REVIEW | KEEN TERRADORA LEATHER WATERPROOF HIKING BOOTS

This review is of the leather version of the KEEN Terradora waterproof boots I raved about last summer. Those boots are light, as flexible as a pair of trainers, and super comfortable on concrete. I got them primarily for my commute to work and they have proved to be an excellent pair of shoes for the job – on and off the trail.

KEEN Terradora Leather hiking boots. Wet and covered in mud – the sign of a good day out.

The Terradora range is designed as a fitness shoe; not just hiking. I can confidently say, through months of wear, that the concept works – they are great for all kinds of activities that involve being on my feet. And so when KEEN brought out a version of the boots my feet loved in a seemingly more durable leather finish, I knew they were on to a good thing.

The leather version of the boots are pretty well identical to the material ones, other than being of leather construction of course. They have the same KEEN Dry waterproof and breathable membrane, the moulded collar for comfort, the cushion panel to take pressure off the achilles, the lightweight support, the super grippy rubber outsole, the removable insoles with arch support, and the well-researched women’s fit.

The removable insoles in the KEEN Terradora Leather make cleaning easy.

The first time I wore these on a long day hike – the 26 mile Harvest Hobble – I got blisters. I got caught out by the weather and rain got inside the boots from the top; and thanks to that waterproof membrane, that is where the water stayed for the rest of the day. Nice. Thankfully, once those blisters healed, I have walked miles and miles in these since then, including some serious commuting miles (at least 6 miles a day for over a month), and have not had any repeat offenders or even hot spots since then. They have been great for winter walks into town and I’ve been very happy to lace these up in the heat of this summer’s sun.

Part of my test set-up for West Highland Way.

Six months down the line and my KEEN Terradora Leather boots are looking well worn; leather boots never look new for as long as other materials – they get scuffed and the dirt soaks in. But I don’t mind that at all – I keep them clean (most of the time…), use a leather conditioner on them occasionally, and enjoy the battle scars as memories of fun times outdoors.

I think it’s fair to say that these are my go-to boots for light hiking at the moment; they live on the shoe rack by the front door ready for wandering, hiking, commuting, shopping, gardening, and anything else. During the couple of months that I was relocating earlier this year, these ended up being the only pair of casual shoes I had available for outdoors time and general wear, and I was very happy with that.

I do love my Terradora material boots but think I prefer these leather ones. They are equally as flexible, maybe a little bit heavier although that is negligible, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for an all-rounder. Would I wear these for a serious scramble or multi-day hike? Maybe not, but that is simply because I prefer something a bit more solid and higher up my ankle than these for that. For pretty much everything else, you have my word that these are a very decent choice.

Hiking boots and work dress. Yes?!

Find out more about the KEEN Terradora Leather women’s hiking boots over on the KEEN website.

Coming soon, my thoughts on the summer shoe version of the Terradora – the Ethos.

With thanks to KEEN for sending me a pair of the KEEN Terradora Leather Waterproof Hiking Boots to try out.