Bought these because they fit my wide duck shaped feet. Pulled off a piece of the lacing hardware the first week and had to take them back for repair. Abused them over the next few years. After the first year, one of the rubber toe covers delaminated and tore. The boots were pretty comfortable for backpacking and running around town for the first couple of years. After that the leather near the toe began to tear through near the toe (probably from neglect/improper care) and it felt like the plastic reinforcing inside the heel of one of my boots had split and was rubbing me unfavorably.

Customer Service

Gary Kings had the lacing hardware replaced, no problem.

I have no complaints about the comfort and support these boots offer. Top notch in my book. But they do have one real inherent weak point. Where the outer tongue attaches to the boot merrel seems to have cut corners and used mesh instead of leather. Even after waterproofing, after walking through damp rush you can feel the moisture starting to seep in. Eventually after a few hours your feet are soaked. C'mon merrel, if you are going to build a boot that looks and acts like a tank, don't put in such a shoddy job where nobody looks when purchasing.

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None

Just finished a 5 day hike in these boots over various Canadadian West Coast conditions and with a 47 pound pack.
The fit and comfort was very good throughout, however the toe rubber is starting to delam a bit and the lacing hardware is showing some stress.
These boots arn't as tough as I would like, and I found them slippery on wet rocks. However they were comfortable and required very little break in.

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Garmont - Trail
Very sturdy, tuff boot.
Felt good initially but still torture my feet on longer days even after significant break in.

Complains: A little clunky, a little heavy (about 3 lbs. 13oz.), tred pattern can hold too much material and cause loss of traction, eyelets are a known problem.

Honors: Warm, comfortable, supportive, great rocker action ( if used like Native American's say, walk on the front of the foot=less fatigue), long wearing soles, love that toe reinforcement! No soreness or rubbing even though I sweat alot and am silly enough to wear cotton socks ( just changed to wool). Must use gators in ankle deep snow or wet conditions. No trouble on rocks, rock walls, streets, or trails.

Yes, there are places to hike "mountains" in New Jersey. I can run or light-medium weight backpack with these no problem. I find that these boots like fluid motion, which is a very efficient method of walking, as oppossed to say basketball.

BEWARE OF CHEAP COPIES!! Recommend authorized dealers.

Customer Service

With the first pair I had, an eyeletet broke just after purcahse. EMS replaced them no problems. Second pair still going strong.

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Hi-Tek Magnums, my favorite boot, period. Soles are the best, but wear very quickly on rocky trails. All other surfaces excellent.

Sneakers of any kind are abominable. Short lived and BOY! do they stink after they get wet.

Having just purchased my shoe and wearing
it to work for 1 week, I find them comfortable and nice looking. The fit is perfect, no hot spots and they keep my heals in place perfectly. Since I have not yet used them for hiking or backpacking, I can not comment how they perform in these conditions. When summer comes around I will definitely test them out, I will there after return a comment.

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Asolo, Vasque, REI Spirit GTX

Nice fitting boot for narrow to normal widths. Will need thin volume socks for wide feet. Nice three season boot, for moderate loads on trails and with some off trail capability. Not really set up for monster loads or extended hikes.
Waterproofing OK, but are not watertight. Even with plenty of Nikwax, on day two of three day rainy hike, the boots became sodden, and filled with water by end of second day. I think the toungue design is inadequate for very wet conditions.
General construction good, and speed soles have a nice rocker to them and feel good throught stride. Also, the slightly lighter weight feels good at the end of the day.
Nice light to medium duty, for not overly wet conditions, and with light to moderate loads.

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Vasque
Merrell Wilderness
Danner Shasta

I had hoped these would be better than they turned out to be. Merrell boots usually fit my low/ mid volume feet quite well. But theseturned out not to after break in. The boots have kind of a clompy feel. making one feel a bit uneasy on rocky trails. Also the are cut a liitle low at the ankle causing 2 problems. 1) The tongue and tongue cover hit low on the front of the ankle causing pain by the end of the day. 2) Not enough ankle support. The overall construction and materials are not up to the usual Merrell quality. I got mine very cheap at REI and I am still not happy.

Customer Service

N/A

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Other Merrell boots, Vasque. Lowa, Brixia, Galiebia.

As far as boots go, these aren't spectacular. However, I found them to be comfortable and have not had any really significant problems with them. My pair has lasted well despite considerable use.

Customer Service

none

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Various Merrell and Nike models

I'm in my third season in the Merrell M2 Superlight. If Merrells fit your feet, as they do mine, this is a fine boot at a good price. My number one boot test is to ask myself if I think about the boot while I'm hiking. If you are constantly thinking about the boot or your feet it means there is a problem. If you forget you have them on, then the boot is a good one. The Superlights fit well with no blisters or hot spots, they provide adequte support for a loaded pack or for off-trail scrambling, and the soles have decent traction, much better than my old Merrell Ultimates. After two summers of moderate use, the sole and uppers are wearing well. My only complaint is the over/under tongue and lacing system is a little finnicky, you can't just yank on the laces and go. Make sure to keep them well-oiled, as the leather seems to dry out pretty easily.

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Fabiano's, Merrell Ultimates

I have had these shoes for a little over one month. So far they have performed very well. They are very stable when hopping from one large rock to another. The ankle support is also very good for a light shoe. Time will only tell how well they wear.

Customer Service

none

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