Keen Newport H2 – My New Sandals? Sneakers? Water Shoes?

I needed a new pair of casual summer shoes and I knew what I wanted; one pair of shoes to take me every where this summer. Comfort and practicality were essential. I finally decided on the Keen Newport.

What You Get
The Keen Newport is best described as a hybrid shoe. They are strappy and cool like a sandal. The tongue and fully enclosed rubberized toe are like a sneaker. The polyester uppers, rubber soles and elastic corded laces are what you would expect to find on a water shoe. With all of this you get an extremely comfortable, cushioned shoe that goes just about anywhere. They come in a variety of colors.

My Experience
My only regret is that I didn't purchase a pair of Keen Newport shoes sooner. Of course, I had some trouble finding them. I normally wear a 9 or 9 ½ but found I needed a 10 in any style of Keen shoes. Since I wasn't too particular about the color I was satisfied with the practical black at my local retailer.

Keen Newport shoes are great on solid dry and wet land. They are definitely my shoe of choice for errands because they are so comfortable. The soles are soft but supportive. I've worn them to our local amusement/water park and it was nice to need only one pair of shoes for the day. They dry quickly as I wear them and never feel soggy. The polyester is treated to control bacterial and fungi which helps prevent odor.

I wasn't as thrilled with my Keen Newports on a gentle hike with my kids. We were on a loose gravel path and the stones managed to find their way into my shoes, despite the thick soles. I had the same issue with sand at the beach, although they did much better on the firm packed wet sand at the water's edge; and I didn't have to worry about a wave wetting my sneakers. However they were no worse than any other pair of sandals.

Since we did venture off the trail a bit on our hike to view some wild flowers, I was concerned about poison ivy. I had also been in a marshy area when we took the kids fishing so my shoes were a little dirty.  I decided to find out just how washable Keen Newports were. I put them in the washer on gentle cycle with a little soap and let them dry on the back porch. They looked great and I wasn't concerned about any oils from poison ivy remaining on my shoes.

Final Thoughts
Keen Newports have become my favorite shoes. I hate when Monday comes and I have to put on regular shoes for work. My feet and back are happy in my new shoes and I will never buy a cheap pair of water shoes again. Yes, $95 is a lot for "water shoes" but Keen Newports are sandals and sneakers as well.