Keen Boots

[FLATHEAD]

Put mine on today, been a while.
Forgot about all the Aoudad blood on em!!
They are so comfortable.

 

[GotDraw?]

Excellent high-top tennis shoe stylized as a boot.
Nothing more than that. They're mall crawlers.

All good until you're sidehilling in sod with a heavy pack and need to kick in steps.

All hat, no ranch.

JL

 

[GotDraw?]

I have been called opinionated and blunt more times than I can recall...

I would not recommend Keen Targhee II boots if I thought anyone might need to rely on them. Maybe the Targhee 3's are better, but the 2's I wore one year sucked.

Targhee II's?? Great and Rugged looking when strolling down the streets of Manhattan or walking on a path.

Almost useless in the steep backcountry.

Targhees II's are no more than fancy tennis shoes with a big rubber toe and stylized like boots. I read a lot of "reviews" and was convinced they would be a great boot the first year I went to CO for elk. I did not realize those reviews were written by people who hike and mostly stay on trails, not backcountry hikers/hunters who are off-trail 99 percent of the time, with heavy backpacks in steep terrain where the demands are different and can be extreme.

So, I tried Targhees the first year I went out in CO backcountry and I will never, ever use that "boot" again for any sort of a serious back country hunt or hike. Period. Almost worthless, in-fact, they are dangerous in really steep terrain. That boot put me real trouble at almost 12k ft in CO, while trying to crest a steep ridge. I learned a valuable lesson on that hunt RE what backcountry hunters' boots need to deliver to be safe and give hunters the confidence and the ability to navigate difficult terrain (further below).

Targhee's have zero ability to toe kick a toe hold into a steep hill to give you a foot hold when you desperately need it in really steep terrain.

Targhee's sole has no more torsional stability than a cheap tennis shoe when you are edged-in and side hilling. They have zero ability to side kick a step in a steep when side-hilling in thick mountain sod or heavy soil. The sole edges too round and unsupported.

Targhee's heel design is rounded in the back and has no differential step/transition where it merges with the boot sole. That heel design is almost worthless when descending, you cannot expect to use it to cut in, nor to brake when descending.

That oh-so-rugged looking rounded toe is a horrible design. The toe and side tread are so far set back from the rounded bumper toe and the boot's tread edges on the front and sides are so rounded that you simply cannot cut a foothold to get safe purchase to climb anything steeper than an escalator at a big box store. Combine that with the torsional stability of a pair of 20 year old Chuck Taylor's and you'll be fine until you get off trail and start cutting your own path in steep terrain.

Targhees 2's have ZERO structural integrity/rigidity. You can grab a Targhee boot toe in one hand and the heel in another and twist the sole like a pretzel. Any boot sole that weak will NOT provide reliable support when the chips are down in steep terrain, especially with heavy pack.

I strongly encourage you to get real boots. There are many good boots out there, here's what you need:

Sole- Torsional stability. You'd better not be able to twist it much, if at all in your bare hands. Toe and boot edges should be square edged and rigid so you can kick in a step or toe hold into tough, hard soil. The sole and upper and lacing system should combine to allow you to stand with your full weight on small perimeter edge of the boot without having the boot twist and collapse around your foot.

Heel- The heel should have a clear, sharp edge at all sides, especially the front leading edge where it joins the forefoot. You need clean, sharp/square edges in order to descend safely or side-hill. If the heel has a sharp step/edge where it merges with the sole, that will help you with your braking when descending so your boot will be less apt to slide/slip forward.

Tread- aggressive, square edged pattern is what I personally like.

Insoles- Strongly encourage you to toss the stock insoles and get aftermarket insoles. Aftermarket insoles will better "lock" your arch in place in the boot, this will keep your foot from sliding forward in the boot when descending steep terrain with a backpack. IF your foot is not locked in the boot and it slides forward when descending, you will eventually toe-jam your toenails and risk ending your hunt. Good insoles also will allow you to back off the tension of your boot laces just a bit. There are lots of good insoles out there- I use SOLE brand, Dean Karnazes model, heat moldable insoles. Best thing I ever did. Never a blister, never any toe jam. I cannot endorse them enough. I usually have to heat and mold them 2x before they are rightous. I have heard that they changed their formulation and that this may have effected their durability so I encourage you to read up on that.

Boot choice is very personal, as pointed out by prior posters.

My brother uses Cripis and so do I. I have also had good success with Asolo Fugitive Goretex , Lowa Camino GTXs and Lowa Tibet GTXs. I like the Asolo boots best in archery season, they are pretty light so I can climb with less effort, yet rigid enough to sidehill or toe kick when needed. Not too expensive either. In the steepest terrain, I like the Caminos. If colder, the Tibets (but they are heavy). I like the Crispis in steep terrain- they are my new favorite (Crispi Colorado model).

Again, there are a lot of other fantastic (real) boots out there.

Remember this- if you do buy real backcountry boots, they will need to be broken in and this may take many miles before you hunt. Tibets and stiff boots like them take miles. My Tibets took 30+ miles, plus a good soaking of the exterior leather while hiking helped a lot. My Crispi, Camino and Asolo boots broke in in a weekend.

PM me with specific questions.

Best,

JL

 

[BRTreedogs]

Targee 2s about 5 training hikes and 10 days of elk hunting my big toe was hanging out.
Had to hike high enough to get service and over night a pair of crispi.

 

[GotDraw?]

They are tennis shoes
Not boots

 

[AroaniaPass]

In my experience Keens are for people who act like they hike and just walk around town or on flat maintained gravel/paved trails. Every pair has fallen apart within a few weeks of wearing. Other experiences may vary

Good boots are a must and risking it on inferior boots could break a good hunt.

I am on my second year of a pair of Targhees. While I wouldn't say they are for any extreme (think sheep/goat) terrain, I have had great results with them. They are holding up well and are very comfortable. They have big toe boxes if you have wideish feet. As a bonus I bought them through LL Bean so I have the "forever" guarantee as well. I have nothing against Kennetreks or Lowas or any of the like but I would also say there is a right tool for each task. Just something to think about.

 

[Deadfall]

Not a mountaineering boot. Mine served me well for alot of years running around the bob, Colorado, wyoming, Idaho. Get a year or 2 out of them. Good thing about keen....you can wear them all year in alot of different environments. Doing alot of different things.

Definitely not a mountaineering boot though.

 

[Cliffy65]

Each to their own. I don’t like stiff boots, probably because I spent the best part of the last 25 years pitching roofs. Try pitching even 28 degree rafters in a stiff boot!
I’ve packed out dozens and dozens of animals including Elk in my Keens and will continue to do so. I’ve packed out Tahr in them, no trails there.

 

[Coldtrail]

Big factor in footwear....how old are the feet you plan to stick in them? I found at about age 45 my footwear became a much more critical part of the operation. When I was 18 I worked in the Pryor Mountains wearing $20 Texas Steers from walmart with no complaints.

 

[Robster]

Had a pair years back. Super comfortable out of the box. Wore like iron. My everyday work boots working on a golf course. Morning dew, fertilizers, pesticides, then home to clean barn, horse manure, urine......

Fast forward, bought a pair last year. Super comfortable out of the box. Fell apart within two months. Something changed in the quality of their boot. Just not made as well IMHO. That was the last pair for me.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I had a pair of Targhee ll mid hikers. They were the worst shoe I’ve ever owned. I’ve never had a shoe be so slick when the surface got wet. The tread started to come apart after about a year, as well.

I wouldn’t have another pair of those if they were given to me.

 

[BigDog00]

Seem like a lot of mixed reviews and some who try to make them do more than what they are designed for. I'm looking for a whitetail boot that will get me into a blind/stand. I may try the Targhee or the Revel. I want something comfortable and will give some moisture protection. I'm generally only walking about 1/4 mile so my Lowas are a bit overkill.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Seem like a lot of mixed reviews and some who try to make them do more than what they are designed for. I'm looking for a whitetail boot that will get me into a blind/stand. I may try the Targhee or the Revel. I want something comfortable and will give some moisture protection. I'm generally only walking about 1/4 mile so my Lowas are a bit overkill.

The Targhee 3's would be perfect IMO. Mine have been all over. MT(bear)., NM(Javelina), TX.(Aoudad),
Whitetails, Hogs, here on the Gulf, and wade fishing streams up in the hills. They're still going strong.

 

[Cliffy65]

They’re the most comfortable boots for me and I do have a wide foot. I get blisters in Nike etc after walking 2 miles on flat ground. I broke in a new pair of Targhee’s in New Zealand in June by covering 46 miles in the mountains in 5 days with bow in hand. No blisters. Crossed a creek and had saturated boots for 24 hours.
Durand are the best model in my opinion, with the targhee a close second. You need to try each model on though as they fit differently, some are too narrow for me and I have size 9 & 9.5 in keen.

I’ve been meaning to update this for over 18 months.

Only the Durand are durable. Probably because they were made in USA and all the other models were overseas. I should’ve bought another pair of them, but I assumed that they would all be made to the same standards. I was wrong. The Targhee fell apart within about 6 months, less than 10% of the Durand use (and they’re still going). Worse than that, at least 5 buddies bought the Targhee based on what they saw my Durand go through and they have all had failures.

 

[Mully]

USA Keen's are all I wear at work. Not sure how many models they make in the US, probably not many.