Keen NXIS EVO Mid walking boots review: for pacy trekking on solid trails (not so good in boggy mud)

Also available as a hiking shoe, the Keen NXIS EVO mid offers additional ankle support for trekkers taking on slightly more technical trails and/or multi-day escapades while wearing a pack.

Specifications

• List price: $180 (US) / £140 (UK • Gender availability: Male / female • Weight (per boot): Men’s 429g / 15.13oz; women’s 353g / 12.45oz • Materials: Performance mesh upper with TPU overlays, KEEN.DRY waterproof & breathable membrane, speed-lace webbing system, breathable textile lining, removable PU insole, compression-molded EVA midsole, KEEN.ALL-TERRAIN rubber outsole • Colors: Men’s: Magnet & Bright Cobalt / Forest Night & Dark Olive / Triple Black and more; Women’s: Black & Blue Glass / Olive Drab & Silver Birch / Vintage Indigo & Harbor Gray and more • Compatibility: Three-season hiking, trekking and fastpacking with or without packs on peaks and trails; good for hut-to-hut hikes, weekend adventures and day walks in non-muddy conditions

The core piece of DNA in the NXIS EVO family is the innovative KonnectFit heel-capture system, which loops right around the back of your foot and works with the laces to supply a super-secure grip across your heel and forefoot area, providing complete confidence with every step, even on rough terrain while wearing a pack.

The upper chassis has a knit mesh finish, and the Keen NXIS EVOs are waterproof and breathable thanks to the brand’s own KEEN.DRY membrane.

Cushioning comes from a compression-molded EVA midsole. Keen’s signature oversize toe bumper has been scaled down quite significantly on this model to reduce weight, but there’s still ample foot cover.

This is definitely one of the lighter and less protective and aggressive models in the Keen boot range, however, and it’s aimed at people who prioritize staying nimble and moving fast across less challenging landscapes – such as long-distance trails – rather than attempting difficult hikes in really tough or muddy, boggy terrain. The 4mm multidirectional lugs on the boots’ outsoles are adequate for easier escapades in most conditions, but they’re not aggressive enough for anything too epic.

There’s a lot of flex across the length of this boot, which will suit some people (they’re almost as soft and bendy as a trail-running shoe). But if you prefer a more rigid boot that will provide better foot support and more advanced performance while edging around rocks and ascending more technical peaks, then the Keen NXIS EVO Mid isn’t really for you.

Although I wouldn’t take these boots too far off the beaten track, used in the right conditions and on the trails they were designed to tackle, the NXIS EVO Mids are ideal for day hikes in the hills and multi-day backpacking escapades along reasonably technical but well-defined sub-alpine paths from early spring through to late fall.

Quick and easy to put on, they feel fantastically light and comfortable on my feet, and the innovative heel-lock genuinely does enhance the fit and fills me with confidence when ascents and descents get gnarly.

The biggest test I’ve given the Keen NXIS EVOs so far was during a four-day fastpacking adventure along the West Highland Way in the north of Scotland in late October. It was wet and wild the entire time, and the boots did get waterlogged after a while, but they still kept me warm and comfortable. The compression-molded EVA midsole supplied decent amounts of bounce and cushioning, and the lightweight build meant I could travel quickly.

Aside from the fact that they got soggy, my biggest concern about the design of the Keen NXIS EVOs is that in wet and muddy conditions, such as I encountered in Scotland, the external knit mesh accumulated loads of dirt, which impacted performance, was fiddly to clean and made me question the longevity of the product. I think this model is best suited to drier climes such as Colorado, rather than the oft-soggy landscape we have here in the UK.

I’ve appreciated using them a whole lot more in better, benign conditions, when I can move along the trail at a good pace, enjoying the secure hold the boot has on my foot and the perceptible feedback from the trail you still get through the outer and mid sole.

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