Merrell Men's Moab Ventilator Hiking Shoe

I bought a pair of these nearly 2 years ago at cabelas. I'm one of those people that buys shoes to wear. I don't want a closet full. I just want one comfortable pair that holds up and looks good enough to get away with wearing anywhere. I always dreaded the day my shoes would wear out because finding a new pair meant hours at store after store trying on whatever new styles there were to find the next pair. I tried these on to these 2 years ago when my last pair of whatever I had then had worn out. Oh we're the comfortable. So I bought them even though cabelas price was expensive. Since then I have worn them every day at work and at home. I teach wood shop to middle schoolers during the day and work as an EMT for the local ambulance squad on the weekends. These shoes were worn 10 to 12 hours a day at work in the shop, at home working on the house and in my own shop. They have been through many ambulance calls. I probably walk 20 miles a week between school and ambulance work and home which would mean the last pair I just retired had over 2000 miles on them. They have been worn to church and even a wedding. Even in the snow they are great shoes when boots are not required. Every day for nearly 2 years. Finally last week working at home in my shop I squatted down and the sole separated from the shoe. So I quickly ordered another pair. I could not believe they were still making them! Shoe companies seem to change styles every year. A company that was making the same shoes after 2 years. How wonderful. I was so pleased. Good price. Just arrived. Put them on. They fit exactly the same as my old ones. Same fit. Same comfort. Great traction and tread. Perfect arch support. And they look to be made with the same quality. Like my last pair, I'll treat them with water proofing spray. It really helps. And I'm hoping for another 2 years. Thanks Merrel for maintaining consistency and high quality in your products and not giving in to the pressure to change your product line everywhere. Photo attached is from the old pair. After 2 years and over an estimated 2000 miles of every day use. Updated 9/2017. Wore out the second pair. They lasted a good long time. So I ordered a 2rd pair. Still same great quality and fit. The new pair seem a bit softer on the top which I really like. Just wonderful shoes. Hopefully they will keep making them for s long time to come.

I am typically a high end shoe guy (you get what you pay for more often than not and if you take care of your feet, they will take care of you) preferring Lowa and other top brands. In this day and age, all the craze is waterproof and Gore-Tex lined footwear which is great except for the summer and hot weather locations. I know Gore-Tex is supposed to be "breathable" but my feet just cant take the heat inside those materials. They sweat profusely, much faster than the material can "breathe" away. All that moisture, with the added friction of hiking tears my feet up - some of the worst blisters have been from wearing great boots that were Gore-Tex lined in the heat. My answer has been to start wearing boots and shoes that are mesh and highly ventilated. Yes my feet get wet when I step in a puddle or cross water. But not any more so than sweating all day, and they dry much faster than in Gore-Tex boots. I think it is a good trade off. Hence the Moab Ventilator... These are not made for hiking heavy packs. There is zero ankle stability or the stiff foot bed you expect from a high end hiking boot. These are more like tennis shoes or athletic shoes. Disappointing from that point (but you get what you pay for remember). What was pleasantly surprising to me was just how comfortable these shoes are. They fit like a glove (size is true), and are made in a manner to avoid hotspots and will absolutely allow your feet to breathe. Exactly what I was looking for and at a very reasonable price. These are not shoes to throw 100 pounds of kit on your back and hike up anything with. They are probably not for long hikes with just water on your back. (Sorry but there is just not the support for your feet). They are perfectly suited for all day wear around camp, working, and perhaps even post hiking (they are so comfortable, I can imagine taking very sore feet after a full day of heavy hiking or hunting and putting them in these shoes). Perhaps I do not give these shoes enough credit for being durable and appropriate for hiking, I am sure that there are those out there that have and do use Merrell for extended hiking. And they can write their own review. That is to say that from my perspective, (someone who owns a lot of high end hiking boots and shoes) that these shoes are great. Very comfortable, and do provide that missing niche in today's waterproof boot craze, particularly if you don't expect too much out of them in an heavy weight or long distance hiking situation. I highly recommend these shoes in spite of my ranting against them, and have since purchased a second pair. Purchase a set, you wont be sorry even if all you use them for are camp shoes.

I'd give this shoe a 4.5 as it's a great shoe with just a few cons. I purchased this just prior to a 7 month backpacking trip across parts of Europe, SE Asia, Australia and New Zealand. These were my only shoes for the entire trip so lots of usage. I'd highly recommend pairing it with darn tough socks or something similar as you can really avoid blisters and it's a lot more comfortable. I'd average anywhere from 5-10 miles a day walking so definitely took the shoes thru the wringer. So here are the Pros and Cons. Pros: The Shoes have held up really well and still look good even today after trekking thru all kinds of terrains. Good airflow/ventilation. Never felt that my feet were too hot when paired with merino wool socks. Good grip overall on dry surfaces and fairly easy to keep clean Comfortable fit but not too tight based on your shoe size. I went with the Wide option in the shoe which allows more room for your toes. They were comfortable from the very beginning so didn't require a break in period. Quality materials on the shoe. I've had them approx a year and still feel like they can last for another 1-2 years no problem even with daily wear. Great for city walking as well as hiking and even can be used for gym workout no problems. Very flexible in that regards. Cons: They were really slippery on smooth surfaces both wet and dry. For example on city streets with smooth stone/marble like pavement I had to be really careful or I'd fall. I came close to falling multiple times in those scenarios. If the terrain was concrete or more jagged the grip was good but anything smooth made them really slippery. I actually fell inside a cave I was exploring because of that. There just wasn't any grip which was surprising giving that it's a vibram's sole. The only other issue was that the shoelaces have a tendency to become untied very easily and I found myself retying them at least multiple times a day. I'd recommend putting in a different pair of laces for that reason. Overall I'd definitely recommend them as long as you're aware of the drawbacks.

Merrills are comfortable and fit right out of the box. Medium duty. For some reason I am having an issue with the last two pairs wearing out, developing a hole on the inner heal lining, very early in use. May be my last pair this time.

A very comfortable, high-quality shoe. Well worth the price! Fit perfectly and are very supportive.I wear them (and another Merrell pair) to work every day in a business casual environment. I have a pair of very old Merrells which still work well that I compared to this new pair. It seems that Merrell made the toe box a little narrower over the years. It might be because the older shoes with the wider toe box had a much dorkier look to them. The new ones with the narrower toe box don't look dorky at all. They simply look like a normal shoe. The only downside to using this shoe as a casual shoe and not an outdoor (hiking?) shoe is that after 7-8 hours, your ankle starts to feel a bit strangled by the thick tongue and even more so by the thickly padded upper part of the shoe that goes around your ankle. At the end of the day, I immediately throw them off as soon as I get home because of that strangling feeling. Even so, these shoes are my favorites and I will probably get many, many years of use out of them.

I am a perfect 9D but I found that 1/2 size up is a better match. My first pair from 5 years ago was a little small, but was still uber comfortable. Eventually, they stretched out a little and were even more comfortable. The insoles went after about two years but I replaced them with some you can get at any drug store. I wore my first pair every day and it took about 4 years before they got kind of "crappy" looking and worn out. I read some of the comments and, pretty much, most people agree with my assessment. These things wear like iron! There is no quality difference from the ones I purchased 5 years ago (I threw them out about 1 month ago) - the quality is first rate. When people buy the same thing over and over again, you know it is a good product. I mentioned size in the tag line because most have not commented on size. Like I said, you will be more satisfied with 1/2 size up, especially if you are in between sizes you may need even 1 size up. This also depends on the type of sock you wear and purpose you are wearing the shoe. Make your decisions accordingly. There you have it.

I have very flat feet with moderate pronation and outward deviating great toes. Because of this I have problems with painful callouses on the great toes that rub up against any shoe. Merrell Moab Ventilator was my fourth purchase in the pursuit of a shoe that I could use for hiking on the rugged trails around Lake Mead near Las Vegas, Nevada. All of the others failed to give me any relief and even on short walks with my dogs, my great toe callous was sore and the balls of the feet hurt. A guy in a sporting goods store suggested that I try Merrell, and I said "why not," I have tried everything else. To compensate for my toe problem, I ordered a size 1/2 larger than usual and the widest offered. Much to my surprise and relief, the Merrell fit much better than the others. The key factor was the heal cushion that supported the heel strike and had a slight angulation that helped to compensate for the pronation issue and took the pressure off the great toe callous. I went back to my other shoes and each time my feet hurt after only a short walk, I tried the Merrell on 3 to 8 mile desert hikes and found that I ended the hike with "happy feet." Similar hikes in the other shoes that I had tried had left me with bruising and bleeding under the callous. Not so with the Merrell. The Merrell has Vibram soles and the mesh tops allow for real ventilation and cooling of the feet on hot desert hikes. The shoes allowed good traction when scrambling over rocks. The tongue padding was just right, not too thick to cause irritation and not too thin as to cause a band sensation across the top of the foot. The shoe sizes appear to be standard, but as noted above, I needed extra room and size to accommodate my foot abnormality. I have had the present shoes for four months and they are still performing. Once, in the dark I mistakenly put on a pair of the other shoes that I have and almost immediately I knew that I had chosen the wrong shoes. Quickly went back and got my Merrells. The only issue I do have with the shoe is that the Vibram sole is a bit thin for hiking in the rocky desert and I wished that the sole was a little thicker to protect the bottom of my feet. No problem, I inserted a pair of Dr. Scholl's Active Series inserts (that I had previously purchased to compensate for the faults of the other shoe brands; but did not help) and I have never looked back. Completed a 10 mile hike without problems. I have also tried Hi-tec and Keen, all good shoes, but they did not work for my particular problems. Those with normal feet will likely find these shoes meet their needs. This shoe meets my special needs. I am sure that people with "normal feet" will like this shoe as well. For regular walking on smooth surfaces, no inserts needed. I will be ordering two more pair of these shoes to have on hand in case the model is discontinued.

I wanted to like these — got a great deal, they seem well made, comfortable, nice styling and color, nice thick sole... but... there's just too much slippage in the heel. I don't know if it's due to stiffness in the thick sole or what. Over tightening the laces helped a little but not enough. Plus doing so made them uncomfortably tight. I also own a pair of Merrell Moab Rovers that don't have heel slip issues. Comparing the rover to the ventilator on my feet, I can see that the back of the rover tapers in and wraps over the back of my heel, locking it down. Whereas the ventilator appears to rely more on the inner padding to do this but it fails to lock my heel down securely. The back of the ventilator needs to taper in more like the rover to solve the heel slippage imo. I also tried the Merrell Vent 2 but my heel slipped even more. Bummer :/ I rarely have heel slip issues when trying shoes so I'm not sure why more people aren't complaining about this problem and why Merrell hasn't addressed it in the Vent 2. Must not be an issue for the vocal majority I guess. I ended up getting the Keen Oakridge instead. It's comparable to the Vent but no heel slip issues. Plus got a good deal to boot.