KEEN Men's Targhee II Mid Height Waterproof Hiking Boot

Five stars so far..I bought a full size up from my normal size 6 (yes, I am a really small guy) because I wanted room for thick wool socks for a hiking trip. I would have bought a 6.5 size but not available so jumped to 7's.The most hiking I do these days is across the parking lot at work and up 3 flights of stairs to my desk so the padding is a must for my soft soles. I hate buying shoes because they never have my size. My feet are very wide and I have no arches which makes finding the right fit even harder.Usually it takes several painful days for me to break in shoes.These Keen Targhees are "amazing" and I am not exaggerating. They were comfortable from the moment I put them on. I had on thin socks so I cinched the laces, they snugged up nice and tight and fit great. I put on extra thick wool socks and loosened the laces and they still fit great.Today, I wore thick Merino wool socks out in 90 degree humid Missouri weather and my feet sweated less than wearing cotton dress socks and leather loafers in the office. I am not kidding.Another thing, Usually when you get a pair of shoes and try them on, even if they feel good at first, you'll usually find a "hotspot" that seems like something wasn't sewn right and will start to rub and you think, "Well, I'll just have to put up with it until my foot toughens up in that spot. There has been none of that with these shoes.So, I've worn these every day for a week or so and here's my take so far.- Mid-weight and comfortable out the box.-The lacing system allows for a wide variety of fits in a singe shoe and is very sturdy. It incorporates a strap that goes around your heel that allows you to tighten the heel fit so your shoe doesn't rub up and down on your heel when walking. Nice touch.-While water proof, these shoes are breathable and my feet have stayed nearly dry.-The inner-sole is removeable and washable and adds great padding.-The arch support is just right. Some shoes go way over the top with it which can actually put too much pressure on your arch and wind up hurting. These are a sensible mid-range that should work well with many foot arch types.-The fully covered rubber toe cap is legit. It is flexible but seems substantial enough to protect the front end from wear and tear and should extend the life of the shoe. It is NOT steel toe and you are not going to scale any vertical rock faces wearing these.-I don't care about brand names or if my gear matches and even less about fashion but have to say these have a bit of style to them. I've been wearing them with dress slack to work to break them in and have actually gotten a couple compliments.-The soles are flexible but don't seem so thin that you'll feel every little rock you step on.-The fabric loops for the laces are reflective so I would not recommend these for ninjas.Obiviously these are first impressions. I can't say these are the best shoes ever (yet) because I havent put them to the test. That's next week in Colorado if we can find a trail that hasn't gotten blown out by streams flooded by snow melt. But, so far, these shoes have proven to be quality and my admiration for comfortability and attention to design has grown immensely.Update 07/15/2015:The boots were great. They grip well on rocks and uneven terrain. My feet did not blister! :) I wore extra thick merino wool sock wich helped but I attribute it to design as well. My brother had a pair of Vasque boots which have a narrower toe configuration and his toes blistered fairly quick. I'm really happy with this purchase and highly recommend these boots.

I ordered size 13 based on the reviews that said they ran small. I wear a size 12 in regular shoes but have found that in boots I take a 13 in most cases. The 13 was almost to small. My toes could use another 1/4 inch to give some room but I'm OK with the 13. If I were going to wear think socks like winter socks I'd probably prefer a 13.5. I saw some reviews that said they weren't water proof so I took them out on a rainy day and walked into the water to check them out, no issues with water getting in. I even put my foot under a down spout to see how the tops would do and no water came in at all. I'd concur with the other reviews that said they are a bit hot but that's the trade off for have waterproof boots, I'm in Florida so it's hot here but I think they will be fine for wearing on limited basis while it's summer. I wouldn't want to wear these in Florida on a daily basis during the summer, I'm sure you could but that wouldn't be my preference.I haven't had them long enough to comment on the durability of them but I'm intending to use them on a Elk hunt this fall and want to make sure they are broken in before leaving. Looking the boots over they seem well constructed and I don't see any potential issues with the eyelets that some had mentioned. They are light weight and the seem to have good traction although I haven't had them long enough to really say for sure. The toe box has a good feel, plenty of room other than I'd like just a touch more length but I think it will be fine once I get some time in them.I have a pair of Merrell Vibram's that are 4 years old and are just about worn out but I really love them and have been the best pair or all terrain shoes I've had. I initially was just going to order a mid boot by Merrell but after reading the reviews on them decided to keep looking. End the end I'd say that boot the Merrell's and the Keen seem to suffer from at least some quality control issues. I didn't find any manufacturer who didn't have issues btw. So I decided to try the Keen's this time hoping to find a second manufacturer with good quality shoes, I'll be more than happy to go back to Merrell's at anytime.

As a primarily Merrell boots/shoes customer I compared it with an equivalent Keen hiking boot. While the Merrell was a little lighter weight, Keen had better traction with deeper grooves and slightly wider span in the outsoles. Keen also fit my hard to fit feet and was more supportive. The padding is great. While I don’t necessarily like the big bumper toe look, it proved to be very effective and protective while hiking on various terrains and trails. Overall it was the perfect support, fit and traction at a great value for different altitudes and conditions. Felt very dry and durable and easy to break in too.