The Berkshires are chocked full of fun and challenging hiking trails. With spring upon us, it was once again time for me to go out shopping for that perfect hiking boot. I had unfortunately had a bad experience with a pair of Merrell last year where they just didn’t hold up as well as was to be expected. So this year I had decided to try a hiking boot from a different manufacturer. After reading many positive reviews online, I ended up purchasing a pair of Keen Siskiyou WP hiking shoes and thought that I would take some time to share my opinion of this particular product with you.
The Siskiyou WP is described by Keen as being a low profile hiking shoe that offers all of the features and protection of a full sized hiking boot. This particular hiking shoe features a technology called KEEN.DRY which the manufacturer describes as being a water proof, yet breathable membrane. In other words, the KEEN.DRY technology will keep your feet from getting wet should you step in a puddle while hiking, but will also provide proper ventilation so your feet remain cool and comfortable even on the hottest days of summer. The Siskiyou WP hiking shoe features an incredibly comfortable arch support system and offers an unusually high degree of toe protection for a relatively lightweight hiking shoe. Keen also claims that this particular hiking shoe is easy to care fore as they can be machine washed.
I’ve now owned these hiking boots for a little over a week and so far, I’ve found the Keen Siskiyou WP hiking shoe to be equally as comfortable on pavement as they are out in the woods. Spring is upon us here in the Berkshires, so I thought that there would be nothing better than a brief hike in Kennedy Park, located in Lenox, MA, to test my new boots. Kennedy Park served as an ideal test location because the T.F. Coakley main trail is paved for a good portion of the way before the hiker has the option to take off on one of the many unpaved trails that Kennedy Park has to offer. I hiked around for a little while, and although I was a little tired afterwards, I am pleased to say that my Keen Siskiyou WP’s performed admirably. My feet remained dry and comfortable as advertised and the mud which accumulated on my hiking boots brushed off easily without staining the material.
All in all, I would recommend these hiking boots to anyone who wants a low profile, yet rugged shoe for use in the outdoors. The Keen Siskiyou are available on Amazon and at other retailers. They do tend to run about a half size smaller, which I found to be true in my case. Happy trails to you!
Update: May 20th, 2011
I’ve now owned these boots for almost two months and have therefore had many opportunities to do some more “field testing.” Last month, I went for a hike in Sackett Brook Park in Pittsfield, MA. Trail conditions were horrid as it had rained for a couple of days prior to my outing. Needles to say, my Keen Siskiyou’s got soaked! I am pleased to report however that my feet stayed perfectly dry. Again, I found clean up to be very easy as all I had to do was brush off the mud and wipe down my boots with a little warm water. I’ll stick with my original recommendation; the Keen Siskiyou is a hiking shoe that you should definitely own!