Keen Koven Vs Targhee

Lightweight hiking shoes should fit you well and be very durable. You don’t want to step on something like a rock and have it pierce through your shoe or be very uncomfortable as you walk the trails.

You need a shoe that can provide you with miles and miles of tough wear. The shoes should be comfortable and waterproof, and they should fit within your budget.

As you consider whether to buy the Keen Koven or the Keen Targhee shoe, make sure you think about your particular hiking habits, whether you will wear them mostly around town or in the yard, and how much you have to spend on shoes.

Each of these shoes has received some mixed reviews, so you want to go and inspect the shoe yourself to be sure that they not only fit but that they meet your expectations for quality and price.

Keen Targhee Video Review

Materials

The Keen Koven is made of waterproof leather, and it features a rubber sole. It is a lace-up hiking shoe with breathable mesh on the upper with a padded collar and a tetra polyurethane stability shank.

Additionally, it has a removable EVA footbed and a compression-molded EVA midsole. This shoe also has multi-directional 4-mm lugs. A protective toe bumper increases the shoe’s durability.

The lace-up closures give a good fit, and a gusseted tongue with Keen’s dry membrane technology in the shoe keeps your foot dry. The shoe also includes heel and tongue pull loops to help you get it on more easily.

The Targhee is similar and is also made of leather and has a rubber sole. It also has a heel pull to make getting the shoe on and off easier.

This shoe has a torsion stability ESS shank as well as a padded tongue and collar. It features a lugged outsole as well.

Comfort

Some users have said that the Kovens tend to run a bit small and narrow, but others have said that they run a bit big. Your best bet is going to be to actually go to the shoe store to see what size works best for you.

One user who blogged about the shoe found that it fit quite well both with think and thick socks. This user also felt that the deep treads helped safely navigate wet and mossy rocks.

On the other hand, stiffness and a slippery sole on linoleum floors have also been reported as comfort issues for the Koven, although some reviewers have said that it’s quite flexible.

The Targhee has also been reported to be stiff by some and flexible by others. The heel on the Targhtee tends to slip around for some wearers, despite tying the shoes tightly. The Targhee is reported to run a half size small. The toe box is small for some users.

Specifically on the Targhee shoes, the sole has foam cutouts that were designed to make the shoe lighter, but they are susceptible to damage, according to one reviewer. The durability of this shoe is not as good as it should be, according to some wearers.

Keen shoes, because of their waterproof leather and rubber, tend to not be breathable. Your foot may be dry from the elements, but there is a good chance it’s going to get hot. This may just be the nature of waterproof hiking shoes in general.

One reviewer found that the Targhee shoes let deeper water into the shoe, so neither shoe may be great for fording rivers since they both have similar waterproofing technology.

Price

The Keen Koven shoe tends to be cheaper than the Targhee. That can vary significantly, however, depending on vendor. So check around in your area and online to see who has the best price for the shoe you want.

>>Check Keen Voyageur Review here

>>Check Keen Durand Vs Targhee

Final Verdict

Keen has made these shoes quite similar. They can both be used for the same purposes, and which ones you ultimately choose really will depend on your personal preference about appearance, fit, and price. For some people the fit is not right, and for others it’s perfect.

Some reviewers have said that they are flexible because of the fabric instead of leather or rubber where shoes tend to be stiff, but others have found them to be quite stiff and uncomfortable.

As far as durability goes, the results generally indicated that they are good shoes for middle-of-the-run use.