Why I Love My Keen Bali Sandals

I can't stand having anything between my toes, which means I do not tolerate wearing flip flops or thong sandals for more than five minutes.

This has caused quite a problem in my search for fun and functional summer shoes, since every casual style these days seems to have one of those silly big-toe dividers.

Thank goodness I found the Keen Bali Sandal. I bought these sporty shoes online for a recent trip to Hawaii, and never took them off my feet. Here's why I love them.

The aforementioned missing toe divider. The slide style is perfect for me. There's enough material (water-friendly webbing) that covers the top of the foot, so it doesn't fall off when I'm chasing my kids on the beach or schlepping gear to the pool.

The Keen Bali Sandal comes in super-fun colors. Mine are "Process Blue" with Yellow stitching. But there is Emerald Green/Fuschia and Periwinkle/Mango combinations, among many others.

Keen footwear is typically true to size. I discovered this when I bought the Newport H2 style for my kids online; sure enough the water shoes fit their little feet perfectly. But I was a bit wary when I ordered my own, so I chose to have a size 8 and 8.5 sent to me. Sure enough, the 8 (my typical size) fit just great.

The Bali style has that recognizable "patented toe protection" Keen is known for. Sure, sometimes I look down and think, "Man, my big toe looks huge!" But most Keen shoes have that rugged black rubber bottom that curls up to cover (protect) the big toe. I think it's funny; it makes me smile.

I can wear the Bali sandal everywhere. At least on a beach vacation, anyway, I found myself wearing these slides to the beach, to the pool, shopping, sightseeing and out to dinner. They look good with shorts, a sundress, capris and a bathing suit and flirty cover-up skirt. I'm sure this summer I'll wear them to the neighborhood pool, grocery shopping and picking my kids up from day camp.

They're easy to clean. Since they are made of rubber and polyester webbing, the Keen Bali sandals can be rinsed off in water easily. Sand, sun and chlorine didn't seem to harm them at all on my recent trip. Plus, they dry quickly.

If I had to change anything about the Keen Bali sandal, it would be its price. Since the shoes retail for $60 (though you can find them online for cheaper) I'm not about to run out and buy a second pair this season (though I would love those green ones). Maybe next summer. Or perhaps I'll try another style from this rugged and sporty shoe manufacturer. I know my initial pair of Keen footwear will not be my last.