KEEN Men's Clearwater CNX Sandal

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These are great sandals for those who will actually use them. A lot of people like other brands of sandals and say how great they are for casual wear or rafting - where you are sitting on your butt and not actually using the sandal. I bought these for hiking up/down rocky streams, which I do 3-4 times a week during the summer. These hikes are anywhere from 1/2 hour to 3 hours long. These sandals perform amazingly. The sole is grippy on dry or wet. It is pliable enough to give a good feel, but thick and sturdy enough to protect and cushion your foot over long periods. Walking on rocky terrain you never feel the rocks. The upper and toe provide plenty of protection without a lot of weight. The neoprene lining under the webbing means never feeling any rubbing or chaffing. These are a less bulky, more sleek fitting version compared to their more standard models. I, personally, like this for a few reasons: 1) lighter, more nimble. 2) moved through water more easily because they create less drag since they dont have as much of a "platform" sole sticking out around the edges of your foot. 3) with the bigger version I would get a lot of small stones in the sandal - with these more "form-fitting" to the foot, I rarely ever get stones in the sandal. I highly recommend them for active use in the water.

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Ive had mine for a little over two years now and I wear these CONSTANTLY. Mine are black colored, which allows me to wear them with various clothing (color coordination). I wear them... ... at work (with black socks so they look business casual to the untrained eye), ... while hiking the north Georgia mountains, ... short-distance (1-2 miles) trail running, ... kayaking, boating, and other water-centric activities. I workout in them a couple times a week too doing dead-lifts, elliptical, and heavy squats in them (since they are relatively flat-soled shoes). Performing pull-ups, rope climbs, and other artificial wall-climbing activities are improved wearing these sandals because they are very light compared other fully-enclosed closed shoes. For long backpacking hikes, I simply wear thick fluffy socks that give the added cushioning, semi-arch support for carrying heavy loads for several hours on end. I prefer these over my Solomon hiking boots actually. Mine are finally starting to wear out and stretch out of shape so I WILL be getting another pair here soon. They are not expensive compared to the other Keen sandals (I think I paid approx $75). My laces gave out about a month ago, so I just went out and bought some elastic, bungee-like, tie-less laces at Walmart. These shoes are good for walking on mountain trails and granite rock (used as "approach" shoes). My only real gripe about these is that when walking in the woods, the openness of a sandal allows grass, pebbles, and debris to get into your sandal. But thats not the fault of this particular shoe, just the price one pays for wearing a sandal. This is a close-toe sandals, so there is plenty of toe protection and the closed-toe design actually cuts down on debris entering the shoe as compared to a flip flop or open-toe sandal. Since there is no enclosed heal, however, any unwanted debris that does get into the shoe, can usually be easily removed by tilting your foot and allowing the debris to slide out the back via gravity. I also wear these when commuting on my bike. I can either wear these while peddling (when I opt to NOT use my clipless bike shoes). I slip these sandals into my bicycle saddle pack when I am peddling with my clipless bike shoes on. The point here is that these sandals are small enough to stow away when wearing other purpose-built shoes during a trek of some sort. I give these five out of five stars. Hope this helps.

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I dont know where to begin with these! I had never owned a KEEN product before and wasnt sure if I wanted to purchase them. I just returned from a 2 week 224mile backpacking trip in Yosemite where the very first day we were caught in a thunderstorm at Nevada Falls. My boots became soaked in a matter of minutes and took 3 days to dry. Not having any options I decided to wear these KEEN CNXs which I had brought purely as a water shoe. I AM NOW A KEEN FAN FOR LIFE!!! I did wear them with wool hiking socks but I ended up wearing these for the first 92 MILES of my trip! You read that correctly! These ended up being more comfortable than my boots, gave me a greater range of motion, very light for what they are, the tread is still very much there, and they didnt cause any blisters because any sand of pebble that got in couldnt stay in one place. My socks did get worn out much faster but that was a small price to pay. I cant stress enough how comfortable and durable these shoes are. If they can make it well over 92 miles of some of the roughest terrain, image how well they would be as just water shoes!!!!!!!!!

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Putting these on is just like sliding your hand into a well-fitting glove! Ive always stuck to the Newport H2 types that are bulky with a really thick sole but decided to give this Clearwater CNX a try instead. Comparatively, its so much lighter with a good bit thinner sole-- very sleek. As with anything new, it felt odd when I first put them on but within a few minutes, I stopped noticing them at all. Only hours later did it occur to me that Id felt nothing negative about them-- just much lighter with virtually the same functionality. The thinner sole does become apparent on rough, rocky surfaces, but not nearly as much as I expected. They havent totally replaced my Newports, but they are a great alternative in less demanding situations. So, the bottom line is, Im glad I tried these and have already gotten a lot of use out of them-- highly recommended!

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I have pretty messed up feet. Size 13 narrow and very low arches (some may say flat feet). Hard time finding sandals or boat shoes or deck type shoes that fit. I bought these and compared them to the regular Keen sandals. The regular Keens size 12 were too short and the 13 were long enough but the width was way too wide and the arch support too high and hurt my arches. Bought the Clearwater CNX based on other comments saying they run narrower. Yes they do and the 13 were long enough and the width was narrower and the arch was lower. Much better fit. Though the sole is thinner, it had zero effect on any hiking. I bought these for a trip to Hawaii. First day wearing them had no problems. Spontaneously hiked the Lanakai pill box trail with these sandals and they were great! I’ve worn them non stop for a week all around North Shore and in and around Waikiki with no issues. These sandals have exceeded my expectations. I finally have “cool” sandals I can wear.

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