Boulder Trinidad Bodhi Newport

May 24, 2005 Peachy Keen Not since the first Teva hit the pavement has a men's activewear shoe made such a significant forward stride. Enter the new "protective sandals" from Northern California-based Keen Footwear. Engineered to the hilt, Keen shoes emphasize water wearability and toe protection. Even their flip-flops have sort of a rubbery toe-cap on them. Depending on how you plan to use your shoes, you can choose between a mostly leather upper or a synthetic one. The leather ones have the advantage of being, well...leather. While the synthetic ones are built to withstand time underwater. While the company calls its Newport style "the foundation of the Keen Footwear line" we don't particularly love it. Not as much as, say, the Boulder, which is sort of like a tennis shoe with open windows. And the Bohdi wins for its the-future-is-now sandal cum clog appeal. Please, no socks with these bad boys. But you knew that, right? Keen Footwear is available locally at Nordstrom, REI or Sport Chalet (takin' it to the limit!). But you can also buy them on the Web at Zappos.com.