Merrell Women's Pulse II

I got these boots on sale at REI and loved the fit, but sadly, they failed me after only ONE season of hiking.

All those cute little holes may make a nice fashion statement, but they are too susceptible to rock cuts. Once the outer layer was compromised, an apparent flaw in the stitching of the next layer had enough room to come apart, and the side blew out of my lovely, comfy boots, rendering them useless.

REI will refund or credit (even though they are off Merrell's warranty), but new boots are SO much more expensive that I'll still be paying for boots again this year when I feel I should have gotten at least 4 seasons from this pair of boots with the type of hiking I do. (Previous pairs of all-leather Merrell's and nubuck Montrails have lasted me around 10 years.)