7 Best Merrell Hiking Shoes in 2026

How we test Merrell hiking shoes

Deciding on the best Merrell hiking shoes is no easy feat. Here’s how we do it:

• We purchase Merrell hikers and decide which ones take priority when it comes to testing.
• We put every Merrell pair to the test by hiking in them on multiple occasions. We make sure to abuse the shoes in the environments and activities they were built for. 
• We measure over 30 parameters in our lab and present the lab data in a comparable way. We publish all our lab data along with the media. 

More than Moab

If you’ve heard about Merrell, chances are, it was thanks to their famous hikers from the Moab line. Although it features mid-tops, speed hikers, and even slides, it’s the low-top that seems to have won the hearts of many, many hikers around the world. 

Currently at version #3, and available with a Gore-Tex membrane, this shoe may be your point of entry to the Merrell world. But, there’s more to Merrell, and we’re here to shine some light on other models, too.

Are Merrell hiking shoes wider than the competitors? 

On numerous occasions, there have been reports of Merrell fitting better (wider) than, say, Salomons or La Sportivas. Is there any truth behind these claims? Let’s have a look. 

When quantifying the fit of the hiking shoe, we look at 3 measurements: the shoe width, the toebox width, and the toebox height. We pour a special liquid into the shoe, put that into the freezer, and we end up with a gel cast that perfectly resembles the shoe’s interior. 

Having all this lab data, we can look at the average numbers for Merrell and compare that to the overall hiking-shoe averages: 

We can see that Merrell hiking shoes sit close to the averages when it comes to the fit. 

The good thing is that Merrell offers a wide version for some models and colorways, so if the regular D width is too narrow for you, you can opt for the wider one. 

How comfortable are Merrell hiking shoes? Lab data analysis

Discussions about Merrell hiking shoes are quite polarized, going from being the all-time favorite to a slab of concrete. We’re here to resolve this, looking at the lab data and how Merrell hiking shoes compare to the average. In the realm of comfort, we will look at: midsole softness, stiffness, and shock absorption. 

So, are Merrell hiking shoes hard as a brick? Well, their average midsole softness sits at 47.3 AC, and there are hiking shoes that score as low as 44.5 AC. But, on the other end of that spectrum, we have midsoles that are so firm they scored 60.0 AC on our durometer (it was adidas Terrex AX4). Talk about bricks! If you're used to trail running shoes, you should know their midsole softness average sits at 36.6 AC. 

Flexible hiking shoes offer a more natural ride because our feet are flexible as well, so they match how we actually walk. This works wonderfully for speed hiking, but stiffer shoes are more supportive and, depending on the type of hike, we might just need that. On average, Merrell hiking shoes are 17.6% more flexible than other hiking shoes.

Finally, we got to the shock absorption test. Talking about comfort, this is the most important one, because it tells us how protective the hiking shoe midsoles are in the long run. When we say protective, we mean how good they are at absorbing impact forces; the better they are at this, the less stress is sent toward hikers’ legs. While softness of the midsole tells us how Merrell hiking shoes feel immediately after putting them on, it is the shock absorption that tells us whether our feet will experience premature fatigue and feel beaten up from doing the extra work. 

Naturally, the higher the shock absorption, the better. Ideally, you’d want a shoe that scores 100 SA or higher, especially if you’re a heavy hiker or if you often carry heavy backpacks.

Let’s look at the overview now, based on all the hiking shoes we’ve tested so far in our lab: 

We can see that, on average, Merrell hiking shoes are slightly firmer but also more flexible than the average hiking shoe.

Energy return and why it matters for Merrell speed hikers

Energy return tells us how lively a hiking shoe is. This is very important in speed hiking or if you’re hiking in a hybrid shoe, which you sometimes use for trail running too. For regular hikers, especially occasional ones who don’t worry so much about the pace, energy return is less important than shock absorption. 

This test is done at the same time as shock absorption. The result is given in percentages, telling us how much of the energy is returned and not lost on deformation and heat, which is why we experience this as a bouncy or lively ride. The higher the energy return, the better, when hiking pace is prioritized. 

We recommend looking for energy return of 45% or higher.

Traction in Merrell hiking shoes

Right now, we can see that Merrell is using Vibram TC5+, M-Select GRIP, and what they list simply as “rubber” or “Merrell sticky rubber” for their hiking shoe outsoles. Naturally, we wanted to quantify how these outsoles perform: enter our traction test. 

We perform the test on wet concrete by pressing a shoe at a 7-degree angle. This replicates real-life conditions. The result of this test is a dynamic coefficient of friction (CoF) and the higher it is, the better, especially if you hike in wet weather too. 

However, the traction test alone is not enough, because hiking shoes’ performance across different terrains depends on lug depth and tread pattern as well. As a general rule, the thicker the lugs, the more demanding the terrain you can cover. However, there are nuances. We’ll explain those by looking at different tread patterns.

Durability of Merrell hiking shoes

Merrell does not offer a resoling option for their hiking shoes. This makes sense given that these models are glued (cemented) and not stitched. But, we can look at the durability of different Merrell hiking shoe parts: toebox, outsole, and heel padding. 

For all of these tests, we use a Dremel to intentionally try and damage the shoe. Everything is standardized, from the number of Dremel rotations per minute (RPMs), to the force (pressure) used to put the Dremel against the shoe, and the duration of the test. When we test the toebox and the heel padding, we assign a 1-5 durability score, where 5/5 is the most durable. The toebox in the video scored 5/5.

The heel padding above scored the lowest, 1 out of 5. The damage is serious. Then, we do the test on the outsole.

The best thing about outsoles is the material: it is usually a hard rubber. This means we don’t have to assess the damage; we can use a tire tread gauge and stick it into the hole. The deeper it is, the less durable the outsole. 

Merrell and PFAS: it's getting better but it's not perfect

PFAS, or the forever chemicals, are as bad as they sound. Found everywhere, literally everywhere, from groundwater to seawater, from blood and lung tissue to food and wildlife, they are linked to an increased cancer risk, which is why the pressure is high to avoid them as much as possible. 

• Off to a bad start back in 1958, a Wolverine tannery started manufacturing leather in Rockford and treating it with PFAS. Residents claim that the waste ended up in groundwater. This stopped in 1970, but a class-action lawsuit was filed for the damaged land values due to the contaminated water. In 2022, Wolverine Worldwide Inc. (owner of Merrell, Saucony, and Chaco) agreed to pay $54 million together with 3M (manufacturer of the PFAS-based Scotchgard used to treat the leather) in a class-action settlement to 1,700 residents of Kent County in Michigan. In 2023, a judge approved this settlement.
• In 2019, Wolverine settled another case with the state of Michigan and the townships of Algoma and Plainfield, agreeing to pay $69.5 million, which was used to connect ~1,000 homes with contaminated private wells to a centralized city water supply. 
• Another lawsuit was filed against Wolverine and 3M in 2025. This time, 2 landfills from Michigan are asking for a judgment that would force the companies to pay for the extra efforts needed to keep the PFAS contained and prevent them from leaching into drinking water. 

But, off to a better present tense, even with Merrell not saying it publicly on their website, they have confirmed that waterproof and water-repellent membranes in their 2025 collection were PFAS-free. As a reference, Moab 3 belongs to this collection. 

It is worth noting that some Merrell models feature Bloom Foam, which blends algae harvested from polluted waterways into the midsole, replacing some % of the petroleum-based foam (EVA). But the other brands are using it too, and Vivobarefoot even created the entire sneaker Ultra III using only Bloom Foam (not just the midsole). We are looking forward to a specific sustainability section on Merrell’s website that would highlight their efforts to reduce the carbon footprint and how they are doing so.