Review of Keen Men’s H2 Newport Water Sandal

This hiking sandal for men has been voted best for 3 consecutive updates now. And believe me, this is a big deal, no other water sandal for men has done it since we launched the guide for best men’s sandals and started updating it every two months.

Started in 2003 by two regular guys, Keen has established it’s well deserved place in the arena of men hiking footwear, especially sandals. Many of our testers and fellow hikers swear by it and would never go near anything else.

This particular review is set on explaining why these hiking sandals are trusted by the customers, and why are they selling the way they do.

We will go through all the usual steps along the way. We’ll start by introducing the product the way the manufacturer intended for it to be introduced. We’ll follow that up by some good and bad customer experiences, and we’ll wrap things up with my own two cents on the matter.

product specS

Here is what the company had to share with us in terms of basic product information:

• Synthetic and textile
• Synthetic sole
• Platform approximately measures 1.5
• Neoprene upper and polyester webbing
• Lining treated with AEGIS-microbe shield
• Bungee quick-draw lacing system
• Toe guard is patented
• Reflective 3M pull loops

Let’s us move on and put this sandal under real scrutiny of those wearing it today, users and our featured testers.

The chosen PROs – what users liked and shared in their reviews…

• I like how versatile they are, they can go from water-wading mode to rocks-scrambling mode in no time, and the best thing is, the dry very quickly and do not cause any blisters while wet
• These soles are amazing! My hikes tend to all be during some very intense heats outside, and my all-time favorite shoe problem was when my soles start coming apart. Not with these, no sir! I’ve done several hikes wearing them already, and the sole is good as new. Perfection!
• They have a wonderful toe guard. It’s not what I came to expect when buying a pair of sandals, but they really paid attention to toe protection, and I for one am very grateful. There’s also enough space within the guard, so my toes don’t get all crammed up or stuffed in the front when I’m doing a downhill descent
• I can’t believe it, but there’s no smell whatsoever, even after some pretty long hikes! Best men hiking sandals ever!
• I’m not known as a gentle person when it comes to my hiking footwear. I’ve put these through hell and back, and they withstood my abuse like champs. So, as far as durability and resistance to abuse goes, these are top notch!
• They are so comfortable, and the hard toe guard really makes me feel safer as if I were wearing a full fletched pair of hiking shoes
• They fit perfectly! They’re true to size, but I have to admit I had my reservations about the webbing. I’ve had similar sandals before, and the webbing always seemed to stretch out pretty fast, leaving me with a very floppy “fit”. I was so happy to realize that will not be the case here! The webbing is great quality, and the overall sandal is beautifully put together
• The straps and the foot-bed work together to provide you with solid support and footing. I was amazed at how grippy the soles were, and how much traction they provide me with. The foot support is also great, which is a big selling point for me
• They are extremely field repairable! At one occasion, I’ve pulled out some stitches (which was entirely my fault), and I’ve managed to repair the damage completely by simply using some dental floss and a needle. Excellent sandals! I’m definitely thinking about getting another pair, in different color
• Oh, the breathability! I don’t know why I didn’t get these sooner, but now that I did, the least I can do is give them a 5-star grade. I completely forgot how it feels to have your feet boiling slowly while you’re trying to focus on a treacherous rocky terrain up ahead. No feet sweating, no blisters, no funny odors, it’s a miracle!
• I like how little time it takes to get them on/off
• The overall build is very rugged, and they’re perfectly comfortable for everyday use
• The toe bed is pretty wide, which is a welcome sight, and they look great with pretty much anything I put on. They also give me a certain sense of safety and comfort with that rugged toe protector

CONs – what users didn’t like and shared in their reviews

• As any other pair of sandals in the world, they will occasionally catch some pebbles or sand, and there’s not really that much you can do about that..
• I had to experiment a little with the tightness of the shock cord, in order to give myself the best possible fit. It took me some time, getting them adjusted to my feet, but it was a smooth ride from there
• It’s a pretty self-evident thing, these are SANDALS, which means they’re open on the sides, which means things might fall in, depending on your particular trail. I was smart enough to hike over some pretty deep and hot sand when it started falling inside my sandals and burning my feet. So, there are some limitations to them, but as far as sandals go, these are the best so far

conclusions & final ratings of Keen Newport

We rate hiking footwear in 10 categories based on the reviews of the users, our own testing and that of our featured testers.

This ensures total objectivity.

We update the ratings every two months. This ensures that the data in front of you is up to date. With that out of the way, these are the final ratings for this KEEN, a brand that’s absolutely crushing it in the category of top rated models of men hiking sandals.