text: I have a pair of the standard Keen Whispers and have loved them.  My last time wearing them was canoeing 10 miles down a river.  They look casual and are sufficiently protective as street shoes, then easily transition to full immersion for boating and water activities (rafting on the Chattooga... Yeah!!).<br /><br />After reading other reviews that mentioned that these run smaller, I ordered a half size up.  These are still a bit short for me, though I really can't figure out why, unless the absence of a heel strap allows the foot to slip back, giving the perception that the shoe is too short?  And another problem...I have very flat feet.  I mean really flat.  I thought the pull cord would allow me to cinch these tighter so they would fit even me.  However, when pulled tight enough to feel snug, the straps on the sides sort of ballooned outward.  Then when walking in them, the elastic wasn't strong enough to hold them onto my feet so I got the characteristic slapping sound as if I was wearing flip flops.<br /><br />While I love my original Keen Whispers, they didn't transition well to a slide for me.  If they were much less expensive, I would just exchange sizes and keep them, but at this price, I need to like them much more than I did so these will be returned.  Take a look at the pics attached.  The gray/taupe/lavender sandals are at least 3 years old and have visited several rivers and lakes in their lifetime.  They are holding up very well.  The gray whispers that seem to fit well are size 8, the black slides that feel too short are an 8.5.  Go figure!<br /><br />If you found the information in this review to be helpful, please click &#34;yes&#34;.  Thanks!!