Excellent choice for goin' around shoe

By Eric Darsow Ranked #344 - Men's Hiking Shoes January 12, 2011

I have been very pleased with the Moabs due to their comfort, waterproofness, and traction. Vibram soles are excellent for ice, rock, and generally not slipping on stuff that normal shoes do. For these reasons, I've been wearing hiking shoes as my normal, around town footwear for years now. I've previously been a fan of Nike hikers but went over to the more serious GTX model in December 2009 when I purchased the Moab GTX. I've worn it literally everyday on all terrains in Utah, across Uganda, and even while teaching.

Clearly the soles need to be replaced with models designed for your intended use, but other than that, the shoe has worn exceptionally little for full-time wearing during normal life and even a few 20-30 mile day-hikes. I have even resorted to wearing the Moabs on light backpacking trips when my BPing boots were shredding my heels (not recommended due to the lack of ankle support)and they performed better than expected for a shoe: comfortable, good grip, and persistently water-resistant.

While I would not buy Merrell's for my primary backcountry footwear due to the increased durability of competing brands, as an approach shoe and general multi-purpose shoe, this one tops my list. I'll be buying a new pair when these wear down (which will probably be in 1-2 more years.)

View Details: Merrell Moab GTX XCR Shoe - Men's

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