Looking at a lighter, and little less expensive pair of boots for day hunting. Any experience with keen and how waterproof they actually are?
Keen Targhee II. Excellent lightweight boot. Wear them in the North Cascades crossing rivulets of 2-3 inches water depth. Great on "well-watered" and mucky trails, too. The exterior looks wet, dries very fast and interior boot has not gotten wet...yet.
Decent grip and traction in alpine snow as well.
BTW, the boots are very cool and comfortable in desert environments as well.
They might not fit everyone but they fit me perfectly. I have a wide ball on my feet and narrow heels.
I've had them wet many times without any leakage but I haven't worn them in day long slush or muck. It's mostly creek crossings and wet grass.
Thanks. Been searching and reviews seemed mixed. I am not sure i'm brave enough for a big hunt but for the typical 2-6 mile rut hunt days they might be a welcome break from the leather boots I am used to wearing. How do they feel with 60-80lb load?
I've been wearing Keen Pyrenees for about 6 months now as my every day boot. My feet feel like they're surrounded by soft newborn puppies. Haven't hunted them yet. Taking them to Wyoming next week on a prairie goat hunt. I've walked through a lot of wet morning grass and they've stayed bone dry. Have not submerged them in puddles running water though. I wear size 13, bought 14's for thicker socks, and they fit quite well with thin wool or heavier wool socks.
I've had several pairs of Keens over the years.
Both hiking and work boots. Very comfortable at first, but mine seem to wear out quicker than any of shoes I've ever had.
I'm not talking material breaking down, but it's like the soles get weak and they start hurting my feet. May just be me though, a lot of guys I've worked with have raved about them.
Can't comment on the waterproofing part. When I wear short boots/shoes in the field my socks always get wet above them and soak down. Meant to order a short pair of gaiters before bow season but forgot. I'm going back to wearing running/hiking shoes for hunting when it's not too steep, rocky or cold.
I picked up a pair of Targhees in 15 and wore them out on the trail a fair bit. Didn’t have a lot of chance to test their waterproofness.
They blew out on the AT summer-before-last and I sent them the picture. They sent me a coupon for replacement Targhee IIs and I’ve been really happy with them. Yesterday morning I wore them shooting and there was heavy dew and one leaked a fair bit.
Mind you these are 2 years old so they’ve got a fair number of miles on them. They’re extremely comfortable on the trail tho I don’t carry near the weights you’re talking about. They’re a great mid-point between full leather hikers and trail runners IMHO.
I’ll get another pair when these go but that won’t likely be for quite a while. These’ll be going to South Dakota’s Black Hills with me in November where I may get close to your load qualification when I have a buck in my pack 🙏🏼!
Enjoy your hunting!
I think Salomon makes a better product at a comparable price. No knocks on Keen or MErrils, but I feel Salomon are built better and more comfortable.
I won't be buying any more Keen products. I bought a pair of light hikers and set them back for a year. When I went to use them, one sole came loose from heel to toe almost immediately--as if it had never been glued. I contacted their customer service and was told that since I did not have the purchase receipt proving that I had bought them from an an authorized dealer within the past year, there was nothing they would do, other than recommend a glue they thought I might try. I glued up the shoe, and 120 miles into a 226 mile float trip down the Grand Canyon, it gave out again. Electrical tape allowed me to limp them out of there.
Seems like Keen would rather hide behind a policy than stand behind their product. I am sure there are people who have gotten lots of good service from their boots, but defects happen in any manufacturing process. The test of a company is how they respond to those clinkers.
I found a newish pair of Solomon gtx 4d hikers for $75 on Facebook.
Did a 4 mile hunt today in them. Good ankle support. Very lightweight compared to the leather boots. Felt good. No water issues and it was pouring out.
Coming down steep and nasty, be careful. Way different than the leathers. Hard to dig heals in on the slick mud. Had some impressive wipe outs
Will report back after 10 hunts.
I love their Jesus sandles....
I had a pair of Keen Aphlex mids- they fit wonderfully and were very comfortable, BUT they just weren't robust enough for hunting elk in steep country, they also didn't handle heavier loads very well
nice boot, but not the right boot for me elk hunting