Keen’s Uneek sandals are certainly eye-catching, but look past their appearance for and we reckon they’re also be the perfect shoes for wearing in the campsite, or padding round a mountain refuge. They are light enough to throw into a backpack, incredibly comfortable and versatile enough to wear all summer long too.

The Uneek range of sandals started with one idea in mind: create shoes that mould to your feet. It was this which lead them to the unusual lace-like structure of the Uneek. Unlike any other footwear on the market these sandals take shoelace-like interlocking cords and tie them all around your foot from the centre to front.

“The cords flex with every step, fitting with the shape and movement of the foot, and holding the footbed on tightly.”

The cords flex with every step, fitting with the shape and movement of the foot, and holding the footbed on tightly. There are two types of cord: rounded and flat. In our experience the flat cord is more comfortable, has fewer pressure points and feels more stable. We wore these on a two-week adventure to baking hot Ghana everyday with no problems other than a day or two of rubbing. Within a couple of days there were no problems at all.

The new Uneek O2 is a development of the original sandals. It has the option for a closed heel: sandal at the front and trainer at the back, and is also even lighter than the originals at around 500 grams for a pair. The anatomical footbed is excellent with a contoured arch meaning it feels much more like a pair of trainers than a pair of sandals.