Review: Merrell Moab GTX Shoes

- Product provided for the purpose of review, thanks to outdoorkit.co.uk - 

I was lucky enough to receive the shoes just before heading off to the West Coast of Scotland for some chill time and walking, they were lived in for the duration of my visit and I think slept in at one point! Here's my review of the Merrell Moab GTX shoes, I hope you enjoy!

Manufacturer's description: "Be prepared for any adventure with the Moab GTX hiking shoes from Merrell. In this newest style of the Moab hiking shoe, the addition of Aegis antimicrobial-treated Gore-Tex lining add a new level of cloudburst protection and comfort. Whether stomping through mountain streams, traipsing through morning dew or caught in a downpour, these Gore-Tex hiking boots will keep you warm and dry on any trail, no matter what Mother Nature's up to."

First impressions:

Waterproof hiking shoes - a great idea but one that doesn't tend to live up to expectation. There's something about the safety of a boot which a shoe will never provide, 4 inches between my dry sock and that wet puddle is not enough to ease one's moisture paranoia but after having a nose around the shoe I was up for seeing how well it could handle the Scottish countryside. Two big brands and well tested technologies back up the Merrell construction; Vibram and Gore-Tex, both are great with footwear so my thoughts turned to the manufacture process, the quality testing and the overall design of the shoe.

The Moab uses a pretty standard outdoor shoe "setup": Dura leather, synthetic leather, solid lace, GTX lining and Vibram sole. Tried and tested or old and faded? The shoes appearance is standard, nothing fancy here but it'd be nice to see some manufacturers going out and mixing it up a little bit!

Anyway, a few positives... A great fit out of the box, really good level of comfort and the lace positioning is spot on - it really brings the shoe in and makes my foot feel secure. Good grip from the sole too.

Out and about:

Comfortable on tarmac, grippy on muddy trails and a joy to wear over rough and steep ground. I've been really impressed with how well the shoes have handled a mix of terrain, they are versatile and great to walk in.

The Moab GTX shoes eating up the mud.

Perhaps a drawback is their level of initial comfort, by being quite soft out the box they run the risk of being an easily broken shoe - this is something that's hard to review, the longevity of a product, even in our well regulated industry can vary from batch to batch. Only time will tell.

Positive points:

• Great comfort straight out of the box
• A brilliant lacing system
• Trusted Vibram sole 
• Reasonable pricing

 Not-so-positive points:

• A very soft feel to shoe suggests that they may last as long as other "tougher" shoes.

 Thanks for reading, I'd like to thank outdoorkit.co.uk for the opportunity to review the Merrell Moab GTX shoes. If you'd like to keep up to date with what they're up to then check their facebook or twitter.