Merrell Chameleon Wrap Stretch Gore-Tex XCR Review

Comfort, convenience, so-so durability

"I bought these shoes after reading rave reviews of them on other sites. I was preparing to fly to Malaysia to hike up Mt. Kinabalu with my wife. But when I went to a local [...] to try them on (I know, tsk tsk), I was warned that this is the wrong shoe to wear for a hike like that as the lace-less design means that my foot would slide around in the shoe. And he was right. (I ordered them anyway because I thought they looked really cool, and I wasn't going to be hiking up mountains everyday.)So while these shoes aren't good for serious hiking, they are great everyday shoes. I use them pretty much all the time outside of work. Here, the lace-less design makes them really convenient to pop on and off. Note: if you're wearing thick cotton socks, a shoehorn helps. I switched to wearing acrylic socks to make things easier. They are plenty comfortable, although I'm thinking about buying thicker shoe inserts for uber-comfort.The biggest downside to these shoes is their durability. Recently I was in a gear shop getting fitted for a proper hiking boot, and I showed the sole of my Merrells to the employee. He told me that the sole was nearing the end of its usable life. And it's only been about 8 months since I bought them!I won't be ditching them anytime soon though. The top of the shoe is in perfect shape. When I recently washed them in the sink, the Gore-Tex held up quite well. If I only use them as everyday shoes, the thinning sole won't be a problem."

My Merrells & Me atop Old Rag Mountain

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