Merrell Boots

[ec.hiker]

DOes anyone have any exp with merrell boots there isn't a shop around here that sells them so I can try them on and I am ordering some. I am a size 10 I am ordering a size 11 to give a little rroom for foot swelling. I am worried they run big or small and I might be ordering the wrong size. Depending on were I order them ( where I find the best deal ) I might not be able to send them back So does any one know if they run s little small a little big. I have read one review and the guy said he normally wore size 10 and had to go to a 9 to get a size that fit. Another I read said they were the perfect fit.. Id really like to here from some people on here thanks!!


Merry Chistmas

[Sierra Echo]

I personally hated them. I ended up losing a toenail because of those boots. I ended up going with Keens cause they fit my wider foot perfectly. Some people just love merrells.

[jerseydave]

I own a pair and to me, they seem to fit true to size.

Personally however, I don't think I myself would order shoes online.
I buy EVERYTHING online, but shoes IMO need to be tried on and walked in before I spend my $100 (or more) on a pair.

[ec.hiker]

What I try to do when ordering any kind of shoe online is find a local retailer go try the shoe on then order it after I know the fit. Noone around here sells merrells. I have found a pair I really like for a really good deal so I am going to order. If they end up not fitting I will add them to my (extra gear for a buddy closet) Where all the gear goes that I have gotten to fat or to skinny to wear my weight fluctuates dramaticly through out the year going from 150 to about 220 in the winter. It sheds off the following summer. Well has so far I am worried it won't shed as easy the older I get!!

I own a pair and to me, they seem to fit true to size.

Personally however, I don't think I myself would order shoes online.
I buy EVERYTHING online, but shoes IMO need to be tried on and walked in before I spend my $100 (or more) on a pair.

[Cabin Fever]

I have found that Merrells are pretty true to size as long as you are buying normally. I bought some size 12 low tops from Sierra Trading Post for my size 11 foot and they were very tight. I ended up sending them back for a 13. This is a bad reflection of their true fit because my other 3 pairs fit wonderfully. Just be careful of closeout type deals.

[Sly]

I've had a couple pair of Merrell boots but now just mainly buy their trail shoes and they've all fit true to size. I think their normal width is D. It's probably a good idea to check out the return policy before buying. Some places it's free, others it cost almost as much as the product itself.

[weary]

What I try to do when ordering any kind of shoe online is find a local retailer go try the shoe on then order it after I know the fit. ....!!

Just recognize that local retailers are gradually disappearing as a result of your practice. I personally have never been able to let myselt use a local store to check out what I need, and then order the item from a lower price international business. Somehow it doesn't seem like a fair way to save a few bucks. I have sometimes used the mail order price in an effort to talk the local retailer down a bit. But in the end, I either don't buy the item, or I buy it at the shop where I checked it out.

[Sly]

Just recognize that local retailers are gradually disappearing as a result of your practice.

Weary I'll agree local retailers are losing sales and share to online merchants that tend to sell cheaper but lets not pretend the it's because people are trying in stores than going home and buying online. That's probably a very low percentage. Plus, a good salesperson should be able to close the deal if they've done their job properly.

[10-K]

I'm not the shoe police but my policy on shoes is if I need to go to a store for assistance I'll buy a pair there and order subsequent ones wherever I can find them cheapest (at a reputable place of course).

[ec.hiker]

When I can save a hundred bucks buying something online such as I am on these boots. I am going to do it!! I might feel bad taking it away from a cottage buisness but not from an over priced super retailer!! But I tell ya what if you want to shoot me the hundred bucks weary I'll buy them from that store. If ya can't afford to I understand cuz I can think of about a hundred places that money could be better spent most of them having to do withe my kid detting the foundation for those companies to have her buisness later on down the road!!~\ If that came off as me being standoffish sorry but clothing has some of the biggest mark up there is amd I am not really into being taught the moralities of keeping big buisness big! Ther

[weary]

When I can save a hundred bucks buying something online such as I am on these boots. I am going to do it!! I might feel bad taking it away from a cottage buisness but not from an over priced super retailer!! But I tell ya what if you want to shoot me the hundred bucks weary I'll buy them from that store. If ya can't afford to I understand cuz I can think of about a hundred places that money could be better spent most of them having to do withe my kid detting the foundation for those companies to have her buisness later on down the road!!~\ If that came off as me being standoffish sorry but clothing has some of the biggest mark up there is amd I am not really into being taught the moralities of keeping big buisness big! Ther

Sorry. I've never tried on shoes at "an over priced super retailer," mostly because I haven't noticed any around here that sells decent walking shoes. I guess LL Bean may qualify. But I began shopping there 65 years ago, when it was a loft located above its factory. The main Bean store is only 30 miles away, but I only stop at the main store when a major sale is underway -- and rarely even then. When I need something I stop at the nearby "factory" store, which sells returned goods and overstocked items for around half price. But most of my Bean purchases in recent years have been at the employees store, which my wife was eligible to use when she used to work there over the holidays -- something she (sadly) didn't do this year.

I also stop occasionally at a New Balance factory store, mostly because New Balance is one of the few shoe manufacturers that still makes shoes in this country. They have three factories in Maine, and at least one in Massachusetts.

[topshelf]

i've never been in more pain than the week after i hiked 100 miles in merrells. My merrell ventilators never ventilated and stretched an insane amount. I'll never buy a pair again.

but again others swear by the things.

[Harrison Bergeron]

My Merrel Phasers are size 10 and I normally wear size 9.5, so I'd say they fit true to size. A half size bigger worked right for me with a pair of thick hiking socks with a light pair of liner socks.

They've been good boots for me, but that doesn't mean they'd work for you. All I can say is that on my feet, they've held up well, needed no break-in, and don't hurt my feet.

You seriously need to make the drive to a store and try them on with the socks you plan to wear, in a store where they will have the patience to let you stomp around in them for a while. I tried on every pair of boots in the store before settling on these. There's a HUGE difference, even between different boots in the same brand.

[Sly]

i've never been in more pain than the week after i hiked 100 miles in merrells. My merrell ventilators never ventilated and stretched an insane amount. I'll never buy a pair again.

Have you hiked a 100 miles in any other brand of shoe? For many foot pain comes with the territory.

[topshelf]

Have you hiked a 100 miles in any other brand of shoe? For many foot pain comes with the territory.

I've done the same section many times. It is the section from Bland, VA to Damascus, VA. I have hiked it wearing Merrell's, about 10 times in Columbia boots, and twice in Keen boots. I have hiked it in various trail runners. I have never had any problems until I wore those Merrell boots last summer.

[daddytwosticks]

Talk about love/hate WRT the Merrells! I love my size 10 Merrell Ventillators. My normal size is 9.5 to 10. The 10's are snug, but no problem. I usually wear 2 light sock liners or one very thin set of synthetic hiking socks. I have 100's of trail miles on mine...no shrinking or stretching of the shoe. They are the mid-high models. Other than my New Balance trail runners (when carrying lighter weights), these are some of the most comfortable hiking footwear I've owned. Mine "ventillate" quite well, also.

[STICK]

I too have the mid height Moab Ventilators and I have been very happy with them. They are GTX lined and they have successfully kept my feet warm and dry, even standing in standing water. They have held up well to about 250 miles so far and since I take care of them properly, they still look pretty good. There is some small cracks in the soles but nothing to worry about yet.They may have stretched a little but not enough to alter the initial fit. I typically wear a size 11 in all leather boots, and then either an 11.5 or 12 in a boot that has padding. Since I planned on wearing a thicker wool sock, I picked up a pair of the wool socks I would be wearing with them at the shoe store and used them to try the boots on. (SmartWool medium wt hiking socks). I went with a size 12. I did however change out the insole. I bought a pair of the Dr Schoals Gel inserts and that was it for me. Wonderful pair of boots.

Granted the only other boots I have wore to hike in has been a pair of Lowas, so I do not have much to compare them by. But I do know this. The Merrells fit me good, protect my foot and ankle well and I have not gotten the first hot spot while wearing them. IMO, finding a boot like this can be hit or miss, and I was lucky to hit it on the head.

[Cookerhiker]

I bought my first Merrills in '07 in the middle of my Long Trail thruhike, buying them at my normal 10 1/2 size. They pinched the front of my feet some on the first 2 days but by the third day, they were fully broken in and never gave me any problems. I liked them so much that I replaced them this past year with another pair which didn't seem to fit as well but still have not given me any problems.

[Odd Man Out]

I love my Moab Ventilators (low top - not the GoreTex ones). Had them for several years. Done some day hiking and weekend backpacking. No long distance though. I even wear them every day all winter in Michigan. They are getting a bit worn. When I shop for new shoes, I always try on a pair for reference, and haven't found anything that fits me better. But of course, everyone's foot is different. They just fit me perfectly. It was add that the waterproof ones were not a comfortable. Too flexible in the front. Maybe it was just a bad pair?

[topshelf]

I'm sorry, I guess with all the great reviews I must be wrong or I must have gotten a bad pair or what not, I dunno...