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It must be said that I am not a sandal person.

When I go hiking I wear boots on my feet. Lightweight boots or Four Season Boots, but always boots. Sandals are for the beach, or maybe around camp....right? In hot weather they are cool, but watch out for stubbed toes and sore feet, if you try and walk any distance. So whilst I own a pair of leather sandals and a pair of rubber flip flops, I have never thought sandals any good for walking, well not until now that is! Enter the Arroyo 11 hiking sandal from Keen. This is a sandal with attitude. It is more like a hiking shoe with holes in it and offers a tough aggressive sole, a protective hard shell around the toes, reflective strips, waterproof leather uppers and a quick lace system.

When we receive a new pair of boots we always walk them in for a couple of weeks around the house. We do this to help our feet get accustomed to the new footwear and so we don’t wear them straight out of the box and start griping about sore feet and blisters.

A couple of years ago I injured my right foot, breaking some of the toes, the small bones in the arch and pulling ligaments in my ankle. Yeah, I know that was real stupid and I agree with you, but we do these things and it takes a long time to put right. So the reason for my mentioning this, is that since my fall, I have had a few problems finding comfortable shoes and need that bit longer to work in new boots, so that they feel comfortable. Not so the Arroyo sandals. These were comfy from the word go and moreover they were so supportive I did not need to wear the podiatry insoles that I need in my boots.

So what are they like out on the hill?

I wore the sandals with a pair of Bridgestone light hiker socks and carried a day pack with a water bladder, change of clothes and some lunch and set off for a five mile hike across the hills above Bala. The going was forest tracks, grass, bracken, streams and rock.

I like the quick lacing system, which you simply pull tight and slide a toggle to lock.

From the off the sandals felt comfortable and supportive to my arch and ankle. They are very lightweight, so much so that you forget you are wearing them.

I was a bit unsure when it came to a slippery trail in the forest with uneven tussocks of grass, but using my trekking poles, I was able to cross the uneven ground without problem..

The soles have a lot of grip and when I heaved myself up onto a boulder to stop for lunch, I found that the sandals gripped well. I often take my boots off when I stop for lunch and give my hot feet a rest, but with these sandals there is no need as they are so well ventilated your feet don’t really get hot in the first place.

On my way down the hill I came to a stream crossing and managed to put one foot in the water. I simply found a rock, sat down and drained out the shoe, gave it a good shake, put it back on and carried on.

I have to say that I was very impressed with the Keen Arroyo 11. They are a cross between a trekking shoe and a sandal. They are brilliant to wear, being cool, lightweight and supportive and not once did I stub my toe!

My only complaint is that on forest trails it was all too easy to pick up small stones through the holes in the shoe, which meant stopping to take them out!

I I think these would be brilliant for river crossing, as they would grip well and would drain easily afterwards.

If you have foot problems you might like to try these sandals. I now wear them out to the shops and they have become my shoes of choice. They are also very comfortable to drive in as well.- Ed

Keen Arroyo 11 Hiking Sandals

SRP £75 Men’s 8.5 - 12

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Keen Arroyo 11 Review

Trail Testers Recommended 98%

Keen Web Page

Keen Arroyo 11 has

plenty of ventilation

Keen Arroyo 11

Quick Lace System

Keen Arroyo 11

The well designed sole has bags of grip