We source 100% of our leather from environmentally preferred, Leather Working Group-certified tanneries because traditional leather tanning can be a dirty process. I wear them most days for two or three times mainly countryside walking and dog walking averaging 10 or 12 km a day so not excessive? Keen says the boots have ‘million flex goodness’, which I calculate equates to about 1,500km or 932 miles, which will get you from John O’Groats to Land’s End, with a bit to spare. Dry waterproof membrane which, when combined with the leather and plastic uppers, kept the rain, snow and water out during testing.

Keen Ridge Flex WP Women - idealo Keen Ridge Flex WP Women - idealo

We even took the time to watch and document the lacing and tying support system of the Keen Ridge Flex. Taking inspiration from flexible straws, bendy busses and, one would like to think, accordions, KEEN have added hard-wearing bellows panels on the areas of the boots that are prone to the most flexing, namely the area above and just behind the toes on the forefoot, and just above the heel on the back of the boot. The Keen Ridge Flex Mid WP uses a stability shank insert to provide torsional stability and give structure to the boot. It’s not every day that a boot comes along that’s agile enough to make steep terrain more manageable yet rugged enough to stand up to miles of loose, sharp shale. I wore them for many walks, short and long, until the weather warmed up and they began to feel a little hot.The leather sections of the uppers are quite pliable and are supplemented by tough-feeling plastic areas around the heel and lower forefoot sections. All-Terrain outsole has a pattern of 5mm multi-directional lugs and, as the name suggests, is intended to offer grip on a range of surfaces from wet grass to gravel, as well as offer good braking on downhill sections. Dry waterproof liner and a removable PU insole, and the EVA midsole provides comfort and cushioning as well as stability via its shank. This particular pair of Keen boots incorporate the company’s brand-new Bellows Flex technology, an innovative design idea that we reported on last month.

Keen Ridge Flex Mid WP Review | Tested by GearLab Keen Ridge Flex Mid WP Review | Tested by GearLab

Bellows Flex makes it easier to flex this boot, making them something to consider for longer trail-based adventures. The toe caps of these boots are coated in rubber to protect not only the boot from scrapes, cuts and abrasions.

The effort used in flexing a boot while walking is not something I would normally have considered, but having put a few miles in while wearing the Keen footwear, it does actually feel less effort, though that could just be a case of autosuggestion, of course. While repeated bending and flexing can cause regular boots to crack and weaken at these points, the KEEN. The membrane, combined with the leather in the uppers made the Ridge Flex Mid WPs feel quite warm, which was welcome on cool and cold days but less so on longer days when the temperature rose.

Keen Ridge Flex boots | LFTO - live for the outdoors First look: Keen Ridge Flex boots | LFTO - live for the outdoors

This feature allows the boot to flex in a spot where many other boots tend to rip or crack over time.Its innovative and unique (as far as I know) feature is the Keen Bellows Flex section at the base of the laced part of the boot, which is a rubberised area linking the forefoot with the ankle section of the boot, at the point where it flexes during walking. You do mention in your review that it is worringly thin, and that also crossed my mind when they arrived.