Merrell Men's All Out Blaze Stretch Hiking Shoe

I ordered a half size larger than I usually do for other shoes like Nike, BK, Rebok, etc based on my experience with Merrell shoes. Merrell remains my favorite (go to) shoe. I chose this shoe to replace my older (discontinued) Merrell Mimic Stretch. When they arrived, they slipped right on like a glove. Very comfortable with lots of toe room. The sole has A LOT of tread and very, very grippy. Pretty decent arch support for a slip on shoe.The biggest complaint I've read with this shoe, is the heal is too low which causes the heal to slip up and down when you walk. I did experience that at first, but then I simply pulled the "stretch" string to a comfortable tightness the heal slippage ceased. Its possible the stretch string may loosen over time, just tighten it again. (Duh!) ;-) Sorry for the sarcasm here, but I was blown away that the biggest complaint about the shoe was remedied by the shoe itself. There is even a video on the Merrell website explaining how to use the stretch string. LOL Really?! Seemed like common sense to me.

These shoes seem great upon initial impression. So far I have only worn them around the house though. The one thing that I will point out is the arch is a bit uncomfortably high in these and I have an average arch. That though is my only complaint so far, we shall see if the high arch causes any problems after a few days of wearing them.Besides that they fit great. I wear a 10.5 in every shoe I have ever bought and these fit as they should. I have probably a half an inch in front of my big toe that's open. The front is nice and roomy for your toes while the sides conform to your foot but, not so much so that it creates any pain. They slide on very easily even with thick socks and with the lacing system, tighten up in a second, so you can be on your merry way. The main thing I was looking for, these shoes shine at, and that is traction (for walking on rocks while hiking and etc). I tested them on very smooth concrete and they gripped it like a champ. The soles also flex quite easily. They seem to breathe very well through the mesh, not so sure about the stretch part though as it is quite thick to give padding.I'm hoping the arch doesn’t become a problem because I am looking forward to taking these with me on a backpacking trip coming up. If you think you can deal with the arch I would recommend these so far. I obviously cannot speak to durability yet though. And for you backpackers mine weighed in at 13.4oz each.

This is the best shoe of it's type I have owned. Except for my Birkenstocks, these are the only shoes I can wear all day without any complaints. I live on a horse farm and they get a good beating and Birkenstocks aren't designed for outdoors. They are similar in that they have the same natural foot shape which fits my toes fine and a good arch support. The insides are well sculpted and can be worn without socks, which is pretty amazing. The shoes have no tongue, but a heavy gauge elastic that surrounds the upper and elastic laces. The soles are built for traction, show little wear after a month and manage to slough off mud much better than a Vibram because the rubber is of a softer in durameter. A shoe horn helps get them on. Get 'em.

All my Merrell shoes seem to run about 1/2 size small. I normally wear a mens 11D so I ordered an 11.5D this time and they fit good and are very comfortable. The height is lower than I expected so there's not much ankle support. Between this and being slip-on shoes, they remind me of slippers. I like the elastic cord instead of laces but it seems way too long. From the pictures these shoes look dark brown and black but in person they seem to have a tint of olive green and dark blue in them. There's a larger than normal loop on the back. I assume this is to help pull them on. I just hope it doesn't break after a while. I guess the arch support is about average. My feet are flat so any arch seems like a lot of arch support.

Read a lot of reviews that mention to go a 1/2 size larger than you normally buy in shoes. I suppose that advice isn't always accurate. Mine were just a tad large. No worries though (I kept the shoe instead of returning for a smaller size). So far the shoe has been great. After wearing them a bit, I figured that if I were to go with the normal size I usually go with, and were to ever wear thick socks with it, it would be too small. This is the reason I haven't bothered returning the product. 2 months later, of non-stop normal wear, and I'm pretty impressed with it. I've taken them on light hikes here and there and the shoes have held up remarkably well. I do want to mention that the traction isn't meant for wet slippery rocks (most hiking shoes/boots aren't anyway), but regardless of that fact, they did a somewhat decent job in that environment.It does get a 'little' warm, but nothing I couldn't handle, as the breathability of the shoe was good. It wasn't awesome. It wasn't poor. It was just... good. If the breathability was a little better, I would probably give it 5 stars.

These shoes didn't fit like other Merrells I've bought in the past. They are roomier in the toe box and a bit less arch support. I expected a better fit. In retrospect, I shouldn't have bought them online. This is actually the third pair I've bought online. I returned two others trying to give online shoe purchases a chance. If I had tried them on in a store, I wouldn't have bought them. They are well made shoes and look good too.I put in some arch support inserts and they aren't too bad. I'll give them a shot since I like the style. Who knows, maybe they'll grow on me.