Gear Review: Keen Sienna MJ Canvas

After months of searching for the right shoe I finally discovered a match made in heaven. My feet are a never-ending pet peeve of mine as I have very flat feet and weak arches which inevitably has led to me needing orthotics. Now finding a shoe that allows room for them yet stylish and what I call "non-ugly" has been a challenge to say the least. I was looking for something primarily for summer use as it is the season for sandals and anything that bares your toes so that's the toughest part for buying for this season from Fall/Winter which is a little easier.

I knew in my mind what I had hoped for in the perfect shoe but had not yet set my eyes on the pair calling my name until this past weekend. I stopped in an outdoors store and there they were (and on sale to boot!) I reached up and pulled the sample shoe off the shelf and as I hoped it had an inner sole that could be easily removed allowing room for my orthotics. For anyone that wears orthotics you may have the same annoyance that you always have to rip the sole out of a brand new pair of shoes and often they can be fastened with glue pretty securely and you feel like you're ruining a brand new pair of shoes before ever having them hit the pavement for the first time.  With these magical pair of KEEN's it popped out with ease and I put my arch supports in. I knew they were it…but….they didn't have my size in the colour I wanted. I like a little colour in my wardrobe but when it comes to shoes I usually like to stick to neutral, multi-purpose colours so that they're versatile with my wardrobe and suitable for both work and play.

Off I went to the next outdoors store and there they were again and this time I was in luck. After flagging down an employee she quickly returned with my size. What were these amazing shoes you ask? They were the Sienna MJ Canvas in Dark Earth. Aside from the above mentioned reason for loving these shoes so quickly I also love the colour and texture of the shoe, the elasticized strap that's comfy and keeps my foot in place without having to worry about pull zips or a buckle of some sort. The reinforced toe is an added bonus to prevent wear and tear from everyday walking or if I happen to step off the sidewalk and onto the trails while wearing these shoes….what also helps in that situation is the rugged tread that of course other Mary Jane style shoes likely wouldn't have. 

I've retired most of my other summer footwear and continuously prefer these shoes over the others. They've proved comfortable for days where I'm spending the majority of the day walking during summer roadtrip exploring and even a little light hiking. I still appreciate the wider elastic band across the top, I find some shoes can have a very narrow strap which can cause some discomfort. The Sienna MJ 's have been a proven winner and I'll continue to wear them into the Fall.

The Sienna MJ's are available in Black/Black in the Canvas model, and Black/Black, Tortoise Shell and Gargoyle in the leather model. They are a low-profile type shoe and have a natural rubber and cork footbed and outsole.