Merrell Men's Moab 2 Mid Gtx Hiking Boot

I purchased my first pair of Merrells a few years ago and instantly feel in love with the quality of the brand. They are comfortable, durable and the vibram sole is great for keeping sure footing when hiking and in the outdoors.That being said, the last model of Merrells has a few design flaws that left them a little wanting. They were not waterproof past a few weeks of owning them and even then they only kept dry if you got them a little damp or briefly stepped in a puddle. For the majority of the time I owned them, though, they soaked through easily in wet conditions. The inside of the heel also wore through rather quickly and the seam along the outsole began to part after a few months of moderate to heavy use. I wouldn't consider the latter two issues so bad considering that they happen to most shoes after prolonged use. The biggest problem was the poor waterproofing.I can say, however, that Merrell has addressed all of these issues with the new model of Moab hiking shoes, particularly in the waterproofing department with these Goretex ones. The heel is made of tougher but just as soft material that wont wear as quickly and the seam along the outsole is tighter and better secured than before. Most importantly, my feet stay dry no matter how much water I walk through or even stand in. You can tell that the shoes do take in a bit of water if you completely submerge them repeatedly but the layers of moisture wicking material in the mesh fabric parts of the shoe keep any moisture from getting too your feet. I have taken these Merrells hiking in rain and heavy snow, walked through half frozen creeks and along the frozen shores of Lake Erie. They stay bone dry and even keep my feet reasonably warm in freezing temps as long as I wear thick socks. Additionally, Merrell has slightly improved upon the design of the treads. I have gone up steep snowy forest trails and climbed rock formations and the vibram soles grip better than my last pair. On a looks note, the new Merrells look sleeker and the smooth Goretex material looks quite nice in my opinion.All in all, the Merrell Moab 2 GTX is a well made, quality, waterproof hiking shoe that is worth the price. I couldn't be more pleased with my purchase. I can't say if the non Goretex Moab 2 hiking shoes are as waterproof but they are likely just as well made and at the very least very water resistant. If you're looking for the quality but at a lower price, they would be a good bet.

I work a trade and I’m very hard on boots. I wear these while I’m working and I wear them for hiking. Needless to say they get a lot of use. With extreme abuse, they last me about eight months. Granted by the eighth month there is no tread left on the bottom. Considering that I’ve paid way more money for boots that have lasted way less time that’s pretty good. They are really comfortable and lightweight. They are good quality. Up until the very end of their life they are pretty waterproof. These are a really good value for the price. The most recent pair I’ve had for about a year and I will enclose a picture.

I bought these to compare with a new pair of Merrell's Moab 3 light hikers. Both were available in the wider width I need and can rarely find. Both are true to size but the Moab 3 might be *slightly* longer. Both feel like you'd expect a light hiker to feel, with a pretty stiff and rugged sole, and both are comfortable on long walks. The tongue on both is a bit stiff and needs to break in; they pressed on the top of my feet and were a bit uncomfortable until they'd been worn a few times. The biggest difference between this and the Moab 3s is in the waterproof lining. The Moab 2s have genuine GoreTex, and the Moab 3s have Merrell's own waterproof fabric. And, after wearing them all day, you'll notice the difference: my feet feel comfortable and dry with the Moab 2s, and noticeably sweaty in the Moab 3s. Over the years, I noticed this in all Merrell's shoes, and now spend the money for genuine GoreTex if that option is available.

I love the look and feel of this shoe. It looks a little clunky in the product photo, but in person it looks smaller and more aerodynamic. It's a comfortable shoe, and supports my ankles well.I chose this version because other waterproof shoes tend to lose their effectiveness after a while, and I (maybe wrongly?) assumed that goretex shoes didn't loose their water resistance. In second half of winter I could walk through deep snow and not get wet at all. I hadn't even expected these to work as snow boots, but they did! In spring and early summer, that continued, but then suddenly after having the shoes 6 months, I started to have issues. Now, I don't wade in water or do anything extreme, but just walking through early morning wet grass -- now I can feel wetness inside the shoe. The shoe is not damaged in any way, just the waterproofing doesn't work anymore. And worse than that, unlike other waterproof shoes, when these get wet, they stay wet -- they never seem to dry. They get wet at 7am when I am out with the dog, then they sit in the warm/dry house all day, and are still damp when I put them on to go out at 7pm. To me that is worse than just waterproofing wearing off. Normal shoes that get damp but not soaked will at least dry in a couple of hours. So even though the shoes are physically holding up so far (Merrill having a reputation for long lasting shoes), the feature for why I chose this specific model not only no longer works, but is worse than a non-waterproofed shoe.The other annoyance that I have had since the beginning -- the shoe laces do NOT stay tied, no matter how tight I secure them. They must be double knotted, and occasionally even those loosen over time.Overall, for the price and reputation, I'm disappointed. Truth is, I had the expectations that they would last me a full year before starting to have issues. Oh well...EDIT: While the shoe did lose its waterproofing way too soon in my opinion, and started to look ragged... Ultimately it lasted 18 months before the outsole started to separate from the rest of the shoe. I guess I could glue it, but 18 months is a pretty good time to retire a daily work shoe. The laces broke about a month earlier, and I replaced them. Because of this, I'm raising my original rating from 3 stars to 4.