KEEN Women's Newport H2 Closed Toe Water Sandal

These are my second pair of Keen Women's Newport H2 shoes. I just bought my first pair this summer, too, and just had to get another pair because I needed a more neutral pair to broaden my opportnities to wear them. My first pair was beet red, and although I love the color, my options with outfits were somewhat more limited. Now with this pair, I can wear one pair or the other almost whenever I want with my normal casual clothes. For me, these shoes are worth their weight in gold and I highly suggest you give these Keene Newport H2 shoes a try. I do have a suggestion: for those of you who are confused about whether to get your regular shoe size, or to go up half a size as many suggest, order both if this is your first time to order this style of shoe, and try them both and return the pair that doesn't fit! I believe the return shipping is covered, but you should double check that out.I ordered this pair because there are several things I love about them. At age 63, I love the support they give me, while looking great and fresh. I love this style so much, that I am considering even wearing them with socks when it turns cooler out. It will be difficult for me to change Keen styles because I am so hooked on this particular style.I have learned that I can wear them, no matter the task at hand. If I am gardening and get mud on them, I just hose them down and set them in the sun. The webbing like material dries quickly and they look as good as new! I find the colors to be colorfast and there is no bleeding of colors when they get wet. Well they are called H2, so I guess it is obvious this style handles getting wet really well!!I understand what people mean when they mention a difference in these shoes based on where they are manufactured. My first pair was size 10 and made in Vietnam. My second pair was also size 10 but made in Mexico. I truely love them both, but they are different. I found the pair made in Vietnam to be a little longer than the ones made in Mexico. Because of the bungy cord, I just cinched up the longer pair a little more and that fixed the issue for me! The pair made in Mexico fit my foot perfectly and I didn't have to work at all on getting them cinched up to fit my foot. That was pretty special.It is important to note that I sprained my knee and got slight tears in my miniscus in early July and these have been my go to shoes during my recouperation. Very simply, these shoes make me feel so secure with the support they provide. The rubbery toe bed makes them feel so sturdy, too.These shoes are very comfortable. I am someone who likes a wide footbed in the toe area of my shoes. As far as I am concerned, these shoes couldn't be any better! As I mentioned there is the capability to cinch the bungy cord and make them perfect for your feet. Now that is pretty great, from my perspective. Certainly these shoes can be rather pricey but just check out the colors available in your size, and you will find the price varies from color to color. I believe they are a good value because they seem to be well made and I believe I will get more than my money's worth out of them.

I needed some water shoes, and my feet aren't going to grow anymore (40yo and no more babies thank you very much) so I wanted to get a proper pair that will work for creeking and rafting/canoeing and swimming in the lake/ocean, but also for playing disc golf with my husband and light trail hiking, and will last for the next 5-10 years at least. I started off by heading to Cabela's (FYI, I have a local Cabela's, Field and Stream, and Duluth all within spitting distance of each other, and out of those three brick and mortars, Cabela's had the best water-hiking-shoes selection, BY FAR). In the store I tried on the KEEN Newport Hydro, the KEEN Whisper (mostly they had KEEN and their store brand, Worldwide Sportsman...or something like that), and a few of their Worldwide Sportsman brand. I did not find any Merrell water-hikers in-store (at any of the stores). Anyway, out of the ones I tried at Cabelas, I quickly decided against the Worldwide Sportsman as they did not fit well (loose on my very wide feet, but tight on top and jamming into my leg at the top of my foot). So that left the KEEN. Both the Whisper and the Newport fit well, but I wanted something sturdy and hefty, and the Newport fits the bill on that. If you are looking for cuter and lighter, the Whisper is that. I chose the KEEN Newport Hydro...but they didn't have any in my proper size (size 10 womens, with a wide foot). I bought a half-size down (still fit all right) and went home ($100). I really wanted to try something other than KEEN, so enter Amazon. I proceeded to order the exact same KEEN in my proper size (10) and a different color ($100), the Merrell All-Out Blaze Sieve in a 10 ($75), and the ATIKA All-Terrain Orbital in a 10 ($31). I made sure they all had free returns before purchasing, and waited patiently to try them all before returning the rest. Here are my thoughts on them all:KEEN Newport Hydro***PROS***-Cute-Very sturdy sole-Fits firmly but still has lots of room in the toe box (excellent for wide feet)-Seem to fit okay in my proper size and a half-size down. In fact, when forced to choose, I would choose the half-size down-Larger cut-outs seem as though it would be easier for water to drain from shoe. Didn't try in water so just my assumption-Excellent and substantial toe guard***CONS***-Expensive-Back strap is less comfortable than other options-Heavy***OVERALL OPINION***Great shoe. Comfortable. Heavy. Expensive.Merrell All-Out Blaze Sieve***PROS***-Cute-Fits like a dream-Very sturdy sole-Very comfortable to walk in-Back strap has an extra layer of padding compared to others I tried and it makes a huge difference when walking. Much more pleasant than KEEN-Cheaper than KEEN-Neoprene webbing around foot has less gaps in tongue area compared to the others***CONS***-Not as cute as the KEEN (just my personal taste), but still very very cute-Smaller cutouts compared to KEEN...not sure but my initial assumption is they would take longer to dry than the KEEN when creeking-Not as substantial guard in toe area***OVERALL OPINION***Great shoe. Very comfortable. Pretty expensive.ATIKA All-Terrain Orbital***PROS***-So inexpensive!-Cute-Very comfortable***CONS***-Fit is a bit weird. The bungee on top needed to be tightened a lot to fit on my wide foot, yet they were a touch short. Where the back of the sole comes up to hug your heel was jutting into my heel a bit and while not a big deal, it would likely be a big deal after wearing all day. Would prob need to size up half a size.***OVERALL OPINION***Surprisingly great shoe for the price. If price is your leading factor in deciding, or if your foot is still growing (hey girls your feet get bigger when you have a baby...I used to be a size 8 before my four kids), this would be a great shoe for you.In the end, I'm going with the Merrell. I expected to like the KEEN best, but was surprised at the superior comfort and the sturdiness of the Merrell, and at a cheaper price tag, I'm sold.