Keen Durand Mid WP Hiker Boot Review

Keen Durand Mid WP Hiker Boot Review

Basic Description of Item:

The Keen Durand Mid-Hiker is an attractive waterproof boot that comes in three color choices: Magnet/Red Clay, Cascade Brown/Gargoyle, and Raven/Tawny Olive. The first thing you’ll notice as you pull this shoe from the box is its pleasing design and contours. You’ll find yourself thinking, “yeah, I could definitely see myself in a pair of these!”
The Durand is marketed as a metatomical footbed design, meaning Keen has given added attention to the design and manufacturing processes of the footbed. Here’s what I noticed the first time I put on the Durand: it fit my foot well, being a bit narrow just in front of the ankle and a bit wider on the ball of the foot, leaving lots of room for the toes. The fit ,feel, and functionality of the boot is nothing short of wonderful.
Keen advises that the Durand tends to run 1/2-size small. I found this to be true. I ordered a half size up and was happy with the fit. American made, Keen has put a lot of attention into this boot:

Just the Facts:
• Direct attach PU midsole
• Dual compound rubber outsole
• Integrated PU heel cushion
• KEEN.DRY ™ waterproof breathable membrane
• Removable metatomical dual density EVA footbed
• TPU stability shank
• Waterproof nubuck leather & breathable mesh upper
• Weighs in at 20 oz/569 g
• Full length rubber rand with direct-attach construction

My Story:

Keen is probably not a boot brand that you think of for Bow Hunting, Elk Hunting, Mule Deer back packing trips…in general not a brand that is extremely popular in the Hunting world.

I was excited to get the Keen boot for this reason, I am a hunter, and will primarily be using this boot for hunting and hiking. The plan was to use this boot in my summer preparation hikes, as I prepared for the Fall Hunting Season in Utah and Wyoming.

I have put about 50 miles on this boot in a wide variety of conditions: Rocky, steep, side hills, down hills, etc. I have been very hard on this boot. It was all part of the plan, to make sure this boot would be something I would recommend for my hunting friends.

Test number 1:
I drove to the edge of a very steep mountain range in Central Utah. I had a 6 mile hike planned to look for shed antlers, and to get the Keen boots a good workout, with a decent pack on.
I immediately noticed the roomy toe box that allowed the front part of my foot and my toes to expand and feel comfortable. It felt great to have so much room and still be able to sync the laces up around my ankle to provide lateral stability.
This first hike provided me with some difficult terrain, rocks, hills, and some steep side hills. I was thrilled with how the boot provided stability, and comfort. I also noticed that the boot was not overly stiff, yet provided protection from rocks. The bottom of your foot can really take a beating when hiking with a pack, and in rocky terrain, however the Keen protected my foot very well.
After this first big hike, I was a believer, and felt confident that this boot could be taken into the hardest situations.

Test number 2:
My second test came in the form of several small day hikes, 4 to be exact, and each 2 miles long.
The hikes were not on a trail but rather cross country. The terrain was a mix of rolling hills, and steep very rocky shale slides. Some of the areas were so steep and so full of shale that I had to use trekking sticks to maintain my footing.
The shale surrounded my boot, and no part of my foot or of the boot was safe. The pounding was hard and constant for most of the time. If the boot was going to fail, this would be the hikes that were going to make it fail.
The Keen boot held up great to this test! I even came home and gave the boot a good scrubbing, it returned to almost new looking.

Summary:
This is a short version of my 3 month use test of the Keen Durand Mid Boot.
– It is a very durable, and very comfortable boot, with a great toe box
– It looks great, and could be easily worn in the woods, or out to the movie 🙂
– The Keen boot holds up to a pounding.
– It is not an overly stiff boot, like many back packing boots are, but it still provides great foot protection from rocks.
– I would highly reccomend this boot for Hunting, Hiking, Back Packing, or any outdoor activiy.
WELL DONE KEEN. I am sold.

What they could do better:
– I did not have an eyelet failure on this boot, but it looks to be the weak link.
– KEEP AT IT.