Keen Detroit

[MtDoraDave]

At Rural King, they have Keen in stock.
What LOOKS like the Targee is called a Detroit.
What LOOKS like a Voyager is called a Flint(?) I think.
Are these the same or is there some difference.
BTW, the Detroit mid (Targee appearing) was priced at $145.
.
Anyone have any knowledge about this?

[Dogwood]

I'm a Keen Targhee low and Keen Voyaguer mid boot user. The Keen Detroit is different than the Targhee II low cut. The different Detroit models are more a working low cut with steel toe, internal Met guard(combats climbing runged ladders, working in pointed rocky environs, jumping on shovels all day, helps with stability), from what I can tell, is NOT WP, and is heavier. EH and ESD guard should be good working around flammables such as petroleum products, delivery of compressed flammable gases, welding, static electricity charges, etc. where grounding is important. I'd say much the same about the Fliny Low cut - more a working shoe.

I love mine for working in the field. But I will hike in the Targhee II on rough terrain, including traverses, and use the non WP Voyaguer off trail on lower daily milage outings. For example, on the SHR I used the more protective mid cut Voyaguers which I appreciated since I was only averaging 24 mpd ascending and descending sometimes steep passes.

There product line up has grown and, as you've found, IMHO too needs to be cleaned up.

[soilman]

I have a pair of Detroit mids steel toe and a couple pairs of low Voyageurs. The Detroit is a work boot. It is waterproof and comes with a steel toe or a soft toe. I wear my Detroits when I am cutting wood and working around the farm. I wear my Voyageurs when I am walking. It is time for a new pair of Detroits. The cloth lacing eyelets on both boots have torn so I am not able to snug them up like I used to. Keen has a extensive line of work boots.

[MtDoraDave]

Interesting. I have worn the Targee 2 for a couple years while hiking, and while I didn't have them side by side to compare, as I said, they looked the same. The ones I was looking at in the Rural King were the soft toe version and did indeed have the Keen Dry tag sewn on, just like my Targees. The tread was the same, too.

Several years back, I found a low version of a Keen on clearance at a local outfitter for $35 - it was my first Keen, and they were great work shoes for climbing on ladders. I usually wear athletic shoes at work (painter) but for days when I'll be on a ladder all day, the harder sole of the Keen were great in eliminating the foot fatigue I experience if wearing athletic shoes for the task.

It is time to replace my Targees, so if the consensus is that they are not the same boot as the Detroit, I'll stick with what has worked for me and get another pair of the Targees.

[MtDoraDave]

I just emailed [email protected] and asked them. I wil report back with their response.

[MtDoraDave]

And I got a response from Keen:

Hello David,

Thank you for reaching out to KEEN! The Detroit is very similar to the Targhee but it has safety ratings for our Utility customers. It does come in a soft toe as well as a steel toe, so it is essentially the same shoes but the Detroit has safety ratings that it must have to be offered as Utility shoe.

Hope I was able to answer your questions!
Michelle
E-Commerce Customer service

So it seems that the soft toe version of the Detroit could be used as a hiking boot, being essentially the same. If a person lives near a dealer (like Rural King) that stocks the utility versions of Keen footwear and not an outfitter that stocks the hiking versions, and has feet like mine that insist upon test fitting shoes (no mail order for me), then you could substitute the Detroit for the Targhee... just don't accidentally get the steel toe and the extra weight it brings to the party.
The safety rating process adds $10 to the price. The Detroits were priced at $145, where the Targhees are priced at $135.

[Dogwood]

Even without the steel toe you're looking at a 6 oz increase per shoe(12 oz for the pr) in wt taking on the Detroit compared to the Targhee. Hmm? Crossover work(utility as the Keen rep stated) to low cut hiker are certainly amendable but is the wt increase in what some perceive as already a substantial wt Targhee II needed for hiking?