Keen Men’s Targhee 3 Hiking Boot Review

Tabe of Contents

• Our Opinion of the Keen Men’s Targhee 3 Mids
  • Comfort
  • Support
  • Weight
  • Traction
  • Water Resistance
  • Durability
  • Overall Value
• What We Don’t Like About The Targhee 3
• Is the Keen Targhee 3 Right For You?
• Keen Targhee 3 Features and Specs
• Final Thoughts

Our Opinion of the Keen Men’s Targhee 3 Mids

When we first tried on the Keen Targhee 3, we immediately noticed that the boot was comfortable and flexible from day one. We didn’t need to spend hours breaking in the boot to avoid discomfort. In fact, the comfort was so great, almost close to a tennis shoe, that we ended up wearing this boot as a daily more so than other hiking boots we’ve tested.

We also couldn’t help but notice that this is an excellent looking boot. I liked the look so much that wearing it with a pair of jeans while out with my wife felt as appropriate as wearing it on the trail.

I wore my Targhee 3’s mainly while hiking in Superior National Forest. This is not mountain terrain, but an ever-changing terrain. It is very hilly, muddy, rocky, and wet.

Superior has thousands of lakes and therefore, lots of wet moss-covered rocks. I need hiking boots that won’t fail me while hiking over mossy stones. A slip while carrying 50-100 lbs can quickly mean injury and your hiking boots in this environment is one of your most essential pieces of gear. While using the Keen Targhee 3’s, I never felt as though I lost traction or lacked support.

Comfort

As I mentioned previously, the comfort factor of the Targhee 3 is easily one of its best features.

My feet stayed dry, warm and comfortable while hiking in muddy and wet conditions. They did not however overheat as is common with many waterproof hiking boots.

I have a wide foot, so the wider fit of the Targhee 3 was a pleasant surprise.

Keen has also decided to their footbeds with probiotic technology that naturally breaks down odor in your sweat without heavy metals or hazardous chemicals. A bad-smelling boot is not a boot that you can wear in as many situations as we wore our Keens.

Support

Keen touts a metatomical footbed design in the Targhee 3 which is referring to their foot sole that is anatomically designed to provide better support, especially around the first metatarsal joint (big toe).

I’m not going to pretend to be enough of a foot expert to know precisely how the comfort of the boot is achieved, but personally, the support in my Targhee 3’s felt great. If this is what helped provide comfort, then I’m all for it.

The upper portion of the boot is soft and flexible while not feeling as though it lacks any of the necessary support either. If you want even more support around the ankle, Keen’s unique lacing system allows you to tighten support around your ankle quite easily.

Weight

The Targhee 3 is not a heavy boot. It weighs in at 2.38 lbs. per pair at size 11. From my experience, this puts it on the lower end of average for a mid hiking boot.

Oftentimes, with more comfort, support, and traction, it’s easy to have a heavier boot. Keen did a great job keeping the boot light enough to be an excellent choice for lightweight backpacking or hiking.

Traction

I used my Targhee 3’s mainly in the Superior National Forest. I hiked through mud, hilly terrain, and most importantly wet, mossy rocks.

If you’ve done a lot of hiking, you know that mossy rocks are easily one of the biggest culprits of twisted ankles, sprained knees, and falls on the trail. I consider them one of the best tests for hiking boots. Can I maintain traction while carrying a pack walking over wet rocks?

The deep 4mm multi-directional lugs give the boots a fantastic grip that didn’t let me down at any point during my hiking and backpacking. They even held traction on the wet rocks on the portage trails in Superior.

Water Resistance

Often times, I like to get hiking boots that are breathable and allow both moisture and air to pass through the boot freely. Distinct situations where this is preferable is canoe camping where you are in and out of the water and need your boots to dry and drain quickly.

I like this because many waterproof boots don’t breath and eventually get wet when going through any water deeper than 3″.

The Targhee 3’s did not have this problem. They actually breathed nicely while still remaining waterproof.

My feet remained dry until the water got higher than ankle deep, which didn’t happen unless going through a flooded area. The Targhee’s actually have a flood height of 3.75 inches, meaning that in theory, your feet should stay dry in water up to 3.75 inches deep. Not a common occurrence with regular hiking and backpacking. But if you do plan on being in prolonged or deeper water, a taller boot may be required.

Durability

Admittingly, I have only been using my Targhee’s for about 6 weeks, but I have not seen any wear or damage that would make me believe that these are anything less than durable boots.

If you do experience any issues, Keen is known for one of the best warranties in the industry. They offer a 1-year warranty on all of their boots covering all major defects.

If you read the reviews on the Keen website, they seem to be very easy to work with for warranty issues. You can read their warranty details here.

Overall Value

Keen offers excellent value in its Targhee 3 boots at $150. The price point is still on the lower end for quality hiking boots and typically doesn’t buy you boots with such comfort, style, traction, and support.

What We Don’t Like About The Keen Targhee 3

As far as cons, I haven’t found many cons yet. Your feet will get hot in these boots, but I believe that relative to other waterproof boots, then venting is adequate.

The low flood point could also be viewed as a con as well. If you plan on being in deeper water, you should really be looking for a higher boot with 100% water protection.

Is The Keen Men’s Targhee 3 Right For You?

The Keen Targhee is a perfect boot for general hiking and backpacking. It will perform well for almost all types of hiking and backpacking.

It’s comfortable to wear all day, anti-microbial, and very stylish making it also a great daily wear boot if you like wearing something more durable.

If you plan on any winter camping, winter backpacking, canoe camping or mountain climbing, there are more specific boots for each of these. Check out the Merrell Moab 2 Vent, my personal favorite for canoe camping. If you do enjoy winter camping, check out our post on winter tent heaters.

Keen Targhee 3 Features and Specs

KEEN.DRY waterproof membrane	Speed hooks, for easy lacing
4mm multi-directional lugs	Cleansport NXT for natural odor control
ESS shank	PFC Water Repellant
Breathable mesh lining	Metatomical Footbed Design

Final Thoughts

I have actually enjoyed the Keen Targhee 3’s far more than I expected. They are my current go-to hiking boots as well as a common choice for daily wear.

For most campers, hikers, and backpackers, these boots won’t break the bank, should last for years, provide great comfort and be a great purchase.