Meet KEEN Astoria West: The Women’s Wedge Sandals Built for Creek, Camp, and Town

KEEN is best known for rugged hybrid sandals that are part shoe, part water sandal — and the KEEN Astoria West are a modern, women-specific edition of what the company does best. The Astoria West are modeled on the iconic Newport — the same durable, webbed hybrid sandals that landed the company on the map 17 years ago. (Yes, it has been that long.)

KEEN-Astoria-West-profile-next-to-water

The KEEN Astoria West, a hybrid sandal built for women.

KEEN kept the best qualities of the hybrid sandal for the Astoria West, including a rugged toe bumper, non-slip outsole, simple shock-cord lacing, and the webbed design that allows your feet to breathe while offering impressive, shoe-like comfort.

KEEN-Astoria-West-outsole

KEEN’s water-ready outsole.

Then it updated it with a women’s specific fit (made by women, for women), eco-friendly materials, a quick-dry lining, and removable EVA insole. The Astoria West was built for women who want a one-and-done summer sandal. Take it to the creek, to the campsite, and wear it all day around town.

See the KEEN Astoria West

Unique Features of the KEEN Astoria West

One claim to new-age fame of the KEEN Astoria West is the eco-conscious push in materials. This is happening with brands all over, but with a shoe company the size of KEEN, it has a real impact. Part of KEEN’s Consciously Created line, the Astoria West has a handful of recycled components that greatly reduce the impact it makes on the environment.

1-1-KEEN-Astoria-West-lace-tying

The bungee lace-lock system of the Astoria West is made with recycled PET plastic.

The Astoria West uses recycled PET plastic, most commonly found in water bottles, for a number of its components. PET plastic was used to create the bungee cord and lace-lock system. The upper, which is durable and water-friendly, is also made of recycled PET.

Another big update is the ECO Anti-Odor that KEEN now uses. Sandals like this, which are built for all-day use in hot and wet climates, have to combat stink somehow. The new anti-odor tech uses a natural probiotic that breaks down the odor in your sweat without the use of any heavy metals or hazardous chemicals.

KEEN-Astoria-West-front-in-water

Water sandals built for all-day use.

A Woman’s Touch

The KEEN Astoria West are made for women, by women. Because of this, they have a dialed in fit. The main feature here is a wedge heel, which provides a bit of lift, making it feel like other women’s shoes, and a lot of cushion for all-day activities. KEEN also narrowed the Astoria West’s front toe box (which is notoriously wide) in order to fit women’s feet better.

KEEN-Astoria-West-foot-placement-closeup

The updated, narrower toe-box of the Astoria West is built for women’s feet, which are often narrower than men’s.

It’s a crazy comfortable, almost bouncy shoe that you can use to hike, walk your city’s streets, and paddle down a river. KEEN included a stability shank to create this support, yet the shoe remains lightweight, at just a pound per pair.

KEEN-astoria-west-sandal

The wedge heel provides more lift and cushion for all-day use.

The outsole uses KEEN’s Aquagrip rubber for excellent wet-rock traction, and you can slip them on with one hand. For active, water-borne women in warm climates the Astoria West is ideal.

See the KEEN Astoria West

Who is KEEN?

KEEN is one of the largest outdoor shoe manufacturers in the world. Hiking shoes, boots, and sandals make up their product line, and water sandals are at their core. They are known for innovative product with distinct styling.

See the KEEN Astoria West, and learn more about KEEN.


This article is sponsored by KEEN.

Backpackers.com Affiliate Policy: This guide contains affiliate links, which help fund our website. When you click on the links to purchase the gear we get a commission, and this goes a long way to creating guides, gear reviews, and other excellent content.

Sponsored Post

This is a Sponsored post.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *