{"id":42894,"date":"2025-06-16T14:56:30","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T20:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gearinstitute.com\/?p=42894"},"modified":"2025-06-17T07:06:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T13:06:47","slug":"merrell-beyond-the-moab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gearinstitute.com\/merrell-beyond-the-moab\/","title":{"rendered":"Merrell: Beyond the MOAB"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Speed 2, SpeedARC Matis, and Maipo Explorer Aerosport<\/h2>\n

The MOAB and its Siblings<\/h3>\n

The Merrell MOAB line<\/a> of hiking boots and shoes are the most popular hiking footwear on the market.\u00a0 Preceded in 2000 with the Mesa Vent models, the MOAB line, as we know it, was introduced in 2007 with the MOAB 3 variants being the latest models.\u00a0 Understandably, the exact number is proprietary to Merrell, but industry numbers floating around indicate that more MOABs have been sold than there are people in half the countries on earth.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d venture to say that nearly everyone who hikes or backpacks has worn them.\u00a0 I\u2019ve come to believe that one of the MOABs will be a good or near-perfect boot for 90% of hikers.\u00a0 After all, casual hikers, thru hikers, and hikers of all kinds choose a MOAB for their outdoor undertakings.<\/p>\n

\"The
The classic MOAB 3 in mid-height \u2014 Photo courtesy of Merrell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, Merrell makes a bewildering variety of other hiking boots and trail shoes (as well as even more casual, lifestyle, water, military, collaborations, and construction shoes and boots), and these have also become popular.\u00a0 Most of the newer Merrell hiking shoes are designed for \u201cfaster-and-lighter\u201d hiking, and Merrell sent three representative models for me to test.\u00a0 Here I\u2019ll compare the hiking experience in them to the MOABs that I\u2019ve been using regularly.\u00a0 All the provided models were low (shoe) style, so I\u2019ll compare them to the MOAB 3 low.<\/p>\n

Note \u2014 Merrell also makes the Rogue Hiker<\/a> for heavier loads and more demanding terrain than the MOABs are designed for.<\/p>\n

First: Busting Two Merrell Myths<\/h3>\n

The fact that Merrell boots usually provide \u201ccomfort out of the box\u201d \u2013 i.e., they don\u2019t usually need breaking in \u2013 is sometimes said to mean that they aren\u2019t properly supportive boots.\u00a0 Such a criticism may have been valid back when hiking boots weighed a few pounds each and were made of leather, leather, and more leather.\u00a0 But it\u2019s the 21st<\/sup> century and we use modern materials and construction methods now.\u00a0 Plus, MOABs are hiking, not expedition, boots.\u00a0 People routinely hike, and even through hike, in them, with the loads so required, and they perform well as millions of hikers can attest.<\/p>\n

Another criticism I sometimes hear is that because MOABs are so popular they can\u2019t be very good.\u00a0 This one is particularly galling.\u00a0\u00a0 It is a variant of a pernicious notion that success must be bad.\u00a0 With an engineering background I know that every design decision is a trade-off; the fact that MOABs meet the needs of so many hikers so well is a remarkable design achievement, not something to carp about.<\/p>\n

Evaluation Criteria<\/h3>\n

I\u2019m a day hiker these days, so I\u2019m be reporting primarily on day hikes in the various terrains available to me here in New England. \u00a0And, of course, I\u2019ll be describing the experience of hiking in these shoes for me<\/em>.\u00a0 I use them on dirt trails with roots and rocks, on scree, and on exposed rock.\u00a0 I hike stretches of these terrains with one model shoe on one foot, and a different model on the other foot.<\/p>\n

So you can make appropriate adjustments for your own expected experience you should know two things about my feet.\u00a0 While my gait is normal, 1) my feet are narrow and 2) my ankles are a little less stable than they used to be because of injuries and an ankle replacement. \u00a0Nonetheless, Merrell boots, which don\u2019t come in nominally narrow widths, usually fit me pretty well.\u00a0 And as interesting as I find the materials and technology employed, it\u2019s the actual hiking experience that I\u2019ll describe.<\/p>\n

There are many terms that are used to describe how a hiking boot performs: \u201cplanted\u201d, \u201cground isolation\u201d, \u201cstable\u201d, \u201ccushioning\u201d, \u201csupport\u201d, \u201ccomfort\u201d, \u201ctraction\u201d and \u201cfeel\u201d are perhaps the most common.\u00a0 But to me all of these translate into just a few characteristics.\u00a0 1) How secure is your foot when you land on uneven ground or rock?\u00a0 Does it feel like it\u2019s locked to the ground?\u00a0 2) How isolated are you from the rocks and roots that want to poke the bottom of your foot?\u00a0 3) How much does the shoe cushion your impact?\u00a0 Finally, traction can be important on rock (nothing helps too much on wet roots) and overall \u201cfeel\u201d is worth noting.<\/p>\n

All weights below are for a single men\u2019s size 11 shoe or boot.<\/p>\n

The Defenders \u2013 The MOAB 3 low and mid<\/h3>\n