Merrell Men's Moab 2 Smooth Mid GTX High Rise Hiking
Merrell Men's Moab 2 Smooth Mid GTX High Rise Hiking Boots
Shoe sizes are not standardized. Every shoe manufacturer uses different measurements in terms of instep height, toe shape and foot width. However, the basis for your own shoe size is always the length of your feet. Thus, you should always determine your foot length before buying in order to choose the right shoe.
| Dimensions: | 34.5 x 22.6 x 11.9 cm; 1 Kilograms |
| Model: | J598233 |
| Manufacture: | Merrell |
| Composition: | Synthetic |
| Department: | Men's |
| Dimensions: | 34.5 x 22.6 x 11.9 cm; 1 Kilograms |
After trying several makes of hiking shoes/ boots on Amazon with no joy, I tried Merrell hiking shoes.
Of three styles I chose these as they give ankle support without being too cumbersome.
Fit is spot on, comfy to wear and please with my purchase
I’ve bought these boots for years now and always replace them with the same ones. So comfortable and keep your feet dry and cool, in the wettest and hottest weather, respectively.
Good quality and comfortable to walk with straight out the box
They came well ahead of scheduled delivery date.
On the same day, I took them our for a trial walk and did a good 20Km at average pace of 6.2 km/h.
Very strong, protective & comfortable.
Very pleased with comfort and style. Had to purchase longer laces though.
Bought for my partner and he finds them very comfortable and true to size. Has been worn on many hilly hikes and country walks and has been brilliant on all terrain. Would recommend!
I’m normally a 8, but decided to order 2 sizes, 8.5 and a 9.
I needed full size bigger 9 which we’re perfect no need to break in.Comfortable but supportive fit. Completed first 9 mile treck no issues…
It’s a reasonable quality boot. I had to return the original one supposedly in my size and went one up . I have had the shoe version of the boot and I’ll be limiting this to light hikes. It’s not as sturdy as my heavy duty hiking leather boots.
A little tight around the toes to start with but should soften up in time and with use.
Walked through longish wet grass and waterproofing works well.
Soles good and thick for stoney ground.
Good fit uk 9.5 for size 9 broad feet.
Very little cushion in the sole will need decent socks or gel insole for improved comfort.
Walk at least 6 miles a day walking the dog and Moab’s are my choice unless its pouring rain. They are comfortable and last. IMHO.
I have yet to use these for any serious hiking so can’t comment on how they’d stand up to rugged conditions. So far I’ve only used them for dog walking. They seem fairly sturdy (as you’d expect from Merrell) and keep your feet dry in wet weather (as it says on the box). They were comfortable straight out of the box and fitted well.
I’m confident that this new pair of Merrell hiking boots will be every bit as good as my last pair, which I wore very frequently for around five years.
I’ve gone for the higher ankle boot this time which feel more sturdy but do take a little getting used to.
I went for a half size higher as people recommend which are fine for me.
I’d highly recommend Merrell products & you should also consider the Gortex (GTS) versions if you are hiking or walking in wet weather or terrain.
They are good comfortable boots, but prospective buyers need to be aware of certain issues.
The first is the size: the boots are US-manufactured and US sizes are quoted. If you are used to UK shoe sizes, then for US-sized footwear you should go up at least one whole size, otherwise they will be too small: i.e. if your UK shoe size is 8, then you should buy at least size 9 Merrells for them to fit, and 9-and-a-half if you plan to wear them with thick socks. If you do this, you’ll be OK.
The second issue with this particular design is that the soles often become unstuck after a few weeks or months of wear. This will depend on how much wear and walking you do, but the unsticking of the sole with these Moab 2 boots is usually an eventual issue.
The third issue is that the gore-tex material is not really waterproof. They are described as “water resistant” but this is not, in any meaningful sense, true: if you walk in heavy rain you will soon have soaking wet feet. The reason is that gore-tex material allows the foot to breathe, and as it lets in air, it allows water in too. I have tried spray-on and rub-in waterproofing products but nothing works. Merrell do offer waterproof non-gore-tex footwear in their range, so if this is likely to be an issue for you, that’s probably what you should choose. Of course, if you’re planning to walk only in hot, dry conditions then the gore-tex will be ideal.
With the above reservations, these are good boots but be aware of the minor shortcomings.
Nice light weight boot that are great for lower level walks. Next to no breaking in required.
I’ve had May pairs of these boots – I’ve use them for walking all over the world on trails and tracks. Comfortable for my slightly wide feet. But.. they are only waterproof for about 18 months. I replace the the inner sole too. The laces are a bit slippery and definitely need a double knot.
After about 2 hours there was a sore spot developed in my left ankle, which I put down to stitching on the ankle fabric. Flexed the boots and pushed that part out with my thumbs and never felt it again.
Cleaned them once they had dried and used them again this weekend, similar distance except this time in thunderstorms. Felt like a pair of slippers, warm dry and toasty. Nearly a hundred miles in and they are great!
They aren’t stiff enough for high mountains, and personally I wouldn’t carry a heavy rucksack as I don’t think there’s enough ankle support. But for everything else, spot on!
The biggest shortfall with these [Gore-Tex] trekking shoes is that they are water-resistant rather than waterproof. For the odd dip in a puddle they are fine. More than that and the shoes become very damp and your feet become damp too.. almost wet. Once wet the shoes do not dry out very quickly. These are fair weather shoes best suited to dry trails. They provide excellent ankle protection and help prevent sprains whilst at the sane time being very light. The laces, as on previous pairs, have a strange habit of becoming undone which is fairly well noted.
The Merrell MOAB 2 remains an excellent buy at a reasonable price point. They offer good ankle support and are water resistant.
Choose a half size higher to accommodate occasional swelling feet and thick socks.
Expect excellent use for long treks in variable conditions but, and maybe most importantly, dry weather. They are fairly ‘breathable’ and the ‘Gore-Tex’ mesh works well in that respect.
Be warned that they are unlikely to be water proof and will create damp feet in wet conditions. Beware of poorly glued soles which could cause major issues for longer treks at home or overseas.
Overall an excellent mid-range priced lightweight trekking boot that performs well in mostly dry conditions.
This is my first set of Merrell boots.
This is my first Mid boot.
These are not my Everyday shoes, only used when I know I’ll be countryside walking.
I’ve done about 45+ miles in these in the last 6 weeks.
Bought these boots for walking in the Winter/Spring/Autumn months; Previously I had a pair of old Salomon quests which were awesome, which set the benchmark for me to compare.
Good points.
*The Merrells are fairly comfortable on the whole right out of the box, I feel that very little breaking in would be necessary if using for short walks/distances (4-8 miles).
*The boots so far have been waterproof (As they are goretex that is expected but I have also applied water resisting spray before use so that might be a factor) as I’ve used them in waterlogged tracks by canals and around lakes and across the streams and have had no water leak in. This does also mean that the boots get hot and I have found I get sweat blisters whilst going longer distances, but that just means that general foot care is required on those (Change socks, etc) but I would say these are not suitible for warmer climes of walk without similar precautions.
*The laces are sturdy and you can tie them fairly securely quickly & easily, I’ve rarely had to double knot them, and using the hooks at ankle level have not been problematic.
*The boots feel light and are easy to walk in with no issues of painfully stubbing toes in the front section.
Bad points.
* I’ve had issues with the padding at the ankle for the left boot, the right boot is fine which makes me think it’s a singular manufacturing issue, there is uncomfrotable (but not blister causing) lump in the ankle cuff at the top of the boot, I have broken it down but it was a minor defect with the boot.
* The sole is fairly flexible and an thinner than what I am used to, it can be solved with a good inner sole replacement but defintely needs replacing if you want to tackle serious distances.
I would take the advice to order these a whole size larger than what you would for a trainer/sports shoe due to taking into account thicker socks & foot swell.
Would I buy these again? Yes currently I would if they were sub 90.
These are good boots and have been comfortable for the most part so far, I’ve seen some reviews query their longevity so I reserve judgement with that and waiting to see how the ankle comfort on the left boot changes with abit more distance but so far these are fairly good boots and would buy another pair currently.
I just took these out for a 6 mile walk and they seemed to work out fine. There was a heavy rain storm and my feet stayed bone dry. The boots themselves are light, very comfortable and provide a fair amount of support – though I think I might have to put my own orthotic inserts into them – at six miles, my flat feet were starting to ache and I can usually cope happily with twice that distance in a pair of decent trail trainers.
As other reviewers have pointed out – Merrell sizing is decidedly off-whack. The pair I bought were 1/2 a size larger than my normal choice and I have to say that I could probably have gone up another and still had a reasonable fit. As things are, the boots I have have just about enough wiggle room around the toes.
I was a bit worried that, after ordering, I read some reviews recommending to order 1 size bigger than your usual shoe size. I’m a UK 10.5 size, and that’s what I ordered but thankfully they’re a great fit. I have quite a wide foot and a high instep so some shoes are very uncomfortable for me. These were very comfortable from the moment I first tried them.
I’ve only done one short 5km hike in them so far, but the Gore-tex lining kept my feet dry through several shallow streams and the typical dampness of an Irish summer.
I did notice that the soles seemed to place pressure on parts of my feet I wasn’t used to feeling pressure on and the insoles weren’t as good as I would have liked. But insoles can be replaced to personal preferences and I’m sure the pressure was just down to them not being fully broken in to my walking style.
Overall, I’d solidly recommend these as an all-round walking/hiking shoe.
My old boots gave up and I decided to buy some fancy old style leather ones . But having a bunion they became very painful to walk in very quickly. So I then bought these based on reviews and the fact the boots I wore out were of this make. I was naturally suspicious after the failure of my previous purchase. But these booots fit well. I am a male size 9 but got one size up and they seem to fit well. They are light and when walking felt very comfortable. No rubbing on the old bunion. I dont even have to wear a covering on the bunion that I did with my original walking shoes. So a good fit especially if you suffer any bunion problems. They are waterproof as I have found out recently with all the rain we have had. Having put feet down into puddles that were deeper than I thought I was waiting for that cold wet feeling that never came. So they seem to be an excellent walking shoe. I have done a number of walks and they are not showing any signs of wear. I think they will last a while by the look of them . Yes would reccomend if you are looking for a good walking boot.
Now being in the position to buy better quality makes I decided that I would go for these after a lot of research.
Due to the lock down I was a little nervous about paying a lot of money for some boots without even trying them on. I read another review which mentioned that when buying boots from this manufacturer they always go half a size up due to them being slightly smaller than the advertised size. So with the advice taken I took the plunge (plus they were heavily discounted which helped with the decision making somewhat).
Turns out it was good advice as they fit like a glove. Also comfortable straight out of the box though I did get a sore ankle for a couple days after descending at a severe angle on one of our walks. That aside no more problems so far and I would expect a lot worse from new boots usually.
They remain comfortable so far and my feet have remained dry even in long wet wheat fields. Grips are immense on the bottom as well and have so far gripped well on slippy muddy banks and scrambles
I just made one serious test until now, that was climbing the high’s mountain in my country for a path used in the past to take goats and sheep’s to the summit. Was in middle of April so I caught several environments and different terrains. Hard vegetation with point branches, rocks, mud and finally, snow in the summit.
The boots are fairly robust. Good ankle support and I didn’t have to breaking them and they performed well. Just use them a couple of times to go to work just to test if they could be a problem or not.
Like others have said, the sizes are much smaller than stated. But I took that info in consideration after buying them, so I went one number up and they are just perfect.
The boots tends to hurt the middle fingers end. That was never happen to me so I must consider a ‘con’ for the boot.
The Gore-Tex gives the boots a very helpful breathing what was very helpful due to hot temperature in the two first sections of the trail. 4,5* here.
In the snow the boot prove to be waterproof. Some snow did get in through the upper part because I ‘didn’t use gaiters but after squeeze my socks a couple of times and then change them in the end for a dry pair socks, my feet got dry and warm very fast. 5* here.
As a resume they look ok but need more time to evaluate if they worth the 120 or not.
1. Only the last/top lace fixing is a metal hoop – I always tighten the boot, with heel to the very back, on the second to top fixing so that the foot is held firmly in place (particularly important when walking down hills/mountains). Obviously I can still do this but I’m not sure how much longevity the material hoop will have. Also, I have benefitted in the past from re-passing the laces through the second to last fixing, after the top fixing, before the final tie to add further stability. This isn’t really practically possible with these boots.
2. It may have something to do with the US size conversion but, as others have said, the sizes are much smaller than stated – YOU NEED TO ORDER AT LEAST ONE SIZE LARGER THAN YOUR CASUAL SHOE SIZE – in fact, taking foot swell and the ‘thumb length space’ rule into account you may even need a size and a half larger. I’m a standard 10 for casual and 10.5 for sports/running and the 11 in these boots is just about OK even with thin socks.
The ‘pros’:
1. They are waterproof – I’ve spent many hours in wet conditions where the boot has been constantly exposed and my feet have always remained completely dry.
2. Very comfortable / wide fit – probably the most comfortable boot I’ve worn. I’ve always been surprised by how few walking boot makers make ‘wide-fit’ boots – my feet aren’t that wide but I have to completely rule quite a number of boot makers (i.e. their entire range!) because they stick to a specific foot template which will rub and cause me blisters, especially at the toes. Why? I’m not an expert but who has feet that get narrower towards the toes?
3. Good grip – these are vibram soles which have some reputation for being useless/dangerous on wet rock; I have found that this isn’t the case with these. The sole is also a very good compromise/mid-point between flexible (for general ‘flat’ walks) and inflexbile (rough surface/mountain walks).
I hope this helps.