Keen Women's Astoria West Sandals

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I love the great arch support and overall cushion. I also like the ability to loosen or tighten the shoe to fit my foot.

Nine years ago, a friend of mine was shopping at a thrift store and found a pair of Keen sandals that were in my size with the tags still attached. She gave them to me, and I wore those things everywhere. Hiking, camping, oceans, rivers, lakes; if I was outside I was wearing my Keen sandals. Last year, at the end of summer, after years of abuse and miles of trekking through burning sand and water--both fresh and salty--my first pair of Keens decided that the soles no longer needed to be attached to the rest of the sandals. I will miss that first pair; but I am excited about the adventures I will have in these.

I have owned Astria since 2021, and I love it. I wear it everywhere when the weather allows it. This time I sized up from 5. 5 to 6 because 5. 5 was out of stock. When I tried it, it was tight - not in terms of length, but in terms of arch and entrance. (The sole is true to size in length and width, but the upper was not the same size. ) I measured webbing, and it turned out the new one was 5mm shorter on each side, meaning it is shorter by at least 1 cm as a whole shoe. I do not think this webbing will stretch out, unlike the entrance of the shoe. I realized that the sole design is also a bit different, so they might have changed the design a bit since it has been 4 years, or it might be just not being consistent.

I've never put on a pair of shoes and found them too tight and narrow until I put on these. The footbed is outstanding. The lift in the heel is what I dream of--I need this drop in all my shoes, and it's very hard to find outside of running shoes. It's a nice secure, cushioned footbed with all the right features. But--all this is lost on the inflexible material and shape of the upper. The material does not give even a tiny bit. The toe box is really shallow. So my feet feel like they are in a vice. Ouch! Didn't they test these out? Please, please, please, make this sandal with upper material that gives a little stretch. I cannot rely on the bungee cord alone for give in the upper. All that said, I will hold on to them until I've had a change to walk around the house more. Maybe some miracle will occur and they'll adapt to my feet. Hope springs eternal.