User Review: Merrell Grand Traverse

Merrell Grand Traverse
Above: The current Grand Traverse, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed June 30, 1998 by ZenMarmot

Rating:
Materials: Full Grain Leather
Use: Off trail
Break-in Period: minimal
Weight: 4lbs 2oz size 10.5 US
Price Paid: $175

I bought the Merrell Grand Traverse boots as my midweight boots--my other boots are an old pair of Raichle Spirits (REI now has the Spirit II boots, the latest edition) and a pair of Alico Everest leather mountaineering boots. You'll notice the trend to Full Grain Leather (FGL) here, so be warned of my bias.

The Grand Traverse is new for 1998, and as such I was a bit leary of buying them. However, I've had good luck with Merrells in the past, having owned a pair of low top trail shoes, hiking sandles, and a pair of semi-dress/casual mid-height walking shoes, all from Merrell (another bias warning).

My Grand Traverse boots are two months old, and now have about 100 miles on them. Most of those miles have been dry, but about ten of them were in

They're nice and snug in the heel and across the instep, yet provide plenty of wiggle room for my toes. (I've got a narrowish heel--Merrell switched to a narrower last round about 1994(?))

Overall, my initial impression (based on two months and 100 miles of hiking) is that these are great boots. I'll post more info with respect to durability after I've put a few more miles on them.

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