HikeArizona.COM

What do you know about this brand? Trusted? Good, bad, indifferent...what are your thoughts? I tend to always lean towards Merrell's, but maybe I'm missing something.

Keen is my favorite. Very comfortable, and the tread grips well and is highly durable. I never pay full price but buy them on clearance or bid for them on ebay.

Everybody that I've hiked with has had nothing but good things to say about them, but that's usually right after they've gotten them, don't know about how they hold up.

I've heard good things about Salomons too...

Budget didn't allow me to go with my trusted Merrells this last time, so I went with a fairly inexpensive (on sale) pair of Hi-Tecs from Big 5. They were comfortable right out of the box and I wore them, untested, right out of the box, on a 20 miler with minimal problems. They have turned out to be very comfortable and pretty durable. The only thing I miss is the Vibram sole as I thinks it helps with the "shock factor" on my joints....

Personally, both pairs of Merrells that I have had seemed to break down faster than I would expect from a $100-120 pair of shoes. I have had two pairs of Ahnu low tops that I absolutely swear by, and have a pair of Vasque high tops that have been very durable, except for when I melted the soles trying to dry them out by the fire the other day. I have a pair of Keen water sandals (not sure if that's the right term, they have a hiker type sole but open ventilation up top) that have been okay, but perhaps not as durable as I would like. Maybe their regular boots are better. Anyway, personally I think Merrell overprices their stuff, but Keen isn't the only other option. Seriously, my Ahnus rock!

I ended up with a $100 gift card to the over=priced Dick's Sporting Goods. Figured its an opportunity to bag an expensive pair of shoes with little out-of-pocket. Personally, I like the hike/trail shoe selection I've seen in shops around Flagstaff better than big Dick's. For now, I will have to make my selection from Dick's display of Merrell, Keen, Salomon, Columbia and a couple others.

The only hiking boot I ever bought were Merrell Moab Ventalators(sp) still have them never wear em anymore but loved the fit. Only Keen I've had are the sandals...love them...Salomon are the bomb for trailrunners but can't find them cheap anymore...La Sportiva trail runners same thing...I normally buy thru the internet and if I like something I'll buy a few of them.

Keen's are really comfortable but the tread doesn't hold up in the desert. I bought that brand once and never will again. The tread is made of a couple layers so once you wear the top layer a little thin, it starts peeling. They are crap. I would go for Merrell or Vasque.

Tough_Boots wrote:Keen's are really comfortable but the tread doesn't hold up in the desert

Interesting. I've been very happy with Keen. The peeling has been minimal for me, and even after that there's another layer that grips and holds up well. I bought a pair of Merrell on clearance a while back and tore through the tread in only about 3 hikes, but I'm now trying another pair that seems to be of much better quality. I haven't tried any other top brands.

Might have guessed I was just asking for more confusion. Haha. I guess every shoe will have its fans and detractors. Seems to be the case with so many products and services. Hard to find one brand that all people can agree on as being superior to the others except for maybe Girl Scout Cookies; to which I pronounce, Samoas are unarguably the most delicious GS cookie of them all.

@Rick Vincent
Samoas are very good, but Thin Mints ROCK!!!

Rick Vincent wrote:Might have guessed I was just asking for more confusion

Glad to be of help

Keens and Merrells both comfortable, like wide toe box keen has. Both seem to wear out or break down fairly fast esp for price. I like my old Keen Growlers which are on their last glue job--they are my winter go to shoes as are insulated. If it's a hiking boot hi or lo it's been Scarpa for me.

I was so close to buying a pair of Scarpa's on my last trip to Flag. Fit great, but I balked at the price. Now, I wish I would have tried them out. Any local stores who stock this brand?

How comfortable are my Keens? They feel like slippers. I have two pair. One for fall/winter (little to no vents) and another pair for spring/summer with vents.

I love both Merrells and Keens. They are perfect for wider feet. I always wore Merrells until 2010 when I split my boots falling in the Escalante River and had no spare pair of boots with me so I stopped at Ruby's in Bryce Canyon and picked up a pair of Keens. They were comfy right out of the box and I hiked 10 miles in them the next day. Keens have a nice wide toe box as do Merrells and I haven't had a problem with the tread or shoe breaking down. I've tried Montrails, Vasque and Salomon and they are just too narrow and pinching. I STILL have my $19.99 Hi-tecs and they are still comfortable although the tread is running thin

Devils Mountain wrote: I bought a pair of Merrell on clearance a while back and tore through the tread in only about 3 hikes, but I'm now trying another pair that seems to be of much better quality.

Were they Vibram bottoms? I got a pair of merrels last year with vibrams and they didnt last the summer. The rubber chunked and split then the sole finally came through. I sent them in like a month ago cause I wasnt happy with the limited use I got out of them. They sent me another pair of non vibrams and so far im happier with them. They do make a really comfortably product, still trying to figure out durability.

ASUAviator wrote:Were they Vibram bottoms? I got a pair of merrels last year with vibrams and they didnt last the summer. The rubber chunked and split then the sole finally came through.

They just don't make s*** like they used to and charge you twice as much.... ;)

Outdoor Lover wrote: They just don't make s*** like they used to and charge you twice as much.... ;)

Touche

@ASUAviator
No idea. I will say that the 1st Merrell's I bought on clearance were crap. The seams wore quickly as well as the tread. However, I recently magically picked up a pair of Merrell's at Goodwill for $5 that fit perfectly, are very comfy, and seem to have amazing tread that might prove to be a solid contender to my Keen's. Time will tell, but so far after a few hikes they're holding up and I'm loving them.

I bought my first pair of Keens a few months ago. They were super comfy right out of the box, but the tread seems to be wearing rather quickly. They are good boots in my opinion, but not worth what REI charges for them.