I spend most of my day on my feet, my big, wide, hard to fit feet. I seem to put my feet in harms way throughout any given day. The one brand I’ve found that makes their line of boots in wide as well as medium width is KEEN Utility, and I’ve been a fan of their boots ever since I purchased my first pair of hikers years ago. Now that I ditched the office life for a more agrarian existence, I need to be mindful of what I put on my feet for both safety and to provide all day comfort. The newest offering in their American Built product line is the KEEN Dover 6” WP work boot featuring Konnectfit technology, a system that provides a snug yet comfortable fit, eliminating heel rub and the attendant blisters. I put these boots through their paces right out of the box with no break in necessary, but more on that shortly.
The Skinny (or Wide) on the KEEN Dover 6″ WP
These boots will fit the bill anywhere solid foot protection is called for, and with great style to boot. Let’s take a look at the spec’s.
KEEN Utility Dover 6” WP specs:
- American Built
- Left And Right Asymmetrical, Non-metallic Carbon-fiber Toes
- Keen.Dry Waterproof, Breathable Membrane
- Waterproof Leather Upper
- Konnectfit Heel-capture System For A Locked-in Fit
- TPU Shank For Midfoot Support
- Removable Metatomical Pu Footbed
- 90° Heel (5/8″ Height)
- Keen Luftcell Dual-density Pu Midsole, Infused With Air For Weightless Comfort
- Oil- And Slip-resistant Non-marking Rubber Outsole
Additionally these boots meet the following safety ratings (you have all the ASTM numbers memorized, right!?):
Meets ASTM F1677-96 MARK II Non-Slip Testing Standards
Also Meets ASTM F2412-17 and F2913-17 F I/75 C/75 EH Standards
Meets ASTM F2913-17 SATRA Non-Slip Testing Standards
A couple of ergonomic features are the option to speed lace or thread the laces through a fixed eyelet.
And the new Konnectfit heel retention system that’s integrated into the lacing system. This feature facilitates a snug fit through the heel. I have cross country ski boots that use a heel retention system, and it is effective in eliminating heel rub that leads to discomfort and blisters.
That’s a lot of data for sure, but to quote Bob Dylan, “how does it feel?” which is the true measure of any footwear. I slipped ‘em on, laced ‘em up and got to work.
Forty Days and Forty Nights (Times 4)
Our little piece of upstate NY has been wet. We’ve enjoyed about a dozen precipitation-free days in the last 7 months. Not quite Ark conditions, but everything is pretty soggy. Wearing rubber boots only delays the inevitable saturated feet as they turn into individual foot saunas with any activity. I wore the KEEN Dover WP (waterproof) boots all day through a variety of activities. This included walking through the ponded water in the yard, high wet grass in the pasture and multiple crossings of the small stream that feeds our pond. At the end of the day my feet were still reasonably dry and comfortable. The integrated membrane prevents water from infiltrating the leather upper but allows moisture to escape. Bottom line, unless you step into water deeper than the boot you’re going to have dry feet.
The Carbon Toe – Impact on Safety
Shortly after retiring from a job that had me office-bound last October, I took a temporary appointment at an unnamed upstate Ivy League University doing field work on industrial hemp research. One of the requirements for operating tractors was steel toed footwear. Seemed sensible to me given the exposure when changing out implements or mounting and dismounting the machinery. I adopted the same rule at home. These boots have a carbon fiber toe that meets the same standard as a steel toe boot, but is lighter and is non conductive for both electricity and the cold.
Working Around the ‘ol Ranch with KEEN Utility
We are just finishing a big fencing project and I got these boots just in time to finish up on the last few boards going up on the board fence section. As I mentioned before, we are as wet as I’ve ever seen it and the equipment used for the fencing installation tore things up exposing slippery clay out in the pasture. I found the boots to have great traction in the worst of it. This turns out to be a two edged sword though as the deep lugs that provide such great traction also really hold onto the mud.
I also started clearing some of the scrubby thorn trees we decided were too close to the fence. Protective toes are a must for saw work and these fit the bill perfectly. All that utility and great looks too.
The KEEN Utility Dover WP boots are comfortable enough that at the end of day you can leave ‘em on while relaxing with the beverage of choice.
KEEN Dover WP boots w/Konnectfit are available in numerous size configurations, and come in brown or black. They are available directly from KEEN or where ever KEEN Utility footwear is sold for $195.00.
