Merrell All Out Blaze Sieve, Men Hiking Sandals

These shoes are fabulous - my husband's second pair - the first only discarded because they were faded and scruffy, not actually worn out. His previous pair were bought in a shop on holiday and the seller said that Merrell didn't do half sizes so he had to endure a pair half a size too big until I saw these on Amazon. Turns out they do do half sizes after all and the seller in the shop probably didn't have the correct size in stock and was eager for a sale! These are a much better fit and look much nicer without a big gaping space at the back where his heel should have been!First of all, the base is made from a thick nylon material, supported with a flexible rubber-like material across the instep and oiled leather on the upper part for durability and stability. The whole shoe is like a comfortable, supportive sock with a neat bungee fastening - to lace tying to bother about! There are cut-outs along the sole which allow for water to drain away or if you aren't using them as water shoes, for the air to get in and sweat to get out and a padded heel 'strap' rather than a fully covered heel which make them immediately wearable without the need for any 'treading-in'.If you have problems with sweating, blisters or chafing whilst walking, these are for you. The sole is of a shock absorbing, water-suitable material and very, very durable. My husband's old pair were worn every weekend and for walking holidays on very rough, stony ground and the soles had hardly a mark on them. As I said before, he couldn't get the right size in the shop, plus, the shoes were sun-bleached and shabby - that's the only reason he got some more. I'd say they'd last, for leisure use, a good three to four years at least, it not more, depending on how hard you use them.The only thing I'd say against them is this: If you are rock-climbing or traversing very unstable ground, such as slate or scree, they would probably slip off. I have the same shoes and once, when my proper walking boots were hurting me, wore them on similar ground and the elasticated heel strap kept 'giving' and my feet were sliding around dangerously. On two occasions my foot almost slipped out but this isn't a reflection on the shoes themselves - I just wore them on unsuitable ground.Can't really say anything bad about these shoes and when my own wear out I'll be getting some more - they're so good and so very, very comfortable! When they get a bit scruffy, give them a good wash and let them dry naturally, then apply a little clear wax polish or leather cream to the leather parts which will completely revive and smarten them up!

Purchased these for a little bit of light hiking whilst on holiday and ended up not really using them as intended. I wore these whilst driving up to Fort William due to their airy design. I had planned to wear my proper hiking boots once I arrived there to actually climb Ben Nevis.Once we had arrived at Fort William I realised that in my rush to leave the house I had forgotten to actually put the hiking boots in the car.Faced with a bit of a dilemma I eventually decided to try the climb up UK's biggest Munroe in these glorified sandals. After all, how bad could it be?Turns out it was pretty good. The Merrell sandals were superb. Excellent traction underfoot gave me a huge amount of confidence whilst climbing. Despite not having any socks on my feet felt comfortable and the light weight of the shoes/sandals made climbing a realitvely easy affair.Once at the top my feet felt a little sore and my ankles a little weary but nothing to worry about.On the way back down I realised the weakness of these shoes. They have VERY little in the way of cushioning. After a near four hour descend in 28 degree heat my feet, ankles and knees were not doing so well. I developed two blisters on one foot due most likely to my feet getting wet whilst trudging through a patch of snow near the top.Inspite of this I feel I have to give the shoes five stars as they went above and beyond what they are designed to do and coped with rock terrain, snow, 28 degree heat and 9 miles of climbing and descending.Two blisters was a fair price to pay.The lacing system worked perfectly and the vibram soles are superb.If you're on the fence I would recommend that you get these. Since the climb I've used these as driving shoes, hiking shoes, beach shoes and training shoes.I'll be using proper hiking boots for my next Munroe though!

This is a nice looking lightweight shoe. I bought it after my purchase of the 'allout blaze' shoe which was a very comfortable shoe especially for wider feet. This shoe has a peculiar narrower fitespecially at the arc with less toe space. It has no removable insole, but a fabric insole glued to the footbed. This insole does not cover the whole area, allowing a rough foodbed around it. This is poor practice for a merrell shoe. It may be uncomfortable for wider feet even though the upper material is soft allowing some extra space. Strictly a summer shoe. The sole itself is light and flexible. Reasonable fit but poor cushioning and inefficient support. I round up 3.5stars to 4.After some months of use, i find this a shoe that fits all circumstances! Land, sea, floods, drafts!!

Great shoes

Great fit