KEEN

Durand Mid Waterproof Hiking Boot - Men's

Fit like Keens

I purchased these Durand Mids to replace an older pair of Keens. Keens seem to fit my foot well with the wide toe box and these do as well. I was a bit disappointed that the mid price point Targhees seemed much cheaper built than Keens I have owned before, so I stepped up in price to the Durand. Though of reasonable quality, they still don't seem as good as Keens I have worn for the last fifteen years or so. However, they still fit my feet better than others with adequate ankle support and decent lugs on the soles. Another point in their favor is the three point lace hooks that provide good adjust-ability.

Durand is GRAND!!!

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

These boots run TRUE to size! These boots are the MOST comfortable boots I have ever worn, owned, & used! I have spent 8 yrs. serving HONORABLY in The U.S. Army, I am a Union Electrician with The I.B.E.W. and have been in the trade for 36 yrs. Suffice to say - I WEAR BOOTS for a living! I've worn Bellvilles, Corcorans, Wellco's, etc. I've worn Sear's (yikes!), Lowas, Redwings, Timberlands and I'm here to say - WITHOUT ANY compensation $ from Keen, that these are the BEST, MOST COMFORTABLE boots I have ever worn and they're built by fellow AMERICANS - Oooorah!!! DON'T listen to these bleeding hearts complaining and knocking these boots because THEY ordered the WRONG size boot! Blisters are created because of rubbing due to too small a size of boot ordered for your ENORMOUS joker feet - PERIOD! Do yourself, - do your feet a HUGE favor and treat them to a pair of these Keen Durands from BackCountry - They ROCK too! These last as well - I have 3 pairs of Keen's : 2 Durand's, & 1 carbon fiber toed Electrical hazard rated woork boot - I forget the name and they're all sold out..) with 1 Durand pair going on 5 yrs and those are still good for beating around mnt. biking, frisbee golfing! Buy yourself a pair of Ener-Gel (Made In U.S.A.) insoles to use with these and dont look back:)+

Buyer beware....

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

I recently thru hiked the Appalachian Trail and for about 1800 miles of the trail I hiked in Keen Durand's. I need ankle support so I hiked in mids and started the trail in Solomon’s. After about 400 miles on the trail my feet became wider and I purchased Keen Durand’s which fit my now wider feet great. Too bad because the Solomon boots were excellent just no longer fit. Because the east coast is so rainy I wanted boots that were waterproof to allow me to walk through puddles without getting my feet wet. The Durand’s seem to run small so I also purchased a full size larger. As compared to other hiking boots these are expensive but made in the US and what I believed to be a quality company so this helped justify me purchasing such an expensive boot. First the good: • Fit was excellent for wider feet. The large toe box was perfect for me. • Durability was good. 2 pair lasted me 1800 miles. Many other hiker’s boots and shoes fell apart around 500 miles. Some even less. I did get the exact issue as other reviewers with the tearing of the seams around the toes on my 1st pair but only after about 700 miles. • Ankle support was good. Because of past injuries my ankles roll easily and this would have put me off trail. While my ankles did roll the extra support of the boot stopped it from twisting far enough to become a sprain. • Soles were durable and were average in traction. Seemed good on the uphill and marginal on the down but good enough for me to hike confidently. • Weight of boot didn’t seem bad to me. They were slightly lighter than the Solomon boots that I had prior. • Foot bed – I used the stock foot bed on my 1st pair. They were comfortable. I thought I could improve it by replacing the foot bed. I did and $50 later little improvement. So for me the stock foot bed was fine. The bad: • These are advertised as waterproof but they are not. On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being flip-flops and 10 being rubber boots, the Durand’s are a 3. Horrible. Keen stamps “KeenDry” all over the liner and there is a tag indicating waterproof sewed on the outside, don’t be fooled. Waterproof was important to me because the trail is so wet. Puddles are everywhere even on sunny days and constantly hiking miles with soaked feet causes foot issues. I didn’t want to be dancing around puddles. Some might argue that the water was going down the top of the boot – it was not. I hiked with gaiters and long pants including rain pants and still wet feet. This happened in both pair. In addition, for winter hikers this is a bigger problem. With 30’s during the day and wet snow on the ground and then single digit temps at night my feet would get wet. Then my socks and boots would freeze solid during the night. At camp with wet feet and getting cold I’d immediately have to change my socks to keep from freezing and my camp shoes were crocks so… The boots are leather and took days to dry. I had 3 pairs of socks so this meant a maximum of 3 days of wet winter hiking without going into town to dry my socks. Dangerous and a logistical problem for a thru hiker. Even during the summer the trail gets little sun so drying the boots takes days of hiking but only during dry weather and dry trail. For drier cooler climates they might be fine. • They are hot and don’t breath well. This is the penalty with waterproof fabric, it adds weight and reduces the breathability. • Keen’s warranty department and process was difficult. Lots of pictures and back and forth e-mails. Most equipment companies make the replacement process simple and easy for thru hikers – not Keen. Also, only one replacement for defective products. In conclusion – If you have wide feet and are hiking in cool dry climates the Durand might be for you. For most hikers fit is by far the most important and the Keen’s fit me nearly perfectly. For me, in the future maybe a cheaper, not waterproof Keen boot or another brand with a wide toe box.