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ec.hiker
12-25-2010, 17:01
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
12-25-2010, 17:54
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
12-25-2010, 18:05
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
12-25-2010, 18:14
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
12-25-2010, 18:50
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
12-25-2010, 19:04
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
12-25-2010, 19:29
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
12-25-2010, 20:28
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
12-25-2010, 20:32
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
12-25-2010, 22:31
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
12-26-2010, 01:02
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
12-26-2010, 01:37
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
12-26-2010, 10:05
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
12-26-2010, 12:33
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
12-26-2010, 13:21
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
12-26-2010, 15:44
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
12-26-2010, 15:59
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
12-26-2010, 16:33
I bought my first Merrills in '07 in the middle of my Long Trail thruhike (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=204987), 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
12-26-2010, 23:28
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
12-27-2010, 01:08
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...

Odd Man Out
12-27-2010, 01:39
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...

Shoes are so personal. What fits one person may not another.

Driver8
12-27-2010, 01:49
Yeah, Odd Man, I agree. I have a pair of Merrell Trail shoes and I wear them all the time. Their fit is pretty well true to size. My friend who has a pair of boots loves them. They're very comfy - there's a reason they're so popular. Not crazy expensive, comfortable, durable. But some will not like them, that's just life.

How far is it for you to go to Wilmington, EC.Hiker? You s/b able to find an REI or EMS there, I'd think. A bit of a trek, so I can see where you'd just order 'em online. Good luck!

Rocket Jones
12-27-2010, 07:42
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).

Ditto. :)

Rocket Jones
12-27-2010, 07:50
I tried Merrills, Keens, Vasques and more and nothing really fit right. The shoe guy suggested Asolo Fugitives, but he didn't stock them. He gave the names and places closer to my home where I could try them. Instead, I had him special order them and a few weeks later made the trip to try them on. They were perfect and I bought them.

Saving big bucks is fine, but if you can't wear them you haven't saved anything, you've wasted your money. Skimping on your foot care and footwear is just foolish.

Rocketman
12-27-2010, 08:31
I bought some Merrill "ventilators" while hiking the Superior Hiking Trail. They fit fine in the store, but trail walking resulted in great discomfort. It wasn't the fit, it was the lack of torsional stiffness with a great deal of ankle/foot twisting on the rocky portions of the trail. I replaced them with another brand that had greater torsional stiffness (tested by comparative twisting), and the alternative worked out well.

Subsequently, I encountered a different model of Merrill low cuts on sale (50%) locally which were nice and stiff in torsion. I wore them around the shop for about an hour and bought them. They have worked out well for me around town and during bike camping trips. I believe that they will work out well on backpacking trips. They look like a well made shoe.

flemdawg1
12-27-2010, 15:21
I'm another vote for find them somewhere and try them before buying (or order from a place with a free return policy). I had lusted for a pair of Merrell Moab Ventalator for over a year. I finally tried on a pair at REI and didn't like the fit. Glad I held out. YMMV.

rapchizzle
12-27-2010, 15:24
I have a pair of Merrell boots and have not been a huge fan. While I was guiding this summer my old leather boots went out so I bought some Merrells on a pro deal. As soon as I started wearing them , I developed terrible shin splints and was taken off the trail for a bit. I switched to trailrunners and they went away just as fast as they came on.

It's probably just the fit of that particular boot to my foot that did it but I'll be wearing trailrunners almost exclusively from now on.

Oogie Boogie
12-30-2010, 14:39
I've had a pair of Merrell's for years that I got second-hand. I tried them on, replaced the insoles with new ones, and have had to have them resoled once. They're the old one-piece uppers, all black, none of today's cheap crap. I love them, BUT I tried them on first and they fit my feel well. Apparently my feet are not the same size and sahpe as everyone else's.

My advice: worry less about brand names and more about what your feet feel comfortable in. Your arches don't care what the logo says, but if you can't walk, you're SOL.

BradMT
01-03-2011, 10:10
Shoes are so personal. What fits one person may not another.

Prezactly...