Keen Roam Review | Lightweight Trail Shoe That Goes Everywhere (Except Slick Rocks)

Keen introduced its new  trail running shoe, Roam, to be an adaptive shoe for runners who hit multiple terrains in a single run.

From first trying it on, I felt the comfort of the cushion, and the ability to still feel where I was stepping. 

Keen is a brand known for making its shoes durable and creating shoes that go beyond one specific activity, while also being conscious of sustainability.

The standout feature is the 3mm tread pattern of rubber lugs. I like that these go in different directions, and the treads are plentiful to really provide traction. 

Keen Roam Overview

You’ll feel the comfort and the cushion from the moment you stand up in these, without it being too much that it would get in the way of feeling each step on the ground. The roominess of the toebox made it an even better shoe for being aware of your step and surface.

I first took these out for nine miles of my 14-mile long run on a road and grassy trail, slick with morning humidity and dew. I was surprised how comfortable the shoes felt from the get-go!  

When I went off-road to the grass trail, I could tell that the grass was wet by the splashes on my leg, but the sole of this shoe kept me confident on each stride.

A few runs later, I went on some slick rocks and it was quite slippery. While it’s great on most terrains, I’d be cautious on hikes or runs on terrains with bigger rocks.

On the road, it was responsive in a way that makes you want to keep running in them forever. I almost decided to keep wearing them for the full 14 miles, but decided to finish up in shoes I’m used to and see how I felt the next day. 

Spoiler: I wanted to wear them again the next day.

My absolute favorite feature, though, was that I didn’t need to break this shoe in! From the start, it was comfortable, responsive, and made me want to keep lacing it up to go out for a run.

I’ve mentioned that the cushion is there without it being all that you focus on – think cozy and springy. Keen used a high-performance QuantumFoam midsole, which they note provides comfort, responsiveness and durability. I think it absolutely does!

Also, the recovery period of this shoe was great if I needed to put it on and run or walk with it day after day. This could be because it’s still fairly new, but it can also be because of the midsole.

The QuantumFoam made the ride very bouncy and responsive – not necessarily a strict speedshoe, but keeps the momentum going.

I was really happy with the roomy toebox, but felt that the midfoot was quite tight (this was before I made any adjustment to the laces, though). 

Once I loosened the laces and retied them, I felt comfortable. The midfoot is a bit snugger than what I usually go for, and I don’t know if people with wider feet would feel completely comfortable in these.

I don’t usually go for darker shoe colors, but I actually love the way Roam looks! I received the color Magnet/Ballad Blue to test, but I think all three available colors (colors differ for men and women) are all very wearable. I’m excited to keep wearing these casually and with any color of casual or exercise outfit!

While they have plenty of room in the toebox, they don’t look like a wide or chunky shoe, which is very appreciated if I am taking these as my one shoe for a trip, for example.

Keen Roam Fit

I wore my normal size women’s 7.5 on Roam, and my feet didn’t move inside the shoe during any of the runs but still gave me enough room in the toebox and no constricting feeling. I’d say these are very true to size!

By looking at the heel and tongue padding, you can tell this shoe will be comfortable to slip on and have around the ankle. The tongue is a bit more padded than most, but it’s nothing that caused any discomfort or feeling of heaviness or overheating during runs or walks. It still provided great heel lock, without any digging or discomfort.

I’m also someone whose arch can get irritated if a shoe has too much arch support, so when I first read that Roam has a “contoured arch for midfoot support,” I was a bit worried on how I’d like it for any runs longer than 3-4 miles.

I actually did not feel the arch contour much, if at all, which for me was great. I’m intrigued on whether someone who is used to more arch support would feel the contour or not.

The tongue connects to the shoe with a liner on the inside that protects the foot from feeling the roughness of a breathable, but durable, upper.

Loosen the laces right away on these and adjust to how you like them, otherwise the shoe will feel tight on the midfoot. The malleable upper did let the shoes widen to fit my midfoot when loosening the laces, and that’s a plus because other shoes are restrictive on how much they actually will widen by playing around with the laces.

I did appreciate the grippiness of the laces too, subtle and efficient (and wish more shoes had these)!

Keen Roam Feel

One thing that does take some getting used to is the 6mm drop, especially if you’re used to higher drops or even high stack shoes. This is a very middle ground drop, so it’s shouldn’t take much adjustment if you’ve been in a 10mm drop, unlike going to a zero drop.

The upper is an abrasion-resistant synthetic material,  but you don’t feel the roughness due to the lining that connects to the tongue. It is very breathable and I had no issues in Florida fall heat and humidity (which is still pretty warm and humid)!

I think the design was really optimized to be a shoe you want to wear that also serves its purpose of being stable and protective on trails.

As for the upper, living in Florida has me wanting the lightest and thinnest material I can get my hands on. These were a pleasant surprise in breathability while also protecting me from the wet terrains during my morning runs – super happy about this, because it isn’t a waterproof shoe!

We haven’t had much or any rain here recently, so I wasn’t able to take it out to see how much it would keep water out or if it changed the traction on wetter runs.

I did take these on longer and shorter runs, mostly easy effort but also with strides at the end. I also wore them for walks and even for a couple strength workouts at the gym. The versatility, while staying comfortable for all of these, is a huge pull to take these everywhere!

It’s worth its $165 price tag, in my opinion, and I can definitely see myself taking these with me on trips where I have to pack light and need to use one shoe for many different activities!

The biggest question is if the tread pattern will really last Keen’s claim of over 925 miles, and I’m not sure if we’ll find out, because I don’t know if the cushion or even upper of any shoe would last that long.

I do want to mention that Keen brands themselves as a conscious shoemaker and explain various initiatives on the website about how the company harvests and sources materials to make durable, PFAS-free shoes in efforts to “detox the planets,” in their words.

I think these initiatives are really cool to see in a brand, and something I hope more brands follow suit in their own ways. This is also something that Keen does that positively impacts my personal view of the brand, as well as appreciation for the shoe.

Similar Shoes to the Keen Roam

Who Tried It?

Mayara Sanches loves all distances and finds joy in speedworkouts, party pacing or long trail walks. She really enjoys challenging herself on a fast or twisty 5k course, interacting with spectators for all 26 miles of a marathon, and training for all distances in between. As a personal trainer, she values gear that supports and fits people’s unique movement patterns and always makes a point to say that every person is different. The best way to see if something is right for you is to try it!

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