Made with the everyday adventurer in mind, the Keen Waypoint was designed ready for action on and off the trail, while also being ready for your every day life.
Style wise these are a great pick for an everyday hiker. After a few miles of running and hiking, my feet felt great and were surprisingly cool. The design of these shoes is great, and I only had a few issues while on the trail.
Double stitching on almost every part of the shoe, along with a full leather upper made of only two pieces, means this is a shoe you’ll have in your closet for a long time. In fact the only thing that’s going to shorten these shoes life with you will be the tread. It’s just not quite deep enough, from just above the heal to the toe, the Waypoint has a rather shallow center tread that digs in very well out of the box, but is going to wear down over time.
On thing that is great about this tread pattern is the cut, as you can see in the photo of the sole of the shoe, the pattern is cut in such a way that as you run or hike, the tread digs into ground with the twist of your foot. Deep grooves cut from side to side in the heal provide a fast grip as your foot hits and rolls forward. While these are not a trail runner, they certainly provide great grip for fast movement, and are also good for those muddy spring trails.
Bad: No gussets along the tongue of the shoe means that even when these shoes are water proofed, water can and does get in around the tongue. So no heavy rain hiking unless you’re prepared for wet feet. Tread pattern is a little shallow, with a few un-necessary cuts that do nothing but hold mud. Lack of choice in colorways.
Good: Amazing fit, very comfortable to hike and walk in. The heal really digs in and adsorbs impact well. Solid arch support, reinforced for off road adventure impacts. The tread pattern digs in with each step, providing secure footing on and off the trail. Reinforced heal which provides great heal support for a low top. Gotta love the double stitching throughout the shoe. Heal pull tab that’s actually big enough for use. Tie guard that works well without rubbing your toes. Great lace system lets you really get a snug fit. Full leather upper. Great cushioning around the heal that doesn’t make your foot sweat.
As you can see, the good far outnumbers the bad. Over all this is a fantastic shoe, that not only preforms well around town and looks good doing so, but can handle even the most rocky of paths, providing a great balance. Here’s something else to love, they’re sensibly priced. $110. 9.0 out of 10. Necessary. NC