User Review: Merrell Wilderness

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

Reviewed May 28, 1997 by an anonymous hiker

Rating:
Materials: leather
Use: heavy pack
Break-in Period: none
Weight: 5 lbs
Price Paid: approx $200

These boots looked good and felt great when I put them on. There was no need for a break-in period. I started packing in them as soon as I got them which was in the spring of the year. In July I wore them for a week in Rockie Mountain NP. They were very comfortable but started looking like they might be coming apart. In August I wore them on a one week backpacking trip on Isle Royale. While there, the boots started coming apart at the sole. The leather between the sole and the uppers was coming apart like wet paper. The piece of leather that covers the back of the heal was doing the same.

I returned the boots and got another pair, they were as bad as the first. I exchanged this pair for a third, also bad. I gave up the chase... Later that year I was telling a fellow I met about my problems and as it turns out he had met the same problems with his Wilderness boots.. So to date I have not met anyone with a good pair of these boots. Its really sad though, they look good and are very comfortable, but the quality just the pits,,,, stay away from these things!!