With a giant trip on the JMT(See here: JMT Hike 2015) in the future becoming a reality, at the suggestion of a friend of mine who is an ultra-liter, I finally broke down and bought a pair of Merrell Moab Ventilator Low Hiking Shoes. It was a wonderful surprise when I wore them for 95 miles of the JMT without one blister or any discomfort for that matter! I couldn’t believe it – bought and sold! And the bonus was that I found them on Ebay for a fraction of the price that I would have paid for them new and they were (and still are) in phenomenal condition.
I purchased them back in July primarily for my upcoming trip in late August, early September so I had ample time to give them some good trail time and see if they would work for my feet. I have a bad habit of getting heal blisters in a lot of different footwear, mostly boots so I’m pretty much sold on low hiking shoes for most trips once I add the crucial Superfeet Green insoles to them. By the time my big JMT trip had roller around I had put about 50 miles in them on the trail(both wet and dry) without one single issue so that pretty much earned them a spot on the JMT trip.
Now, that doesn’t mean they are for everyone by any means but chances are you’ll know if you’re someone who might want to try them out. I’m fairly heavy at 225 and they kept my soles from getting hammered on some decent 15 mile days on the JMT and Grayson Highlands. A friend of mine had a pair and he liked them although his base weight was around 8 pounds. The fact that his base weight was so low was the main thing that kept me from trying them because my base weight is around 28 pounds so I figured they wouldn’t be right for me. If my base weight was under 15 pounds I’d probably try them with the stock insoles but I won’t attempt it until I lighten my load.
One of the biggest sellers for me about the Merrell Moab line is the Vibram sole – call me crazy but I love Vibram soles because I’ve yet to run into a bad one. This sole is thick, aggressive, grippy, not too soft; not too hard and well it’s a Vibram. So far, they have provided me with excellent underfoot protection when used in conjunction with the Superfeet Green insoles. I hiked some sections of the AT prior to the JMT and not one chunk was taken out of the sole which is surprising because just about any section of the AT has rocks of some sort and some sections are mostly rock with a little dirt thrown in for looks. The JMT did claim a few pieces of the sole but if it didn’t I would be very surprised. There is a large chunk out of the side of the one shoe and a few of the small oval treads on the bottom of the shoe show some gouging but I can repair them.
Here are a few pics after the big hike:
Nothing really failed on my Merrell Moab’s but the rear webbing pull loop broke on one of the shoes as I was pulling it on. I will say upfront that this was my fault because of the way I double lace my hiking shoes and boots. I should have loosened them up a little but I was hasty and pulled a little too hard. I went ahead and cut both of them off after the one side broke because at that point I didn’t think I needed either.
As a precautionary measure as I do with some of my shoes and boots, I added a little Gear Aid Freesole Urethane Shoe Repair
At this point I’ve also worn my Moab’s on a few small overnight trips in the Big South Fork Angel Falls area in Tennessee which takes their mileage up to around 160-170 and still cranking. I really like these shoes and unless Merrell changes something to take away from their current capabilities I will buy another pair as soon as I see fit. I’ve also started looking at the mid-height waterproof Moab’s for my winter hiking trips because I have no intention of wearing my current Moab’s in the snow – that would be foolish. Either way if you can keep your base back weight at 28 or under I say go for it because these things are the real deal.
Cincinnati
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