KEEN Footwear

I am know onto my 3rd pair of Keen mens targhee iii waterproof low hiking shoes since January 2020. Have only perservered with them as they are comfortable (to start with) & fit my wide foot. Unfortunately thats where anything good ends. I am not an avid bush walker or hiker & only used the shoes in day to day walking. In this time the soles have… Read more

perished & begun to disconnect from the shoe, the internal area around the heel has disconnected from the shoe I have been glueing the bits & pieces of the shoe togther as they fall off. In short, the build quality anf durability is appalling. Will certainly be searching for a better product in the future. Have proof of purchase for sets of shoes

I've been wearing Keen Newport sandals since they first came out, and have absolutely loved them. But for the last few years, they've been wearing out much faster. The strap in front of my ankle perishes and breaks away, much too short to be repaired. This has happened to my last 3 pairs. Everything else looks like it will last for several more years.

I bought a pair a Keen Pyrenees leather boots 10 years ago. I don't use them often since moving from NZ to Aus. Purchased them because they were more comfortable than my 20year old pair of Mountain Designs boots, which are still immaculate and solid. A short walk this weekend revealed that the sole was completely disintegrating. Basically whatever Keen calls rubber is just turning to powder.

Less than 3 months usage. First 2 months leather break in. Poor quality material. The material is all cracked up on both shoes and on both sides.

April 2024 I purchased a pair of Keen walking boots for the 3 Capes Track in Tasmania. I normally walk with high ankle leather boots, but thought I would try something different. They are light and comfortable, but started falling apart about 4 months ago, just out of warranty. I wrote to Keen Australia but did not get a reply. At around… Read more

$300 I expect better from a pair of bushwalking shoes, and I expected a response from Keen. My only big walk with the shoes was the 3 Capes and the odd day walks. I would not recommend Keen and will not be buying them again.

Excellent customer service with a warranty claim! – Update: Keens have actually "come to the party" in a big way! After I discovered that the boots were purchased under my wife's name, and proof of purchase through paypal was provided (I wish they has suggested I look at my paypal payments), they have offered not only a free replacement but also an upgrade! This is a great outcome and I now feel… Read more

very well looked after! Keens have definitely won back my loyalty!

Here is my original review;

I purchased these boots new, direct from Keens online while they were on special. The stitching has failed around the top lacing lug within four days of wearing them. After informing Keens, (and that I had purchased the boots online) they have asked me to return them to the store that I purchased them from! (Lol. Maybe reading the original email properly would have helped.) I have since used the boots without further drama but am concerned that they may completely fail in the future, and besides, it is a manufacturing fault that should be addressed by keens (repairing or replacing). I have purchased many pairs of keens shoes and boots over the years (Almost exclusively) but in view of their "wiping their hands" because they can't find my purchase in their records, I may have to look elsewhere for an alternative. Does loyalty count for nothing?

Love 'em – Go into Kathmandu to buy a pair of hiking boots I'd researched on line. Try on - not bad but they're a little tight on my wide hobbit feet. The sales person goes out the back and returns with a pair of Keen Gypsum II mid mens waterproof hiking boots. Pull on. Lace up. They feel comfortable walking around the store - "Thats got to be a good sign… Read more

right??" Buy a pair. Break them in by walking the suburban streets and parks around home and hiking in The Lakes National Park. All good. No blisters. No rubbing. Good ankle support. Padding underneath is supportive and toes aren't squished. Put them to the test two weeks later on the Milford Trek in New Zealand. We get that much rain that we have to wade through 8 sections of flooded track. Scrabble over rocky mountains that require you to choose which rock to stand on as you ascend and descend. Traverse flat paths and swing bridges. A great five days. Six months later I'm still, to use a New Zealand saying, tramping around streets and parks and The Lakes National Park. Every time I put these boots on I lthink, "These boots are awesome.

Sewing around toe area came apart after 3 months. Last pair of Keens for me! Show details

Were the top shoe brand….now the worst – Keen used to be my favourite brand until recently. The quality seems to have reduced markedly. Previously a new pair of good keen hiking runners would last years and only die from wear and tear. The last 3 years (I didn’t give up easily as they are still the best when they do work), the sole has come off at the tip and underneath, the leather… Read more

splits where your foot bends.

I also bought quite expensive leather hiking boots which were useless after a couple of week long hikes. The leather was untreated so softened and came away at the stitching and absorbed water. The sole is still attached to the toe but pieces of the sole came off (ie flares and moulded shapes).

So I no longer support keen. But am very sad to say it and have no known brands they last more when they are well made.

It’s the qantas story but footwear!!

Unhappy Camper – I have been wearing Keen boots for nearly 30 years and I'm a reluctant fan. Love the wide toe fit of their classic designs. Sadly their Quality Control has gone down and down year after year. I so want to love these boots but I am constantly disappointed in the poor quality. Soles wearing down quickly, or delaminating/falling apart after only… Read more

light use, stitching fraying within a few days etc. Have recently contacted customer service after my latest pair started delaminating due to the poorly glued multi layer soles. This appears to be an issue that they are well aware of. After 2 weeks waiting I'm still yet to hear from their customer "support". Service is matching the product, not fit for purpose. Not a happy camper!

Very comfortable shoe with poor choice of materials used in the toebox area of the shoe – Purchased a pair of Keen Targhee hiking boots abot 3 years ago and noticed that about a year ago how the toebox sides had started to delaminate from the sbstrate material. A very comfortable shoe fit for purpose however, let down by substandard materials used in construction. Show details

Keen Targhee III Mid Womens – I bought a pair of Keens boots in 2023 -Keen Targhee III Mid Womens. It’s now 11 months later and I have just had to replaced them. The seams on the sides of the boots have come undone and now are just seeping in water, causing my feet to become wet. The whole time I have had them I have found them to be really slippery on wet rocks and wet dirt… Read more

and have fallen over a few times. I have since found out this is a common trend with this brand. I have found the boots take ages to dry when they become wet. The quality to the value of the shoe has not lived up to my expectations. I am very not satisfied with these boots. I won’t be buying Keen ever again.

NOT durable – Bought the Keen Targhee ii from The Athlete’s Foot and wore them intermittently for less than a year. Within a few months, I realised that they were not waterproof, feet damp after a number of walks through wet grass. They began to crack around the 6 month mark and just before the 1 year “warranty” expired, I contacted Keen to see if they had any… Read more

advice about repairing or replacing them. They suggested I find a repairer myself and when I asked whether any of their other models were more durable, they referred me to a product with identical materials. The Athlete’s Foot were the same - find a different shoe!!! If you look past all the 5 star reviews (select one star reviews instead), you’ll see that many people are experiencing the same issues. The leather cracks when damp, even when people are using leather care products. These shoes are a 5 star when it comes to comfort, but you will need to replace them every 8 - 12 months.

Use it or loose it – Maybe I’m being unreasonable but I expect a pair of hiking boots to last until the tread wears somewhat. I purchased a pair of Keen hiking boots prior to a trip to Scandinavia and Iceland in late 2016. These boots were exceptionally comfortable and performed well for the whole trip. Then in 2018 the same boots spent 14days in Borneo. Again,no… Read more

issues. Now in July 2023, my first overseas trip since Covid, I am in South Africa with the same boots which have virtually disintegrated on the first game drive in a remote game reserve too far from a store to buy replacement boots.

Dangerously slippery soles – Bought Keen Ridge Flex Waterproof Mid Boots and founds the soles dangerously slippery in the presence of even tiny bits of moisture. I did 2 hikes and fell over on wet rocks several times. I have had Keen hiking boots before and liked the fit, though soles needed re gluing. They fit my wide feet, but the soles were more slippery than a pair of… Read more

cheap sneakers. I rung Keen and they told me there was nothing wrong, with the soles, but admitted that they had received complaints about slippery soles. I bought them through Mountain Design, who eventually gave me my money back. I will never risk buying Keen boots again, as the return was very difficult, and there is no way of knowing if the soles are slippery before you hike in wet conditions. By now the manufacturer must have received so many complaints about slippery soles that they should fix the problem.