The two-part Keen drop is an ode to New York’s many sides, accessible by uptown and downtown trains, and created for Not In New York, Highsnobiety’s multi-faceted festival of culture celebrating the Big Apple. While these shoes are designed to honor New York, they’re built to explore far beyond city limits walls. The Jasper includes a protective toe bumper, flexible traction outsole, and cushioning cork-latex footbed that contours to the shape of your foot –– convenient features for mountains and rough trails alike.
The two-part Keen drop is an ode to New York’s many sides, accessible by uptown and downtown trains, and created for Not In New York, Highsnobiety’s multi-faceted festival of culture celebrating the Big Apple. While these shoes are designed to honor New York, they’re built to explore far beyond city limits walls. The Jasper includes a protective toe bumper, flexible traction outsole, and cushioning cork-latex footbed that contours to the shape of your foot –– convenient features for mountains and rough trails alike.
The two-part Keen drop is an ode to New York’s many sides, accessible by uptown and downtown trains, and created for Not In New York, Highsnobiety’s multi-faceted festival of culture celebrating the Big Apple. While these shoes are designed to honor New York, they’re built to explore far beyond city limits walls. The Jasper includes a protective toe bumper, flexible traction outsole, and cushioning cork-latex footbed that contours to the shape of your foot –– convenient features for mountains and rough trails alike.
The two-part Keen drop is an ode to New York’s many sides, accessible by uptown and downtown trains, and created for Not In New York, Highsnobiety’s multi-faceted festival of culture celebrating the Big Apple. While these shoes are designed to honor New York, they’re built to explore far beyond city limits walls. The Jasper includes a protective toe bumper, flexible traction outsole, and cushioning cork-latex footbed that contours to the shape of your foot –– convenient features for mountains and rough trails alike.
Last updated at 12/06/2025 12:08:27
originally posted on keenfootwear.com
Very spacious without being oversized. This is my first wide toebox shoe and it did feel a bit too large at first. However, after putting on other sneakers, I felt my toes constrict in the sneaker and craved the extra space. The Jasper Suede has become my new favorite, casual shoe. The cushioning is incredibly comfortable as well and paired with the wide toebox, the comfort is unmatched. I've also received many compliments. I guess it helps that I work at a climbing gym. 5 stars
originally posted on keenfootwear.com
BUY HALF SIZE UP. Was looking for more "barefoot/minimalist" shoes to have some rotation and came across these. they look great but didn't work for what i was looking for, even without the insole. they are comfortable but have a weird feeling at the base of the shoe (start of lacing feels weird on toes). they also make a sort of "slap" sound i wasn't fond of on harder flat surfaces. love the 1 mm drop and they look great but again, just not for me
originally posted on keenfootwear.com
About 15 years ago, GoLite,a now defunct outdoor clothing company, made the Lime Lite. I had 3-4 colors of this shoe. Several of those colors are now available in the Jasper Suede line. The Lime Lites had a padded tongue, not so the Jasper. I still have the Lime Lite in red. The Jasper is a decent shoe. Fit well right out of the box though the sole is not quite as supportive as I would have liked, nor are they as rugged. The Jasper has a funky lace up placement. I think it detracts from the look. I wound up re-lacing them abandoning the bottom most eyelets. The Jasper is true to size and the color offerings are unique which is what attracted me to the GoLites all those years ago. Overall I’d say the Jasper is acceptable.
Very spacious without being oversized. This is my first wide toebox shoe and it did feel a bit too large at first. However, after putting on other sneakers, I felt my toes constrict in the sneaker and craved the extra space. The Jasper Suede has become my new favorite, casual shoe. The cushioning is incredibly comfortable as well and paired with the wide toebox, the comfort is unmatched. I've also received many compliments. I guess it helps that I work at a climbing gym. 5 stars
BUY HALF SIZE UP. Was looking for more "barefoot/minimalist" shoes to have some rotation and came across these. they look great but didn't work for what i was looking for, even without the insole. they are comfortable but have a weird feeling at the base of the shoe (start of lacing feels weird on toes). they also make a sort of "slap" sound i wasn't fond of on harder flat surfaces. love the 1 mm drop and they look great but again, just not for me
About 15 years ago, GoLite,a now defunct outdoor clothing company, made the Lime Lite. I had 3-4 colors of this shoe. Several of those colors are now available in the Jasper Suede line. The Lime Lites had a padded tongue, not so the Jasper. I still have the Lime Lite in red. The Jasper is a decent shoe. Fit well right out of the box though the sole is not quite as supportive as I would have liked, nor are they as rugged. The Jasper has a funky lace up placement. I think it detracts from the look. I wound up re-lacing them abandoning the bottom most eyelets. The Jasper is true to size and the color offerings are unique which is what attracted me to the GoLites all those years ago. Overall I’d say the Jasper is acceptable.
These are a great combination of good structure, roomy toe box, and padding underfoot. Not too much, not too little, just right on all counts. I've experimented with a lot of shoes over the past year, because of plantar fasciitis (now gone, thankfully) and calcification under one heel (very light but annoying). These shoes are as good as the best that I've found. They were good right out of the box and getting better as I wear them in. And they look good, so when I end up at a little cafe after a hike I will look OK ; )
I just got my new Jasper shoes, and they're great. I can already tell they'll be a favorite go-to shoe, and probably forever. An hour after testing them, I ordered two more pairs.Aesthetic Design: I rock climbed a lot when I was younger. The Jasper shoe design echos with fuzzy warm memories for me from back then, only ... these shoes are super comfortable! I love the laces all the way down to the toe, the classic suede finish, and the daring color choices. I feel like the 'climbing shoe' design idea is one of those things that was just sitting there all along for years, and a Keen designer came along and grabbed it. Brill! It's a shoe that belongs with Keen and its ethos.Functional Design: Having neuroma issues, I have to look for shoes that either have an ... MoreI just got my new Jasper shoes, and they're great. I can already tell they'll be a favorite go-to shoe, and probably forever. An hour after testing them, I ordered two more pairs.Aesthetic Design: I rock climbed a lot when I was younger. The Jasper shoe design echos with fuzzy warm memories for me from back then, only ... these shoes are super comfortable! I love the laces all the way down to the toe, the classic suede finish, and the daring color choices. I feel like the 'climbing shoe' design idea is one of those things that was just sitting there all along for years, and a Keen designer came along and grabbed it. Brill! It's a shoe that belongs with Keen and its ethos.Functional Design: Having neuroma issues, I have to look for shoes that either have an internal insole that is anatomically perfect and nails all three arches (Main, Transverse, Metatarsal) ... like the Keen Newport sandal, or, is dead flat side to side across the forefoot, and very flat from heel to toe (no 'ski jump') so that they're orthotic friendly. The Jasper has a factory foam insole that can be pulled out and the structural footbed is indeed dead flat side to side, and has very little heel to toe curve. This makes them perfect for putting in your own custom orthotics. As an orthotic maker myself I look for flat footbeds. The Jasper has the ideal footbed. For those of you that buy insoles, it will make fitting these much easier for you. The other thing that is cool about these shoes is the laces all the way to the toe. If the toe box fits a hair wide, you can tighten them down. A hair tight, and you can loosen them. Can't do that with shoes that have laces that end at the mid-foot.There's only one small issue, but it's fixable at home: The leather tongue under the laces is made from two pieces, and there is a seam right above your toes. The two ends of the seam have heavy stitching, with 'knots' which can dig into your toes. If you remove the laces, the tongue flips out and you can snip out these knots.These shoes run a quarter size small, at the metatarsal forefoot (not a half size, and not a full size. Just a little small/narrow).
Very comfortable and so far they seem durable. I put them through a few hiking tests and they have held up well. I sprayed them with a protectant and they’ve cleaned up nicely. I recommend sizing up a half size at least, I usually wear 11 but went with 11 and a half with these and I’m glad I did. The lacing to the toe is a nice feature to ensure a good fit. Quality materials and craftsmanship as always with Keen., plus the style works with many pant styles for casual wear.
The Jasper shoe description included two sets of laces, and this was shown in the pictures for every color but Mink. I asked via the chat if the Mink color came with a second set of laces and was told sorry, no. I almost didn’t buy the shoe, but decided I could buy other laces.(Not a fan of the “look at me look at me” red laces).When the shoes arrived, there was a second set of laces (nicely colored to match the shoe) after all.Five stars for the shoes, minus one for poor information from Keen.
Great sneakers! These shoes are so comfortable. I am kind of conflicted - I want to wear them everywhere, everyday but want to baby them to make them last longer. These shoes are great for day hikes and I'll try them on my bicycle. I can't see anyone not liking these shoes.A quick note - I bought these from the Keen website. They arrived before promised and in great condition. There is no need to pad Bezos' pockets by buying them from Amazon. If you can't get them at a local retailer you can get them from Keen with zero problems.
I've been a longtime Keen owner, mostly of the the Targhee model but some others using them for both pleasure and work. I have found that through all my experiences Keen's shoes have been sturdy, consistent and reliable. They are made extremely well, holding up to any task, and fit true to size every time. However, after purchasing these shoes I have lost confidence in they're ability to design shoes outside the realm of a solid hiking boot. The materials used and the build of this shoe are absolutely bulletproof, after almost two months of rigorous abuse they look, albeit dirty, exactly the way they came in the box. The design though is flawed to the core! If you are looking for the sturdy supportive outsole, you'll find it has been completely abondoned. Every tiny ... MoreI've been a longtime Keen owner, mostly of the the Targhee model but some others using them for both pleasure and work. I have found that through all my experiences Keen's shoes have been sturdy, consistent and reliable. They are made extremely well, holding up to any task, and fit true to size every time. However, after purchasing these shoes I have lost confidence in they're ability to design shoes outside the realm of a solid hiking boot. The materials used and the build of this shoe are absolutely bulletproof, after almost two months of rigorous abuse they look, albeit dirty, exactly the way they came in the box. The design though is flawed to the core! If you are looking for the sturdy supportive outsole, you'll find it has been completely abondoned. Every tiny stone you land on will be felt. The trustworthy insoles with generous arch support are no where to be for, instead traded for a grossly over padded one with no support whatsoever. Suppose you're the kind of person who likes to exchange their insoles for superfeet or something similar, you'll find that they quickly cannot perform properly due to the poor, thin sole design. The tongues of these shoes refuse to stay put sliding down towards the toe at the very moment you start to walk, bunching up at your toes. Even during casual wear these shoes cause great distress to my feet, I can't stand in one place for more than a minute or two without soreness in my arches and heels. This shoe is a serious digression from the quality products that Keen has made and I am a fool for having trusted the usually very reliable reviews and reputation of the company having purchased two pairs, what a waste of money on shoes I can do nothing with. Buyer beware, stick to the Targhee, it's a wicked boot, even the meshy, low cut steel toe boots I where for work are a solid shoe, but these.... complete garbage!
These shoes are clearly descended from approach shoes. But i probably wouldn't use them that way. That's because theyre just too darn nice. Theyre as comfy as slippers. I don't think they'd make good hiking shoes. The sole is grippy like approach shoes. But it's also soft like approach shoes. So you'll feel every stone. So yeah, high end approach shoes. Even the 75 inch laces look like climbing ropes.About sizing:I mistakenly went up a full size as recommended. I had to return them for smaller ones. My mistake was comparing them my other approach shoes which generally run small.
