Durability of "hiking trainers", merrell chameleon blast 3 in particular?

[lub0]

Hi all, I'm usually not one for anything but strong leather boots, but since the renowned merrells were on half price sale at sports direct a few months ago I couldn't resist a pair of chameleon 3 blast for this summer.

Now I plan to walk my upcoming pennine way trip wearing them and was wondering if they are up to the job of this 265 mile walk? I plan to walk it in 12 days at 22 mile per day, so a fairly intense tab, not to mention a heavy pack. DO you guys reckon these Chameleon blast 3 shoes will be up to the job and not fall apart part way through?

p.s carrying spare footwear is not an option!

Link here http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/merrell-...t-shoe-p197429

[widu13]

Dunno, about those particular shoes but SWMBO insists on Merrell. Still on the 3rd pair, others lasted well. 2 trains of thought for footwear: 1. Shoes are lightweight and allow the ankle to flex reducing injuries whilst increasing ankle strength and allowing the feet to dry quicker whilst allowing you to "feel" the terrain. 2. Boots offer more protection from injury, protection from getting wet and overall robustness.

I'm not convinced 100% in either direction, but generally use existing boots that I own.

[blacktimberwolf]

Wouldn't have thought this type of footwear would give you the support & protection needed on a long haul with a heavy pack......these 'trainers' are fine though for walking from the car park to the panaramic view & back again

[HillBill]

They'll do fine. They are what are called approach shoes, your supposed to wear them for lowland walking then changing into heavier boots for the rugged higher grounds.

I have a pair of North Face Hedgehogs which i have had about a year, still in very good condition. They will last the duration with no problems at all i expect.

Don't expect them to keep your feet dry though, they aint designed for that

[shaggystu]

they're exactly the kind of shoe i'd look at for doing that sort of trip, and i've done pretty well with merrells in the past, so IMO they should be spot on for you

[northumbrian]

just bought myself a pair of merrells today- moab ventilators for the princly sum of £41.69.

[rik_uk3]

They should be fine, my lad has used similar to the link and the Karrimor KSB make, he's very heavy on footware but both are very similar and last about the same time. More and more hikers are moving away from traditional heavy boots and using lighter approach shoes; they won't last as long as some more traditional boot styles but are lightweight, comfortable, cooler, dry faster etc so have a lot going for them.

[Perrari]

I am on my third pair of Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slam, they are excellent shoes ! My first pair is still ok apart from the soles leaking, but they are about 6 years old and I practically lived in them for about 3 years, 2nd pair is 3 years old and still in very good condition, 3rd pair are almost new, I only bought them because they were 1/2 price in Blacks.

Although they are great shoes I would not want to walk 22 miles per day over 12 days in them. The soles are fairly thin, and I dont think they would offer you the cushioning that a proper pair of walking boots would. I have done a walk of about 12 miles in mine before, and by the end of that my soles felt pretty bruised & sore. I was going home to recover after that not repeating it for days on end.

I have walked the Pembrokeshire coast path before & understand how harsh walking for days on end can be, so I would definately opt for a proper pair of comfortable walking boots. Plus if it rains, ( and lets face it, chances are it probably will ) it wont be long until your feet are saturated. Also with boots if it does rain the ankle is up inside your waterproofs, so the insides of the boots should remain dry, where as a shoe will allow rain running off your waterproofs drip in to your shoes.

Hope that helps .

[widu13]

In the interest of balance, I would point out that ankle gaiters cure the rain off of the waterproofs issue. However, you will get wet shoes/feet without a doubt.

[Squidders]

A few years ago I purchased some expensive Merrell Trainers only to find in another shop on the highstreet absolutely 100% identical ones without the logo for 1/5th the price. Never again will I buy them.

If I were going to walk a long way in poor weather I would go for some The North Face Hedgehog GTX trainers, I am on my second pair and love them to bits. If you're worried about wet feet and don't want goretex trainers, just pick up a few pairs of sealskins socks.

[lub0]

A few years ago I purchased some expensive Merrell Trainers only to find in another shop on the highstreet absolutely 100% identical ones without the logo for 1/5th the price. Never again will I buy them.

For real? I thought Merrell exclusively design and manufactuered all their own footwear products? I wouldn't mind knowing the 1/5th of the price clones you speak of, though!

As for weather I will be going during the height of summer so won't be bringing any waterproofs whatsoever. Thanks for the reccomendation on the Hedgehog GTX's, bookmarked.

[suburban bushwacker]

Didn't have a very good experience of them myself - the 5.10's I had before were slightly cheaper and much much better made.
Edit
The model I had were 'camp four approach shoes' bought them in a climbing shop in Leeds, very though shoes.

SBW

[cbr6fs]

I have a few pairs of shoes like that and they're great for quick walks.

As blacktimberwolf and Perrari said though, for me they do not offer enough support or protection while both carrying a heavy pack and long distances.

Whenever i've worn these type of approach shoes on longer hikes, at around the 12 mile mark i start to wish i had my hiking boots on instead.
They were not uncomfortable enough to stop me walking, but i am certainly less fatigued on longer hikes with stiffer soled walking boots.




Cheers
Mark

[suburban bushwacker]

Got to echo that, without the ankle support fatigue will set in a lot sooner (a lot less than 12 miles for me!)
SBW

[rik_uk3]

Do we really need boots for the likes of this walk?
http://pct-hike.randsco.com/Planning/06-Feet.html
“When you think about it, this makes perfect sense. At every step you lift the weight of your footwear. My stride is roughly two feet long. So I lift my feet around 2,500 times per mile. If I wear boots weighing 4 pounds a pair, I’m lifting around 10,000 pounds every mile. However, if instead I wear low-cut shoes weighing 1.5 pounds, then I lift only 3,750 pounds every mile. In the course of hiking 20 miles, that’s 200,000 pounds lifted with 4-pound boots, but only 75,000 pounds with 1.5-pound shoes, a big difference.” (Chris Townsend)

A lot of people are walking a lot further over more difficult terrain using shoes not boots, are we 'clinging on' to what we were taught years ago. When I was at School and started rock climbing the de rigour footware was heavy leather boots with pretty much a rigid sole. By the time I finished School canvas shoes were in fashion. I don't hike so its all guess work on my part but I've not taken boots on static camps for well over two years, trainers, crocs and or a pair of wellies round camp, no point in boots for static camping IMO.

If I was up to it and doing the Pennine Way these days I'd go for shoes. Up and down steep inclines in Snowdonia? the juries out on that one for me, always was boots...what I was used to but if I'm in or around Brecon these days you see more and more hill walkers in trainers so they must have something going in their favour I suspect.

We should look more at what the modern hiker uses, they seem to embrace new ideas and technology more than some of us 'old timers' lol

[Joonsy]

i have used the merrell chameleon wrap slam and the salomon exit 2 aero (both non-goretex) when wet i find the salomons dry out much quicker than the merrels, the merrels take much longer to dry out which is a shame as they are otherwise a good shoe, you will get wet in approach shoes so i consider their abilty to dry out quickly while on the move important (forget goretex shoes they take ages to dry out, and you are sure to get them wet inside) i don't wear anything waterproof on my feet in warm weather just normal socks (and yes i get wet) the merrels are up to the job for what you said (unless faulty, unlikely) so choice of shoe V boot is really down to personal preference. I would advise a lightweight waterproof jacket of some kind though (you said you were taking no waterproofs)

[cbr6fs]

Do we really need boots for the likes of this walk?
http://pct-hike.randsco.com/Planning/06-Feet.html
“When you think about it, this makes perfect sense. At every step you lift the weight of your footwear. My stride is roughly two feet long. So I lift my feet around 2,500 times per mile. If I wear boots weighing 4 pounds a pair, I’m lifting around 10,000 pounds every mile. However, if instead I wear low-cut shoes weighing 1.5 pounds, then I lift only 3,750 pounds every mile. In the course of hiking 20 miles, that’s 200,000 pounds lifted with 4-pound boots, but only 75,000 pounds with 1.5-pound shoes, a big difference.” (Chris Townsend)

A lot of people are walking a lot further over more difficult terrain using shoes not boots, are we 'clinging on' to what we were taught years ago. When I was at School and started rock climbing the de rigour footware was heavy leather boots with pretty much a rigid sole. By the time I finished School canvas shoes were in fashion. I don't hike so its all guess work on my part but I've not taken boots on static camps for well over two years, trainers, crocs and or a pair of wellies round camp, no point in boots for static camping IMO.

If I was up to it and doing the Pennine Way these days I'd go for shoes. Up and down steep inclines in Snowdonia? the juries out on that one for me, always was boots...what I was used to but if I'm in or around Brecon these days you see more and more hill walkers in trainers so they must have something going in their favour I suspect.

We should look more at what the modern hiker uses, they seem to embrace new ideas and technology more than some of us 'old timers' lol

I don't just "embrace new ideas and technology" mate, i chase em round the parking lot

I know what your saying and logically you'd be right, for me though in the 12 years i've lived here i've tried and tried and tried with lightweight shoes, in the hope that come summer my feet won't feel like boil in a bag potatoes.

I've tried everything from sandles, to them there 5fingers, these approach type shoes (i wear these daily) and even some that are in-between sandles and approach shoes.
Even tried them past the point of uncomfortable over long periods in case my feet need to "get used to them".

Still on longer hikes i've found nothing as good as a decent pair of hiking boots.


Part of it is that with the stiffer sole your foot tends to roll through a stride, rather than your calves lifting you in softer soled shoes.
The other thing is, with a heavy pack on rough terrain you are going to stumble, even with hiking poles.
With shoes i'm fine the first 10 miles or so as i still feel fairly light on my feet, after 12 miles or so though i tend to just kinda throw 1 foot in front of the other, so at longer distances when i stumble my other leg isn't as quick or strong to support.

With boots you have that ankle protection.


Horses for courses, i know that some marathon runners sing the praise of barefoot running, so absolutely no doubt it's possible.
For me though even after giving lighter thinner shoes a damn good chance i'm still better off on longer hikes and hikes with a weighty backpack with stronger hiking boots.




Cheers
Mark

[rik_uk3]

5 finger shoes, no, no, no, seriously...you didn't...not in front of Greek men; I dread to think what they thought, them sitting there, playing tavli and having a gylko coffe and you walking past! I used to believe in the ankle support idea, still do I suppose but over the years I've had two mates have broken ankle bones and they were in boots, to really give support they'd need to be tight enough to cut off the blood supply. I wish I was fit enough to put boots v shoes to the test

Use what you like, live and let live and all that.

[Chiseller]

I would advise a lightweight waterproof jacket of some kind though (you said you were taking no waterproofs)

I would echo that, I height of summer? Exposure to an hour long downpour, exertion, and wind etc =death



...... Failed dogger and alleged bigot!

[greensurfingbear]

I manage the newcastle section of the Hadrian wall national trail and have seen people wearing all sorts on their feet. Definitely a shift to more and more folk wearing approach shoes. But then again not as many folk carrying big bags.

I think the answer to a lot of these questions are down to personal preference as well as knowing what your body can take. I did the 17km might deerstalker night race this year in vibram five finger kso shoes. Feet where fine. Granted I wasn't wearing a heavy pack but I was running up mountains and through rivers and bogs!




Orric

[HillBill]

Part of it is that with the stiffer sole your foot tends to roll through a stride, rather than your calves lifting you in softer soled shoes.

Most hiking shoes/trainers have vibram soles these days, the same as boots funnily enough. The soles on my Hedgehogs are nearly as stiff as my Miendl boots.

Seems that the ones you tried may not have had Vibram soles?

[Bluebs4]

Not enought support for that kinda distance , and man do thay pong after a bit ,can never get rid of the smell .so a no vote from me ......brasher superlites hardley any breakin time . Did a stint with the gurkas for a charity and lost toenails because of wrong foot ware ,will dig photos out of black toes ;0)

[gbjim03m]

I am on my fourth pair of merrell cham's and in my opinion i would say no. If you have wet feet on day one you will struggle to keep your feet dry for the remainder of the trip. They are a brilliant piece of kit and i use them as daily footwear and exactly as designed,approach shoes only. Get some 3 season gortex lightweight boots and you cant go wrong, I have solomon Quests and they are just the ticket waterproof lightweight and support enough for UK trails, Take it from someone who has owned merrells and walked and climbed for a long time they will not do.
Again chaps my opinion !!

[cbr6fs]

5 finger shoes, no, no, no, seriously...you didn't...not in front of Greek men; I dread to think what they thought, them sitting there, playing tavli and having a gylko coffe and you walking past! I used to believe in the ankle support idea, still do I suppose but over the years I've had two mates have broken ankle bones and they were in boots, to really give support they'd need to be tight enough to cut off the blood supply. I wish I was fit enough to put boots v shoes to the test

Use what you like, live and let live and all that.

I told you i chase new ideas and technology round the parking lot

They are very comfortable after your feet have got used to them, biggest problem i have is me Mrs keeps hiding the bloody things though, although you do get some weird looks, but then i tend to get weird looks no matter what i wear

I disagree with you on the ankle support.
Sure you could still twist or break and ankle in most hiking boots, but they still offer a hell of a lot more resistance to ankle injuries than nothing (i.e, shoes).

Best way i can think of describing it is, it's like wearing a helmet on a motorbike.
Yes you can still get serious head injuries but the injuries would be a lot worse without it, the same with boots.

Hope you get well soon mate.

Most hiking shoes/trainers have vibram soles these days, the same as boots funnily enough. The soles on my Hedgehogs are nearly as stiff as my Miendl boots.

Seems that the ones you tried may not have had Vibram soles?

Vibram make many different types of soles and they differ vastly in both density and stiffness.

As an example obviously my Vibram 5fingers have a sole made by Vibram, this is very thin and very flexible.
Where as the Vibram sole on my hiking boots is a LOT thicker and offers a LOT more support.
The Vibram soles on my approach shoes again are very very different than the Vibram soles on both my hiking boots and 5fingers.

So not all Vibram soles are the same.
Vibram is a brand name not a product, think of it like Ford.
A Ford Fiesta is very different to Ford Transit van, yet they are still manufactured or assembled by Ford.

The other thing is, the construction of the shoe/boot has a MASSIVE effect on the soles stiffness.
You could fit the exact same sole on say a sandal and say a boot and they both would feel very very different.

The times i've bothered taking my GPS with me i've averaged around 80km hiking.
This is out walking the dog, hiking with the kids and just out walking and backpacking to relax and have fun.

In my experience after around 12km i generally feel less fatigued in stiffer soled hiking boots than i do when i'm wearing my approach shoes.
Throw a fairly heavy rucksack into the mix and i strongly prefer stiffer soled hiking boots to approach shoes, even though i have the option of both.

I have done longer hikes with a heavier backpack in approach shoes and i did complete the hike.
BUT i felt noticeably less fatigues in stiffer soled hiking boots.

On smoother paths, over shorter distances, with shallower gradients, carrying less weight i would select approach shoes over boots.
On a 22 mile hike with a fairly weight backpack it's a no brainer for me, i would prefer not to do it at all over having to do it in approach shoes.

This is with my experiences with my legs and my kit.



Cheers
Mark

[beamdune]

Gone off Merrell shoes. They all seem to to have too much padding; I rather have something that would dry quicker.

They also to seem to be heading down the 'fashion shoes' more than I'd like. It's so damned annoying that most high street shops (cotswold, blacks, go-outdoors) stock mostly tnf and merrell.

...and Mr Grylls wears them

[rik_uk3]

Does make you wonder how Nepalese porters carry 50kg via a headband up and down mountain trails wearing a pair of Dunlop pumps

[cbr6fs]

Does make you wonder how Nepalese porters carry 50kg via a headband up and down mountain trails wearing a pair of Dunlop pumps

Have you seen the state of their feet though

[lub0]

OK thanks for all the opinions and advice, but I'm still not sure weather to take the Merrells, or my trusty German para boots which weigh more than twice as much as the Merrell's do!

As soon as I've finished preparing the allotmont for this years crop I'll be commencing training and conditioning for the trip, which consists of the full 25kg ALICE pack and you guessed it, 22 miles per day, for 12 days on the trot. I've already got the 22 mile training route all planned out in google earth, haha. I'll see what the merrells look like after all that walking and then I can make a far more accurate guess as to how they would cope with that distance plus rock uneven terrain!

[swright81076]

Here's my 2 penneth.
I have a pair of rufuge gtx pro. Have used these everyday for 12 months. I'm on my feet all the time in them. Few miles a day. They are superb. On they heavy side for the size. Excellent shoes.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[cbr6fs]

OK thanks for all the opinions and advice, but I'm still not sure weather to take the Merrells, or my trusty German para boots which weigh more than twice as much as the Merrell's do!

As soon as I've finished preparing the allotmont for this years crop I'll be commencing training and conditioning for the trip, which consists of the full 25kg ALICE pack and you guessed it, 22 miles per day, for 12 days on the trot. I've already got the 22 mile training route all planned out in google earth, haha. I'll see what the merrells look like after all that walking and then I can make a far more accurate guess as to how they would cope with that distance plus rock uneven terrain!

Sounds like a good plan.