Keen Revel III Review

• Price: $160
• Purpose: Winter Hiking Boot
• Weight: 20.4 oz per boot
• Width: Medium to wider feet
• Incredibly warm in cold weather
• Waterproof
• Durable and grippy tread
• Nice clean style lines
• Hard to get a snug fit with lacing system
• A little roomy for regular sized feet, may bother some people

With Winter under way, having a warm pair of boots to keep your feet warm is essential for many of us who live in colder climates. The Keen Revel III Boots are designed to keep your feet warm and comfortable while still allowing for boot performance.

Keen Revel III Warmth – 9/10

Keen Revel III – Cuffs Up

One of the features in a “winter” boot that set the Keen Revel III hiking winter hiking boots apart from traditional hiking boots is that they have additional insulation to keep your feet warm, in this case Keen.Warm. This material wraps around the ankle which provides both warmth and support. The Keen Men’s Revel III is also waterproof through the use of Keen.Dry which helps trap heat in and cold out.

Having worn the Keen Revel III in temperatures down to -20F, I can attest that they boots keep your feet warm, just remember to keep moving. As I prefer not to go outside much at -20F, I usually tested the boots out in 0-30F with plenty of snow around. Through all the temperatures zones, I was pleased with the temperature of my toes and feet.

Keeping your feet Dry 10/10

I’ve tested the boots out while hiking in the snow, shoveling and snowblowing the driveway, walking through slushy city streets, and snowshoeing. Through my journey’s over the past 2 months, my feet have always stayed dry, leading me to believe Keen.Dry works.  To help keep the snow out, there’s also a gator ring on the front for gators or snowpants with a compatible gator ring. Since the boot doesn’t go up super high the gator ring comes in handy in deep snow.

Technical Features

If you plan to use these boots for technical use in the winter, such as summiting a peak in the winter or snowshoeing, there are a couple features worth noting. First, The metal gator loop on the front of the toe. On the back of the Keen Revel III is a hardened rubber protection layer. This is good to keep the leather from getting worn down from snowshoe straps. As with most Keen shoes and boots, there is an oversized rubber toe bumper to keep your toes protected and to keep the shoes from prematurely wearing down.

Boot Traction – 7.5/10

Keen Revel III Tread in Snow

For boot traction, the Keen Revel III works great in mud and dirt.  The bottom can fill up with snow pretty quickly in the snow, but I haven’t found myself slipping and sliding when hiking in the snow. Please keep in mind, if you’re hiking/walking in deep snow, you’ll get snow between the lugs on almost all winter boots.  If you really want serious traction, use winter traction devices such as Yaktrax, Kahtoola, Icetrekkers, etc.

Keen Revel III Style – 8.5/10

Keen Revel III with Snow Pants

For style, the nubuck leather of the Revel III provides a clean casual look. They look good with jeans and khakis, and you can even get away with them in the workplace in some scenarios.

Final Thoughts

The Keen Revel III winter boots can be a great option for many people, but it is important to know that Keen generally does better for people with wider feet.  This boot will be a better all around boot vs. a technical boot if you have normal width feet.  People with narrow feet, I would not recommend these boots. People with wider feet will enjoy the Keen Revel III and all their glory to the extreme.

For more information, visit Keenfootwear.com