KEEN Women's Rose Casual Closed Toe Sandals, Brindle/Shitake, 8.5 US

I purchased these for a trip to Costa Rica and they were perfect. There was no breaking in time required, they were comfortable right away. I hiked, climbed, wore them in and out of the water. They were perfect and really cute. I was especially impressed with the traction. True to size

I had a traditional pair of Keen sandals for 10+ years—I wore them on many hikes and throughout many travel adventures. The soles fell off while on a hike in Hawaii last year. They were super durable up until then and got my money’s worth for sure. I needed a new pair for an upcoming trip, but simply did not want to spend $100+ or more on another pair of Keens because my travel and hiking is far less frequent these days. I looked at other brands that were half as much, but I didn’t want to potentially waste money on something that was not proven to me, especially online without the chance of trying them on first. Enter these—still a Keen sandal, but a more attractive price point, and a look that is updated and modern—more like a fashion sandal. These are true to size (I wear women’s 8), have a nice tread, are comfortable, and have good enough arch support. I normally like arch support you can *feel* as my arches are high but have fallen as I’ve aged, but these are feel supportive enough—nice cushioned sole and flexible. They are also more narrow in appearance than a traditional Keen, giving them a more stylish sandal look, and don’t feel as bulky or have the same weight as a traditional Keen. If that’s a concern for you because you feel more confident in something that looks and feels sportier, these may not be the way to go, but given that I plan to wear these for light trail day hikes (no more than 5-10 miles at a time) and possible stream crossings, I’m good with these.

Bought these last minute for a weeklong trip to a rustic island in Mexico. I put them on the day before we left and they felt great so I figured here goes nothing. I needed a shoe that would handle a lot of situations. A day of travel by car, plane, bus, boat, feet. A lot of feet. With a 38 lb. pack. We landed in the wrong terminal to meet the bus and it might as well have been a different airport. Had to jog about a mile to meet our bus. Not once did I think about my feet. No shifting as I jumped curbs, medians, etc. They handled the pavement so well. I have high arches and they were well supported. Once on our spit of sand, more walking. Walking in Mexico feels like an obstacle course and now we have sand to contend with. The shoes did great shedding it out. Ditched the bags at the hotel and right off to the beach. Wore them right in the ocean. Then around town. In short, I wore those shoes 18 hours day 1. Day 2 we walked and hiked about 10 miles, in water, in sand, in everything. They felt fine wearing wet. They were still a little damp in the morning but it was not uncomfortable.The only downside was I have really bad foot swelling when I fly. It doesn't show up though till day 3. Because of the boxed in/nonadjustable toe box, I couldn't wear these shoes again until the day before we left. I just went barefoot for a few.Overall, I am seriously impressed with these. I have the Newports and they have always served me well. These are signifcantly lighter and more stylish but for that, I don't think they are quite as rugged and I certainly wouldn't consider this an actual hiking shoe though any trail you could do with sneakers, you could do with these.They get major style points as they truly do look great with anything. It was nice to not have to bring a "pretty" but nonfunctional shoe to go out at night. These legitimately look good with skirts and dresses. Or jeans. Or a bikini. Anything.The fit was true to size for me. I'm a solid 6 and it was dead on. Any bigger they would have been floppy and weird at the toes. I have thin ankles so the straps were not an issue. Based off how small my ankles are, I was surprised that I didn't have extra strap. If you have thicker ankles, this could be a problem. I would also think overly narrow feet might not do well. The shoe doesn't really have a lot of give, so if it doesn't fit you exactly, I don't think it will be comfortable. That being said, it's worth a shot to try on. If it works for you, it will really work.I couldn't be happier with this purchase and see this being my everyday shoe this summer and hopefully many more summers and trips to come.

I am rating this sandal 4/5 stars as it is a nice sandal and should fit most women. However, I have a wide foot with a high instep and these shoes were just a tad too tight due to the non-adjustable ankle strap. I read about this potential con before purchasing but because they looked so nice, I still wanted to try them on to see if they would work for me. They technically fit on my foot without trouble; the strap was just a tad but too tight for my comfort level. The strap would have *probably* loosened up had I had worn them around for a little while, but at $80, this wasn't a risk I was willing to take. I also ordered a pair of Keen Bali Strap sandals at the same time and those fit better with the adjustable ankle strap. Unfortunately, because of a product defect, I have to return those too. (Note: I've included a comparison of the Bali vs Rose sandal below since I wished I could have found a detailed comparison review for the two before purchase.) Overall, these sandals are cute and functional (hard combo to find!). The sole is supportive and the sandal would be extremely comfortable if it weren't for the non-adjustable ankle strap. Again, I think this wouldn't be a problem for the vast majority of women. My feet are very wide, very high instep (as a loving family member once told me...I have "man feet" :/) and they almost fit me, so they should fit *most* women just fine.KEEN Bali Strap vs Rose Comparison:-Rose has non-adjustable ankle strap; Bali has two adjustable straps at the ankle area.-Rose straps are made of softer material against the skin. It feels velvety as opposed to the typical cloth material of Keen Sandals. Both are comfortable but if the Rose straps fit me better, I would prefer their material.-Rose feels more secure because the toe straps go up higher on the foot.-Rose has a more cushioned sole. Bali Strap has a more contoured sole. In my opinion the sole of Rose would be better for long distance walking on relatively flat surfaces. Bali Strap sole would be better for climbing, or walking in rocky/unstable areas as the contoured sole gives the foot a better "feel" for the ground under the shoe.-Bali Strap has an awkward opening near the small toe which can allow the small toe to "escape" (especially if there is a manufacturing defect making the opening larger than it should be; see my Bali Strap review). The straps on the Rose are closer together, which effectively keeps those rouge little toes contained.If both sandals had fit me, I would have definitely preferred the Rose. However, the Bali Strap is the better option for my feet.