KEEN Targhee ll Mid Hiking Shoe - Men's

I am a proponent of Keen footwear in general, but this mid-hiker is something special even by Keen standards. I have tough to fit feet and have suffered heel blisters and lost toenails with several different types, sizes, and brands of boot despite strenuous efforts to get a good fit. In desperation I grabbed a pair of these on my way out of town for a tough 2-nighter. Out of the box, with no break-in, I hit the trail and hoped for the best. Although these are classified as hiking shoes, not backpacking boots, I carried a 40 lb. pack over 12 miles of steep, rough trail with not a hot spot, bashed toenail, or any discomfort; I thought I was dreaming. Backpacking without foot pain, who knew such a thing was possible? We bagged a "12-er" on this trip and the boots kicked butt over talus, scree, mud, slickrock, the works. Versatile, durable, supportive, and oh-so comfortable. The Keens hung tough and came back for more. NOTE that they tend to run small, so sizing up is generally a good idea.

great price, light weight, have a "quick" feeling to them. Makes getting up the mountain a lot easier.

Still comfortable even when completely soaked.

have noticed a bit of wear, but nothing that I wouldn't expect on any boot.

Good lightweight and low profile hiker that is very comfortable and does not pack out. The sole is a bit softer than I expected and thus wears a bit quickly. The style reminds me of old Adidas hikers from 15+ years ago which is not a bad thing.

I bought these boots before a camp/hiking trip after a week of solid rain. They felt great right from the first time I put them on, no break in time. Waterproofing worked great also. The trail I hiked had a few river crossings and a lot of mud and my feet stayed dry all day. Traction could be a little better on wet rocks. I have a high arch, instep, and slightly wider foot in the toe box area. These boots worked great for all of those problems. I wore them all weekend camping and on my hike and never had any discomfort. Buy them about a half to full size larger. I hope they last longer than some of the other reviews say, so far I love them.

Donner Party is right on, but there may be trouble down the trail. After 8 mos. of moderate use, the toecap on my (original version) Mid started separating from the upper. Customer reviewers on other sites mentioned this. Since the dealer was out of my size, they gave me a pair of the Mid II's. (Keen has a fantastic warranty.) Now I see that wearers of the new model are complaining of the same problem- not very encouraging. (As an aside, it seems they lightened up the color of the tongue area on the new model, and the overall effect is that pinkish hue you get when you mix the whites with the coloreds in the laundry. I no longer have the coolest looking shoes on the block!)

Not durable at all. The soles started to come apart after 20 miles on the trail.
I e-mailed Keen and they sent me a different model boot. They do have good customer service

I already gave a review on these just from the ones I had tried on at a local retailer, and I said before, they were SOOO comfortable. However, when mine arrived from Backcountry, and I got to really try them out, I found that the toe box on the left shoe was way too tight for my left foot. (I have a big bunion on my left big toe, and don't remember feeling any discomfort while trying out the ones at the store. So I don't know if it was just the particular pair I got, or if I just failed to realize how tight the toe box was at the store. And when I say I tried them out, I mean I walked around the store, jumped, stretched - you know, really tried them out. So I don't know....) I took the new ones I got out for a 1/4 mile walk, and because of my bunion, the toe box on my left shoe really squished my big toe inwards. It was killing me! I mean, I am actually still in some pain this morning after trying them out last night. I've tried other Keens out - the sandals are usually wide, with big toe boxes. Not these! I am sending mine back this morning and exchanging them for my next choice in line - the Keen Voyageurs. Will most probably post a review on them later.

the reason I ordered the Keen Hiking boot is that the front of my foot is very wide. I have trouble finding hiking boots with suffiecient width in the toe box unless . I order boots one or two sizes to big. Oversized shoes make hiking dificult. The Keen sandals and shoes that I have ordered in the past all have wide toe boxes, I had assumed that the hiking boots would as well, not so. They also appeared to be cheaply made, I have not had that impression of Keen products before.

Just ordered a pair of these in Deep Lichen/Jester Red. I was able to try them on at a local retailer before buying them for about $34 less here!

Anyway, in the store I was able to compare these with the Keen Voyageurs, the Merrell Chameleon Hexes, and the Merrell Moab Ventilators. These won out. They were just quite simply THE most comfortable out of the four. (I also tried other shoes, as well as some mid boot versions of a couple of Merrells, but none had the comfort of the soles in these babies) In terms of comfort, the Merrells weren't bad at all, but they had a sort of forwards sloping sole that meant the least amount of padding was at the toes. I found this to be true in both the standard shoe and mid-boot versions. This is good in putting the wearer in a ready-to-run position (angling them forwards), but I was looking for a more comfortable long-distance hiking shoe, and good as the Merrells were, they weren't the ones for me.

The Keen Voyageurs were nice- really nice. Snug fit (not too-tight, but I could tell my foot wasn't going to be moving around in them) thick, padded soles with same/similar levels of padding around the toe area. They were almost what I went with... just one thing I noticed - around 1/4 way up from the heel, there was a slight bump I could feel going all the way across the shoe from left to right. I think it's meant to be a part of the arch support system, but instead of simply running along the arch it actually runs across the width of the foot! And it wasn't necessarily uncomfortable - but it felt like a protrusion. And I didn't want to find out 65 miles of hiking later that I shouldn't have gotten the shoes with the bump 1/4 way up from the back!

It was then that I tried on the Targhee II Mid Hikers. Man! Felt amazing. Simply beautiful. Much more normal feeling sole (no protrusions), but thick and very comfortable - almost like walking around in Tempurpedic slippers. So the soles didn't have that little bump in them like the Voyageurs - they were flatter, and even if they had had the bump, the cushioning on the inner soles felt more comfortable.
Also, they seemed to hug my ankles really well, yet with comfort matching that of the soles. They have eyelets that lock the laces in place before tying them in the final bow. So I found, due to the design, that I had to actually cross the laces across the tongue first, and then lock them in the eyelets before the final tie. It seemed to be a good design for preventing the laces from slowly coming undone over time. Even though it may take an extra second or two lacing up, with the snug fit and the comfort I felt in them the extra lacing time was an easily acceptable tradeoff. I could have said that I found my shoes in the store right there and then, but the store only had them in Walnut (which looks just like brown leather to me) and I really wanted them in Deep Lichen. Plus, Backcountry was selling them for around $90, and the place I was trying them on at was selling them for around $128, so I went home, went online, checked other websites against any possible better price, meanwhile talked to a sales ref through the chat feature to double check on getting the 1/2 size up which was confirmed, and Yes! I bought these freakin' awesome shoes!

I bought these shoes because they are the most comfotable shoes I have ever had. I have flat feet and had Surgery to correct the problem 4 months before I bought these shoes. Well I went right out on a 4 day backpacking adventure after buying them. On the second morning I Ripped the grab loop on the back of the shoes. I took them right back and got the same Shoe style because they are comfortable. The next pair lasted about 5 months of daily use. I ripped the grab loop within 3 months, they where no longer water proof after 4 months, and the tread was falling apart after 4 months. Luckly the guys at REI allowed me to return them again, as long I didn't buy them again. These shoes (they are shoes not boots) do not stand up to an active lifesyle. But they are Damb Comfortable and climb like an Approach shoe!

Used for 4 days, fullday hikes and I loved it. Very light and comfortable. I am size 9.5 for other brands but 10 for keen.

These boots fit a little small, so get them a little bigger, maybe half or full size. Toe box is quite roomy for average size feet. Heel grip is pretty good, which is why I got them, I have a narrow heel.
Here are my gripes: The tying system automatically pulls up the toe box as you are walking, no matter how you tie them, severely decreasing toe space. Ankle hold is marginal at best and the tread is very slippery. They are surprisingly waterproof though.
That is why I recommend them for walking flat trails or everyday wear. If you are hiking uphill or anywhere where it is rocky or wet, try something else, maybe Scarpa, Meindl or Lowa.

Order 1 size larger than normal. Just logged 16 miles in them with 37 pounds and loved them.

So they're funky looking, but they feel great on the feet. The snug fit keeps my feet from moving around much in the boot.

Read other reviews about this boot and I have wide feet and been looking for a boot without needing much breakin time. This boot exceeded all my expectations - grip, comfort, ventilation and support. I took these boots on a 12 mile day hike with class 3,4 climbing in a few spots along with off trail scree. During the trip I was climbing down a rock face with handholds and the 2nd eyelet from the top broke - upon inspection the eyelets do not look very durable (eyelets are heavy material stiched holding the shoestrings - except the top eyelet which is plastic and could also break eaisily). I was able to work around the broken eyelet by putting the shoestring through the leather to finish the trip without issues. Because these boots are so amazing I returned this defective pair and ordered two more pair for more testing and hope they hold up an become a permanent part of my hiking experience - Keen has really figured out something with comfort and foot movement for I never even had a hot spot with 1st use of the boot. Also I felt the ankle support (and I have one weak ankle) was very good - was off trail and did not have any unusual movement or ankle twist close calls. Hope this helps someone. Take care and enjoy the outdoors.

Broke them in on a 51k trek through wet trail, mud, and snow. They hold up against water very well, have great grip, are extremely comfortable and because of the wide forefoot, allow you to step toe / heel in comfort and test the ground before planting all of your weight. The only thing that I was disappointed with was just *how* little ankle support there is. I thought there would be more but really, the top of the boot is pretty soft and I think they should have made'em a bit stiffer. These boots wick moisture away quickly and dry very fast. Overall, a very good purchase and I'm sure these boots will hold up great over the long run.

Second pair of these particular boot...first pair lasted about 2.5 years of virtually daily wear. Soles wear a little fast IMO, but were instantly comfortable. This is my fourth pair of KEEN footwear and they have all been instantly comfortable = no break-in period. Hard core hiking? Perhaps not. Mild or light hiking or daily wear, HECK YEAH!

KEEN wasnt kidding when they said four wheel drive for your feet. These are rugged yet suprisingly lightweight. No break in time, and great waterproofing without making your feet hot. A bit hard on your feet due to the lack of padding inside, so I would not recommend them for an everyday all around, but if you need a serious hiker this is it.

I must admit I haven't taken these boots out on anything too intense yet but so far I am loving them. They are super lightweight, extremely supportive, very grippy and maintain a comfortable temperature. I'm excited to get them out in some mud and snow to see how they hold up! Would definitely recommend these (as well as any other Keens) to anyone. Sizing is pretty accurate, although ordering a size bigger than usual probably wouldn't hurt.

I wear these in wet environments and my feet do not get wet - ever. I wear a size 12 shoe and the size 13 was too small. The boots also tend to be a little stiff. This is good for rough terrain but not so comfortable after wearing for 10 hours.

Great light hiker with no breakin and instant comfort. The sole is a bit soft but i like it so i can feel the terrain under me because i walk at night. I walk with about 50lbs of weight and i weight 175. Im using these in the mountains of the Afghan and i love them. Not sure how great the water proofing works just yet but for mud, small puddles and wet grass they're fine. Run a half size small compared to most shoes, fit me fine though. I've had no grip issues, but the sole is wearing fast on tough terrain.

I've had these boots for just under a year and they have been over the Canadian Shield, through the black peet mud of North Carolina (I mean COVERED!) and now they'll be off to Central Asia. I wouldn't put another pair of boots on my feet (unless they where also KEEN).
Best boots on the market for light-pack day hiking.

These are great shoes (not boots) for light hiking and weekend trips, but unfortunately, really disappointed in the quality. This is my first pair of Keens (any style) and compared to some low rise Merrell's, they are not built to last.
I've had them for ~15 months, I'm not a heavy hiker, perhaps 3 times a month, 8-10 mile round trips. The stitching started unraveling on the base at ~10 months (stupid me didn't think to check how long the warranty was) and now, there is a total hole in one shoe and another is developing on the other shoe, both on seams.
Never had that happen with my Merrells, which, admittedly, are slightly less comfortable, but at 6 years and counting, still show no signs of breakdowns.
I'd like to give these 5 stars for comfort, but without even average durability, I don't think they're worth the money (or resources it takes to make them)....

True to size,comfortable with plenty of arch support. Waterproof & warm....the best I have tried.

My husband loves them!

Great value. I wear them to work daily. Very comfortable.