Merrell M2 Summit

Incredible boot. Just hiked 42 miles -- Cottonwood Creek to Mt. Whitney with full pack (48 lb start) and the boots held up admirably. In prep for the trip I tried a pair of Columbia's and they blistered my feet on 2 training hikes, then bought a pair of Vasque Clarion's and a stitch cut across the ankle in pain. The Merrell's were perfect. I tossed the insole and replaced with a Superfeet deep heel and used Thorlo Backpackers with liners along with J&J blister pads for the tough ascents and didn't even get a hot spot in 7 days of wear.

Highly recommend these boots for even some tougher hikes. Good boot for someone who is a weekend backpacker with an occasional longer trip and doesn't want to spend $200+ on a boot that they don't wear often. Lots of toe scratches but that's to be expected. I waterproofed them with silicone liquid and had no leak problem crossing many, many creeks. The Vibram sole held up well and gave lots of traction on the tough parts. Thanks Merrell.