keens on Amazon for water use, but they all were terrible, so I returned them. I wash them every couple months in the washing machine. I use Ivory brand mild soap and put them in the wash by themselves so the agitator can toss them around but not abuse them. I oil the leather when they are dry and this has worked well for me so far.Like I said earlier, my dad tends to get a pair of Keens every 2 years and currently has 3 pairs. He uses the older ones for dirtier jobs so to speak. Only his newest ones are this particular leather model. He has had one pair that completely separated from the sole in only about a year and he never uses his in water or washes them at all. Apparently in at least some models they have used bad glue, which is why I am most afraid to use these in water until they are my secondary pair.These are literally the best day to day shoes I've ever had and the best water shoes as well. I guess they are called sandals, but they are actually just well ventilated shoes.

I've been looking at these for years and thinking that they are way too expensive as sandals and cheap water shoes can be had for less than $20 for most beach and water sports. Recently while wearing flip flops I cut my toe seriously on some broken glass in a dark parking lot. Getting ready for a trip to Maine involving a rocky beach, backpacking, kayaking and tourism (shopping and eating) I was looking for a single pair of footwear that would serve all these purposes and again saw the Keen's. When they arrived I put them on and found they fit perfectly. They were comfortable and provided much more support and toe protection than I expected. I wore them the next 4 days exclusively with no socks. They were comfortable, endured salt water swimming and beach walks without getting a lot of stuff trapped inside. The dried easily but weren't uncomfortable when wet. The fit didn't change after getting them wet and wearing them while they dried, nor did the fit change when I laid them up at night wet. The foot protection (my toe was/is steal healing) was superb. They have excellent traction over rocky climbs (wet or dry). After a full day hiking in them you don't feel the need to take them off and change into something else. I think for anyone who wants a rock solid sandal for everyday use will love them. If you're outdoorsy or an adventure seeker these should do the trick. For ultralight guys they may be a little heavy but you only need one pair of footwear for virtually any warm weather outdoor activity, so that might be an acceptable offset. In short, despite the price, this is an excellent piece of adventure footwear. Highly recommend them!