KEEN Men's Clearwater CNX Sandal

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I am a male with a narrow fitting heel and an average or narrower forefoot (toes). My bone structure is slight and I am very thin and I have no “meat” (fat) on my feet or ankles (or anywhere for that matter). I have a difficult time finding clothes that fit my frame and finding shoes that are long enough for my foot without being loose and sloppy in the width especially the heel. I owned a pair of Keen Men’s Newport (original from the first model year not H2) size 10.5 and found them to be rugged for working outdoor and great for slip on ease and airport travel. They were also crazy wide. When the Keen Company was just getting off the ground they focused on ruggedness and roominess. The Newports were just too heavy, way too roomy in the width and too clunky for my slight foot and I could not stand to wear them for any great length of time. Also I had to cinch the heck out of the bungee fastener to get the shoe to stay on and not slip off my heel when I walked but the way the shoe was constructed didnt make this a problem. The original Newport ran small in length and I had to go up one size or half size to get the proper length. Then years later Keen introduced the CNX line, a lightweight and fitted (narrower) series of shoe. I originally got the Men’s 10 CNX Clearwater and found them to have too much material over the top of my foot and at the ankle. This was because the shoes was just too roomy for my skinny foot. I had to cinch the heck out of the bungee fastener to make the shoes stay on and not slip off my heel when I walked. This had the effect of folding over excess fabric in the mono-sock collar design of the shoe and the folded over double thick material would dig into the top of my foot uncomfortably. I tried the Men’s CNX Clearwater size 9.5 and found they were just not long enough for my foot and my toe just slightly hit the toe cap of the shoe in an uncomfortable way. The 9.5 however was a much better fit in the ankle and did not have as much excess material around the mono-sock collar when the bungee was cinched. I found the Clearwater to be about true to size where the Newport ran small. I really liked the lightweight feel of the sandal and was not yet ready to give up just because I have a skinny foot. Over the years I have found that women’s shoes are often narrower than men’s. They usually are more colorful too and that isn’t bad for someone like myself that likes colors other than traditional black, grey, brown and athletic shoe white. I tried the Women’s Clearwater size 11 and found the fit was spot on. I still have to cinch the bungee a decent amount but there is no fold over of the mono-sock collar. The width of the Women’s size 11 is really the best I have ever had in a sandal. So far I have had great luck wearing the Womens CNX Clearwater shoe all day with no issues. The size of the Mens Clearwater CNX size 10 was about the size of a size 9.5 Converse Chuck Taylor. The size of the Mens Clearwater CNX size 9.5 was similar or a bit smaller than a size 9 Converse Chuck Taylor. I do want to point out that the Mens 9.5 probably would have worked fine if the toe box was not slightly pointed. Looking down at the Mens 9.5 next to the Womens 11 you can clearly see the mens version is pointed so the middle toes can be the longest toes and the womens version of the shoe has the big toe as the longest toe. Otherwise they fit exactly the same.

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I purchased these shoes in preparation for some outdoor activities I had planned for vacation, including: hiking, light climbing, cave exploring, and swimming - all in one excursion. And EVERYONE talked about how jealous they were that they didnt have a shoe like this because it functioned so well. Other guests slipped on the mud a bit, feet were nicked when they walked on the rocks, but I was able to move through all the activities with ease, INCLUDING SWIMMING and without having to change footwear. My ONLY gripe, which I suppose is a benefit as well, is that they are a slight struggle to get on and off. There is NO stretch in the back heel portion to allow the back strap to slide over your heel. But there is a pull tab for you to hang on to with your finger to shimmy it up your heel. But, if its harder to get on, it indicates how well it will stay on when you need the shoe to perform!

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I wore them as water shoes and they worked great. They dried quickly. I also wore them with smart wool padded hiking socks and they were comfortable for a hike. Very deep sandy hills at some portions of the hike. As others had to empty their boots, the sand just fell out of my keen sandals as a walked down the path. The heal strap is a little harder to get on than off but it got easier the more I did it. Many times I didn’t use the heal strap and used them as slip ons for quick trips in and out of my camping tent. They are very light and comfortable. I wear/ordered a size 10 with a normal to narrow foot. They fit well with plenty of room in the toe box.

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I purchased this exact same style in a shoe store two years ago (for $20 more, of course), and I was surprised at that time to find myself needing a half-size larger than I had ever worn in 50 years of purchasing all kinds of footwear. Since I was now ordering the exact same SKU from Amazon I ordered the exact same size as the two-year old pair. Mistake! When I compared the molded soles of the older sandals with the "same" soles of the new ones, I discovered that the new soles were almost one-third of an inch shorter than the older pair (and molded soles dont stretch with use). Totally unsuitable -- I would now have to order a full size larger than I always wear, and who could say that would fit correctly? So I returned them and Amazon closed out the transaction satisfactorily. The rest of the construction and materials appeared to be of the same high quality -- so if youre interested in these sandals I would suggest that you be prepared to order two or three pairs to try for size (which means, of course, being prepared to package and return the rejects). There are many Amazon shoppers for whom that is a standard operating procedure, but I find it an irritating pain in the ass -- I would rather have gone to a shoe store and have discovered that the size metrics have been significantly altered by the manufacturer. I would either have a pair of great, strangely-sized sandals for $20 more or I would have walked out with no further action required.

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I ordered the same style and size as the last two times I purchased this sandal. These are NOT the same, despite having the same name. The sizing is different, depending on whether they are made in Vietnam or Cambodia. The current ones are narrower (for me, uncomfortably tight.) Really a shame, because it ruined what was a near-perfect shoe.

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