Small kids don鈥檛 give a shit about gear. They don鈥檛 care about brand, they don鈥檛 care about color, and they don鈥檛 care whether they tear, stain, or dent anything they鈥檙e using. They just want whatever they鈥檙e wearing to be comfortable and functional while they rip around on playgrounds, through mountains, and in the backyard.
In some ways, they鈥檙e the ultimate gear testers, and over the years I鈥檝e figured out which pieces of gear will put up with the unending abuse. One standout is the . The brand sent my daughter an orange pair three years ago and she walloped them for over a year until her feet got too big. Now my son wears them and he鈥檚 dragged them through Baja, Moab, and daycare for months straight.
I鈥檓 not going to claim the shoes are still 鈥渓ike new,鈥 but even after years of wear, they鈥檙e in great shape. I can鈥檛 say that about any other brand of shoe my kids have ever worn. Most other kicks are dead after a couple months, but the Chandlers just…keep…going.
To find out how Keen does it, I called up Daniel Raes, 27, a designer for the kids鈥 line. According to him, the recipe is fairly simple. Keen takes the proven designs and materials it鈥檚聽used in adult shoes and scales them down for kids鈥 models.
For example, the Chandler聽gets a rubber sole similar to the ones on聽Keen鈥檚 hiking boots,聽like the Targhee聽II,聽which is made to last for hundreds of miles. The shoes also use a similar high-strength mesh that breathes but won鈥檛 tear when your kids go scrambling over rocks, and double stitching in high-wear areas prevents premature delaminations.
At the same time, the Chandlers are also kid-specific. They come with features like an extra-wide toe box that allows for growth. There鈥檚 also the Velcro closure tab that makes the shoes easy to get on and off. Finally, the shoe is flexier and lighter than an adult model so there鈥檚 no break-in time and the kids have slip-on comfort.
鈥淲e design every kids鈥 shoe聽to be really versatile,鈥 Raes said. 鈥淲e want kids to be able to slip our shoes on, head out the door, and chase any adventure they want.鈥
My son will likely outgrow his first pair of Chandlers in about a month, so we already have a new pair at the house. I鈥檓 excited to pass his used ones on to a friend. There鈥檚 no doubt the new recipient will find creative ways to give that old pair a beating, but I鈥檓 sure the shoes will put up with it.