Kicking the Competition to the Curb – KEEN Utility Dover WP Workboot

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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.

Dirty boots
Didn’t take long to get them dirty

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

Safety info
Note the ratings on the sole

A couple of ergonomic features are the option to speed lace or thread the laces through a fixed eyelet.

eyelets
The option to use speed lacing or fixed eyelets

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.

Keen Konnectfit
The Konnectfit lacing system ensures a snug comfortable fit

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.

Waterproof
Even immersed in water these boots will keep your feet dry

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.

protection on the tractor
These boots provide proper protection on and off the tractor

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.

Full sole
Great traction from the non-slip sole
working in the pasture
Perfect for most any job

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.

chainsaw protection
The carbon toe and heavy duty leather uppers provide great foot protection
Good looking boots
These are some great looking boots

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.

end of the workday
Comfortable enough to relax in at the end of the workday.

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.

Buy Now - via KeenFootwear.com

Photo of author

About Stephen

Stephen hails from a family of DIY’ers, the delusion that no job is too big or complex to tackle on your own originally instilled by his father and further reinforced by his brothers, who are equally afflicted. His first real project was the complete restoration of an old farmhouse in Upstate NY, which was followed by another, setting the pattern. After 40 years in the wine and spirits business (sounds far more glamorous than the reality) he recently retired to an 80 acre sheep farm, where he will continue to farm until his retirement savings are exhausted. As a co-owner of 30 something bicycles (a devotee of the N+ 1 theory of bicycle requirements, where N= the current number owned), he is typically found tinkering on his latest build or out testing said results. Stephen spends his spare time (face it, all of his time) drinking good coffee, currying homegrown produce or fixing whatever is currently non-operational. He also spends whatever time he can with an ever growing extended family. When his wife retired they planned to do as much cycle touring as their legs will allow, but the sheep are pretty demanding.

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