Merrell Women's Moab Mid Waterproof

These boots feel like a cross between traditional hiking boots and trail runners. The insoles are soft and the boots need no break-in period. They offer good ankle support as well.

When I first got these boots, I loved them. They were super comfortable and felt really good on my feet. The soles gripped well on granite and on the rugged trails up here in Maine. But as I wore them for longer hikes, I began to get blisters on my toes, the pads of my big toes, and even on the sides of my heels. The only way I could wear them comfortably was to tape all those areas with Leukotape. If I did that, I could hike in comfort.

After a multi-day trip on the AT, where it rained heavily, my boots were very wet. The waterproofing seemed to keep water in and not out. They never dried out and got really stinky. This was a definite disadvantage. After just one season of hiking I began to notice that the midsoles were getting flatter and seemed to be losing shock absorption. I was feeling more and more rocks on the trail.

Based upon the cost of the boots, I expected they would last longer. I did replace the insoles with Superfeet, as the stock insoles don't have much arch support. The ankle support was good and never gave me issues. I was delighted that they needed no break-in period, but then being plagued with blisters and hot spots, I began to dislike them more and more.  

I don't know if it is just the type of foot that I have that made these not the boots for me. I see plenty of folks on the trail with these same boots and they seem to love them. They just weren't the ones for me.

Nice day hike boot, but not as comfortable right out of the box as my other Merrells. Good support for a narrow foot.

I purchased these to replace my favorite pair of Merrell Moab Ventilators that were completely worn out and coming apart. These are a good boot but not as comfortable as other Merrells have been right out of the box, so they do require a break in period. They are a narrow boot so if you need a wide toe box or have flatter feet they are not for you.

They are waterproof which I put to the test on the first time out with some high wet grassy areas. They have good ankle support and a decent arch, and a good grip surface on the bottoms. I was surprised to find they are not very breathable and made my feet hot and sweaty, a price you pay for them being waterproof I suppose.

I have only owned them for about 6 months but they are holding up well with many summer hikes.

Great value, comfortable, visually pleasing.

Got a great deal on these at a Gander Mountain Close-Out sale. It's my second pair of hiking boots since I began hiking about a year and a half ago with my boyfriend. I wore out the first pair of boots (some lower end ones that we bought on sale to see if I even would enjoy hiking).

I've been wearing these to work to break them in before hiking in them. I have to say they really didn't need any breaking in. They've been a comfortable fit from the start. Ready to take them on the trail now.

I think the two greatest benefits so far are that they are easy to lace and tighten up (my old pair would become loose by the time you got to the top to tie them) and they are waterproof (previous pair was not).