Are tennis shoes Good for hiking

At our house, you will find this mama’s closet overflowing with KEEN shoes. From sandals to hiking boots, I absolutely adore every pair of KEEN shoes I own. In fact, my very favorite hiking boots are KEENs:

Ahem. But this post isn’t about my love affair with KEEN. It’s about the very first pair of KEENs to grace the feet of my Little Man, otherwise known as my little wild nature lover. Who better to try these out than him!

When KEEN contacted us and asked if we’d like to try out a pair of kid-sized KEENs, I grew giddy with excitement. It was perfect timing because a) school was about to begin and we were in need of some recess-ready shoes, b) I was recently just lusting after these shoes but unsure if we should purchase them, and c) Little Man was in dire need of some shoes that can keep up with his rough and tough lifestyle. If you haven’t noticed, we kind of enjoy the outdoors a little bit around here.

But now I have a confession. As much as I love my KEENs and as much as we spend time outdoors, I had never bought nice outdoor shoes for the kiddos. I know that sounds weird, but I used to rationalize that since their feet were growing so rapidly, we should just buy some inexpensive and lower quality shoes until they were a bit older.

Well, I’m here to tell you that those days are over. The difference between your average discount store tennis shoe and these kid-sized KEENs is night and day. What was I thinking?! As soon as I pulled these babies out of the box, I saw stars in Little Man’s eyes and even in my own. This boy was excited and I couldn’t get over how sturdy and rugged these shoes were. It’s like someone took my boots and shot them with a shrink-ray. In a word, they are awesome and I feel that they’re worth every penny, no matter your kid’s age.

Little Man has been wearing them to school and they handle the playground well. He says they are comfy, and I quote “I love my new shoes!” We took them for a spin out in the woods, just to make sure they could keep up.

They are good for climbing:

They are good for leaping:

And of course, they are good for running through the grass:

Little Man begs to wear his new shoes everywhere we go, which is great! So let me sum up what we love about these shoes:

• rugged and sturdy design
• features a water-resistant leather upper and a waterproof, breathable lining, making these perfect for creek crossings and mud puddle fun
• fit true to size
• comfortable