Hwikek
10-03-15, 18:05
A little over a year ago I was looking for a new pair of boots. I would be spending a fair amount of time outside in uneven terrain and considering my current pair were Tactical Response Gear boots that had an insole missing after years of ownership; I was in desperate need of some improved footwear. After looking through a variety of boots I finally found a pair of Merrel MOABs that would encase the ankles at Fred Meyer that in store seemed to be pretty good. They were comfortable, fit well, and didn't give the impression that they were loose in the back every time I took a step. Being fairly new to boots but having heard good things about this style before I was optimistic that these shoes would work well for me.
However I was a bit skeptical that they would work after having owned another pair of boot like shoes made by North Face that after trying to walk around in them for a day left me with feet so painful that I couldn't walk comfortably until the next day. With that in mind I took these new boots out around the block for a cardio workout, which was more than I had done with my previous North Face pair. After a satisfactory outing, in terms of the boots not my running, I was quite willing to give them a shot at being used for more difficult terrain.
The first time I really was able to test out the boots was when I helped a local F&W biologist set up equipment to try and collect data on local herpetological specimens. That day I walked through vernal pools, small bodies of water that appear only during spring rain and dry before summer, across some slightly rolling hills and up a hiking trail. The boots managed to become completely soaked after the depth of the vernal pools proved to be deeper than the height of my ankles. However I could easily say that my feet remained very comfortable despite the fact that it had been a while since I had been that active outside of the "urban" areas where I live. The boots did not seem to "trap" the water that soaked into them and hold onto it like some shoes I've used before. Instead they felt not much heavier than when I had put them on and by the time I got back home around 5 PM they had mostly dried out. Then during the summer I continued to use my new boots to hike around setting up trail cameras with a F&W intern.
These areas were off of both frequently used and seemingly abandoned logging roads with moderate to no upkeep and with the areas right off the road mostly light forest with occasionally heavy moderate undergrowth. However getting in and out of these areas was often a bit difficult due to the steepness of the terrain. Many times we had to deal with slopes that were steeper than 30 degrees, sometimes approaching an incline of 55 degrees. Getting up these types of slopes wasn't the most difficult hiking I have ever done but it did help to confirm for me that my boots were extremely well suited to this type of activity. I never experienced any uncomfortable pains or soreness in my feet despite traveling up steep inclines and having my feet rest at awkward angles. The boots were comfortable and had held up well with no signs of serious wear or structural concerns. What came next though was a much greater test for these boots.
For the last portion of the summer I went a few times with hydrologists from the BLM to collect samples, set up equipment, and scout areas where previous work had been done. The first time I went out with them we were looking for hazardous trees near the road that needed to come down. Working on this project required getting up to each individual tree to mark, flag, and measure them. Getting up to these trees was quite an issue for me as most of them were up inclines that were between 60 degrees and close to a true vertical. Since we had to hike up to each one it required a lot of time and bent knees to complete the work for the day. Most of the terrain was well established forest floor and was fairly solid footing when I first stepped on it. But in many sections the footing would wear down to loose dirt and rock that slid out from under you as you tried to move up the slope. Coming back down was much worse. Throughout all of this my boots were scrapped against a lot of material, trees, logs, snags, rock, bushy plants, and fallen debris. After finishing with all of that my knees were feeling particularly sore. Being forced to have my knees fully bent for longer than I normally stretch and the having to use that to lift myself up terrain was more than I was used to. Luckily for me my feet felt fine after that whole ordeal and I feel confident In saying that this was due in large part to the Merrel MOABs.
Not long after this I went again with the BLM to set up equipment to monitor turbidity in streams that were the focus or restoration projects. The terrain here was more forgiving on the knees but ironically more difficult to walk through as most the soil was really just a thin layer of organic debris on top of loose rock of a seemingly metamorphic nature. I also spent a lot of time walking along creek beds on a variety of differently shaped rock. I found that with my Merrels I could rest my foot at an angle on a rock for minutes, take my my foot off, and feel no discomfort in my foot, ankle etc. The boots held up just fine to this and to more mundane tasks like landscaping and lawn mowing.
After doing all of this I learned quite a bit about what the level of quality that goes into a pair of Merrel boots. I can't say enough about how comfortable these are, I don't think I've ever worn another pair of shoes that was this comfortable and under the number of terrains that I walked and jogged through I was surprised to see that these boots stayed at that same level of comfort keeping my feet happy even when the rest of my body was feeling the toll. These shoes are still in very good shape as well. For all the burrs and "snaggy" plant life I walked though the finish looks about the same as when I bought them, though the color is more dusty. Even the laces seem to be doing pretty well with very little wear despite often being covered in burrs.
However I do have a few things that I am not completely happy about with these boots. The first is that they do not seem to keep dirt out to almost any degree. My old boots from Big 5 did a much better job of not letting in dust and debris of that nature. Even just taking the Merrels on a small trip to do yard work often left my socks blackish gray to dark brown on the bottoms. I'm not sure why the Merrels let dirt in so easily but I believe it may be related to their fast drying as I think whatever drainage has been incorporated into the design also allows dirt to freely enter.
Another issue I had is that the laces easily got snagged when I was out and about in the woods. The laces seem to be of very high quality and I say this because when most laces would come undone these would not, and for me that was not always a good thing. Specifically this caused me to actually trip and fall when the loop of my left boot's shoe lace got caught on a log. The lace held up perfectly, as did the knot, and unfortunately for me that meant I took a tumble. Luckily I didn't try and brace my hands against the ground or I could have been injured and I thank my instruction in martial arts and watching a cop show on Animal Planet for helping to prevent this. I don't know if I can fairly blame the boot for this or if it is just how new I am to hiking off trail in forests that do not have dead wood frequently removed.
One final issue I had is that foxtails and various stabbing plant seeds became thoroughly embedded in the upper portion where the foot enters. Not only that but these plant structures easily entered into the inside of the boot where my feet reside. However if that should detract you from buying these boots, then I'm afraid you will never find a satisfactory pair. Any boot that claims otherwise must be either some part of a Hazmat suit or the work of a potential industry scam. I somewhat doubt that any shoe that is not part of a sealed system could ever keep out this type of debris.
All in all I have to say that these boots are remarkable. They are very comfortable, durable, aren't very visually appealing, and well worth the initial investment. A pair of boots that can just be put on and used for hiking is rare but at least in my experience, Merrel MOABs fit the bill.
However I was a bit skeptical that they would work after having owned another pair of boot like shoes made by North Face that after trying to walk around in them for a day left me with feet so painful that I couldn't walk comfortably until the next day. With that in mind I took these new boots out around the block for a cardio workout, which was more than I had done with my previous North Face pair. After a satisfactory outing, in terms of the boots not my running, I was quite willing to give them a shot at being used for more difficult terrain.
The first time I really was able to test out the boots was when I helped a local F&W biologist set up equipment to try and collect data on local herpetological specimens. That day I walked through vernal pools, small bodies of water that appear only during spring rain and dry before summer, across some slightly rolling hills and up a hiking trail. The boots managed to become completely soaked after the depth of the vernal pools proved to be deeper than the height of my ankles. However I could easily say that my feet remained very comfortable despite the fact that it had been a while since I had been that active outside of the "urban" areas where I live. The boots did not seem to "trap" the water that soaked into them and hold onto it like some shoes I've used before. Instead they felt not much heavier than when I had put them on and by the time I got back home around 5 PM they had mostly dried out. Then during the summer I continued to use my new boots to hike around setting up trail cameras with a F&W intern.
These areas were off of both frequently used and seemingly abandoned logging roads with moderate to no upkeep and with the areas right off the road mostly light forest with occasionally heavy moderate undergrowth. However getting in and out of these areas was often a bit difficult due to the steepness of the terrain. Many times we had to deal with slopes that were steeper than 30 degrees, sometimes approaching an incline of 55 degrees. Getting up these types of slopes wasn't the most difficult hiking I have ever done but it did help to confirm for me that my boots were extremely well suited to this type of activity. I never experienced any uncomfortable pains or soreness in my feet despite traveling up steep inclines and having my feet rest at awkward angles. The boots were comfortable and had held up well with no signs of serious wear or structural concerns. What came next though was a much greater test for these boots.
For the last portion of the summer I went a few times with hydrologists from the BLM to collect samples, set up equipment, and scout areas where previous work had been done. The first time I went out with them we were looking for hazardous trees near the road that needed to come down. Working on this project required getting up to each individual tree to mark, flag, and measure them. Getting up to these trees was quite an issue for me as most of them were up inclines that were between 60 degrees and close to a true vertical. Since we had to hike up to each one it required a lot of time and bent knees to complete the work for the day. Most of the terrain was well established forest floor and was fairly solid footing when I first stepped on it. But in many sections the footing would wear down to loose dirt and rock that slid out from under you as you tried to move up the slope. Coming back down was much worse. Throughout all of this my boots were scrapped against a lot of material, trees, logs, snags, rock, bushy plants, and fallen debris. After finishing with all of that my knees were feeling particularly sore. Being forced to have my knees fully bent for longer than I normally stretch and the having to use that to lift myself up terrain was more than I was used to. Luckily for me my feet felt fine after that whole ordeal and I feel confident In saying that this was due in large part to the Merrel MOABs.
Not long after this I went again with the BLM to set up equipment to monitor turbidity in streams that were the focus or restoration projects. The terrain here was more forgiving on the knees but ironically more difficult to walk through as most the soil was really just a thin layer of organic debris on top of loose rock of a seemingly metamorphic nature. I also spent a lot of time walking along creek beds on a variety of differently shaped rock. I found that with my Merrels I could rest my foot at an angle on a rock for minutes, take my my foot off, and feel no discomfort in my foot, ankle etc. The boots held up just fine to this and to more mundane tasks like landscaping and lawn mowing.
After doing all of this I learned quite a bit about what the level of quality that goes into a pair of Merrel boots. I can't say enough about how comfortable these are, I don't think I've ever worn another pair of shoes that was this comfortable and under the number of terrains that I walked and jogged through I was surprised to see that these boots stayed at that same level of comfort keeping my feet happy even when the rest of my body was feeling the toll. These shoes are still in very good shape as well. For all the burrs and "snaggy" plant life I walked though the finish looks about the same as when I bought them, though the color is more dusty. Even the laces seem to be doing pretty well with very little wear despite often being covered in burrs.
However I do have a few things that I am not completely happy about with these boots. The first is that they do not seem to keep dirt out to almost any degree. My old boots from Big 5 did a much better job of not letting in dust and debris of that nature. Even just taking the Merrels on a small trip to do yard work often left my socks blackish gray to dark brown on the bottoms. I'm not sure why the Merrels let dirt in so easily but I believe it may be related to their fast drying as I think whatever drainage has been incorporated into the design also allows dirt to freely enter.
Another issue I had is that the laces easily got snagged when I was out and about in the woods. The laces seem to be of very high quality and I say this because when most laces would come undone these would not, and for me that was not always a good thing. Specifically this caused me to actually trip and fall when the loop of my left boot's shoe lace got caught on a log. The lace held up perfectly, as did the knot, and unfortunately for me that meant I took a tumble. Luckily I didn't try and brace my hands against the ground or I could have been injured and I thank my instruction in martial arts and watching a cop show on Animal Planet for helping to prevent this. I don't know if I can fairly blame the boot for this or if it is just how new I am to hiking off trail in forests that do not have dead wood frequently removed.
One final issue I had is that foxtails and various stabbing plant seeds became thoroughly embedded in the upper portion where the foot enters. Not only that but these plant structures easily entered into the inside of the boot where my feet reside. However if that should detract you from buying these boots, then I'm afraid you will never find a satisfactory pair. Any boot that claims otherwise must be either some part of a Hazmat suit or the work of a potential industry scam. I somewhat doubt that any shoe that is not part of a sealed system could ever keep out this type of debris.
All in all I have to say that these boots are remarkable. They are very comfortable, durable, aren't very visually appealing, and well worth the initial investment. A pair of boots that can just be put on and used for hiking is rare but at least in my experience, Merrel MOABs fit the bill.