25 November 2011

OBN's Gear Review: Women's Keen Sandals

Disclaimer:  As with all reviews on FishOn! the fly, the following review is my honest opinion, I received the Keen Women's Whisper Sandals free of charge and agreed to provide a review in exchange. FishOn! the fly is not sponsored by or associated with Keen or Planet Shoes and is accepting no other compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review. My independent status may change in the future, but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established.

First of all, thank you both Outdoor Blogger Network and Planet Shoes for the opportunity to gear review this pair of Keen shoes.  I am a big fan of Keen footwear, and I enjoyed putting this pair through "its paces." 


At the beginning of September, I received a new pair of purple Keen Whisper sandals from Outdoor Blogger Network's Gear Review giveaway from Planet Shoes.  Being the proud owner of a navy blue pair of Keen Newport sandals since Christmas 2005, I was not sure how the Whisper style was going to be different or better.  It didn't take long to notice a few differences immediately.  While both styles are waterproof, The Whisper style as compared with the Newport style weighs less, is less bulky, and has a more streamlined toe protection design.  The specs for the two styles are:

                                    WHISPER                              NEWPORT
widest girth:                     4 1/8"                                      4 5/8"
single shoe weight:            9 oz                                        12 oz
pair weight:                      1 lb 2 oz                                  1 lb 8 oz

Living in Texas the drought affected most of the fishing areas, so I was unable to take the shoes on a carp fishing trip.  To compensate, I put the shoes through routine, everyday wear to test their comfortability.  I wore them to work, with casual wear, exercise workouts on an elliptical, and I noticed that the foot bed was slightly different adding more support for the small toe bone and Cuboid bone, the bone on the outside of the foot, which made the Whisper pair more comfortable.  Being lighter, I found I wore the sandals longer during the day, as well.



After enjoying their daily wear, it was time to take the Whispers fishing.  The Fredericksburg Fly Fishers host an annual event called Oktoberfisch on the South Llano River in Junction, Texas.  I wet wade-fished Sunday, and I love the Whispers improved footbed and sole tread!  I waded upstream against the current, downstream with a swift current, and crossed the stream to retrieve a fly all without a wading staff, and enjoyed comfort and stability while fly casting and catching fish.

Taken upon return 11/24/11
Having worn the Newports in saltwater, I was curious to see how the Whispers would stand up to the salt.  Returning Sunday, 11/20/11 from a 10-day trip to the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, I was very pleased with the way the Whispers handled exposure to saltwater.  The shoe's upper material, simulating a suede material at the ankle and along the tongue area, nylon on the side supports and ripstop cord for cinching, and comfortable neoprene lining all handled the saltwater well, cleaned well, and showed little signs of wear in a harsh climate.

In addition to all the Whispers improvements, Keen has made this style available in a myriad of colors designed especially for women--grape, yellow, beet red, pale lime green (called Nile), various shades of light to dark blues, brown, and black.  This would make an excellent gift for the outdoor lady!

5 comments:

  1. Good review. I might have to get a pair for Kelly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jay, I really love these shoes, with or without socks. Lots and lots and lots of colors.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice post! I want to subscribe this blog, but I don't know how to do, can anybody give me a hand?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks, MSM. I really do enjoy their shoes. A couple of ways to subscribe--the 9th box on the sidebar titled "Followers" has a Join This Site button on which you can click. You have to have a Google, Twitter, Yahoo, AIM, Netlog, or OpenID account to follow that way, or you can choose to create one. Next, you can scroll all the way to the very bottom and click the Subscribe: Atom Posts, and you can receive the posts that way.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Footwear is very important thing that not only make person to look stunning but also makes him look completely unique.
    Very good information! Appreciating the hard work you put into your site and detailed information you present.

    Women's Designer Shoes

    ReplyDelete

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