Very nice, but a little slick around rivers

By RockyMtnHigh Ranked #25 - Men's Technical Sandals August 22, 2010

I am a big fan of Keens, and these are very comfortable. The size 11 fits my 10.5/11, somewhat wide foot very comfortably, and I could easily wear them all day long. I have hiked in them with no problem, and also wear them for kicking around. They have a little more lateral stability than my Venice and Newport H2's. They dry very quickly.

However, I don't agree that they have "excellent traction on slick shoreline rocks." I spend a lot of time flyfishing mountain streams, and had high hopes that these would be good wading sandals. Obviously, most non-studded shoes don't do great on submerged, mossy rocks. However, I found that when these shoes are wet, they don't provide very good traction on dry, slick rocks (and this is usually where I come closer to breaking my neck :) When dry, the traction is decent, but when the shoes are wet, their traction on dry rocks seems decreased.

For hiking, occasional stream crossings or even on boats or the beach they work very well. But for going in and out of the water and scrambling on slick rocks, I'd recommend the Simms Pursuit sandals or Chaco Z2 pros. It's a real shame, because otherwise these sandals are great.

View Details: KEEN Escape H2 Sandal - Men's

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