Summer time and the living is, well, a young person's fancy turns to thoughts of cool, well-ventilated sandals and hybrids like Keen's fabric-uppered Venice H2.
Keen Venice H2 hybrid tested
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Price:
£65.00
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Weight: 718 grammes (pair size
43)
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Features: Hybrid
shoe with polyester webbing upper, hydrophobic SBR lining,
carbon, non-marking out-sole, Metatomical Low Durometer EVA
footbed, compression moulded EVA mid-sole, patented toe
protection, Shockcord fasterning, Microbe Shield treated
lining, men's and women's versions available.
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Easy to care fot, non-stinky, toe protection,
waterproof.
Sweaty footbed, shockcord too long.
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What's It For? Keen hit the ground running last year with
their range of hybrid shoes and sandals and the Venice is basically
a fabric-uppered version of the leather Newport we tested back
then. Think a mix of shoe and rafting sandal and you won't go far wrong.
Keen says 'the Venice H2 allows great ventilation and a light ride
while providing exceptional traction on mixed terrain'. We tend to
think they're an all-round sandal with extra toe protection for
general summer use and maybe a bit of walking. By mixed, we think
Keen means wet and non-wet rather than rocky terrain and mud...
The Techy Bits There's a fair amount of technology in there,
but the bits that really matter are the anti-bacterial Microbe Shield
treated liner and the EVA footbed and mid-sole for cushioned comfort.
There's also that distinctive protective toe bumper that marks Keen
out from watersports sandals and adds a bit of confidence for serial
toe stubbers.
How It Works We've been slopping around in these for a few
months now, but recent scorching weather meant they became an
attractive options. First impressions are of a roomy, comfortable fit
with lots of toe space and great underfoot cushioning.
The simple shock-corded fastening sytem with cordlock makes them
easy to take on and off, though the cord itself is far too long -
don't be tempted to try and shorten it though, it really isn't a
user-friendly task and getting the end tab back on is night on
impossible.
The extra ventilation comes into its own in hot weather, though
paradoxically the EVA foam footbed that the sole of your foot sits on
is actually quite hot and sweaty against the skin. One aspect we
really did like though was the toe bumper which makes a lot of sense
if you've ever skinned a toe top on a rough rock or stubbed your
pinkies painfully on a supermarket trolley.
How do they fare off road? We took the Venice for a short walk in
the Peak to see. Unfortunately the things that work for them as
general slobbing wear aren't so great on the trail. The sole unit is
soft and cushioned but also very flexible with no real lateral
stiffness at all and your heel swims around. The sole unit's happiest
on dry ground too.
Not too bad heading uphill, but loose and imprecise on any sort of
downhill, after an hour or so, they actually got quite tiring. As
with all sandals, grit gets in too, though it also gets out easily
enough.
On the plus side, the anti-microbial treatment has worked well so
far with no pong problem and the shoes are waterproof, dry fast and
can even be thrown in a washing machine if necessary.
We like the looks, we like the toe protection and general use
comfort with generous fit and we'd happily suggest the Venice H2 for
slobbing around the tent and everyday hot weather wear.
We're less convinced with its real world walking credentials
though. It lacks any real stability or heel support and the
shock-corded fastening system, while convenient, makes it hard to get
real support from the upper.
If you want a sandal specifically for walking there are better
options out there, but for non-stink general use with added toe
protectiion, the Venice H2 works well.
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Performance
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Value
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