Australian Hiker

Rating

Merrell Moab Ventilator 2 Hiking Shoe - Men's

Merrell Moab footwear is one of those pieces of outdoor equipment that has attained icon status and at one stage was the footwear of choice for many long distance hikers. While times have changed and there are now a huge range of options in the hiking footwear sector, Merrell Moab 2 Ventilator shoes still hold their place and are well worth considering as an option for hiking.

Firstly this footwear is defined as a hiking shoe, as opposed to trail runner. This segment of the market still retains many of the features that boot wearers like but with reduced bulk and weight. In many instances when hikers start transitioning away from boots they will often head to this category as the first port of call. The Merrell Moab Ventilator hiking shoe is on the lighter end of this category. The sizing of these shoes is reasonably accurate with my chosen size 14US fitting just as I would have expected. In addition, the width of these shoes will fit hikers with average to widish width feet. Many shoes have the length but will narrow at the toe box making them unwearable for me.

Merrell excel at producing footwear and the Merrell Moab 2 Ventilator shoe is no exception. They are burly shoes that provide supreme protection under the feet, at the sides and top because of the robust upper. Now these are a shoe rather than a boot so there is limited ankle support but they do come in a boot version if that is what you are after. These shoes are also a long term purchase lasting well over 1000+ km of whatever you throw at them.

This version is the non waterproof version which is what I prefer but you have the option of choosing the waterproof version particularly if hiking in wet cold conditions. I have found even the breathable version does still mange to keep most water out so unless you are walking through snow then stick to those rather than the waterproof options.

The shoe colour on the Ventilator tends to be a kaki and brown combination which is well known and recognised world wide. The colour variations are saved for the other styles including the women’s version, or the Military version.

As great as these shoes are there is a weakness and that is the soles. While they are robust and provide plenty of protection so that you will hardly notice those sharp pointy rocks, they are weak on the traction side. On flat ground and standard type trails they work well but if you are into serious stuff that requires steep ascents and descents on powdery dry conditions or on wet muddy ground, then they just don’t have enough holding power. I will say that they outperform the original Moab Ventilator but the Merrell FST 2 trail running shoes outperforms them easily in this capacity.

One other issue I have is with the inserts in these shoes. This shoe, and for that matter most the shoes on the market, have thin inserts as standard. I find they don’t have enough cushioning for me and I need to use the Superfeet Blue Insoles to provide extra arch support but I do need to turn these insoles over around every 350 km.

Overall these are a very good choice for a hiking shoe particularly for those transitioning out of boots. The fact that they are available pretty much world wide makes them a sensible choice that will suit most foot shapes and sizes.

We Like

• Excellent foot protection including great heel and toe guards. This means your feet will remain in good condition through an extended hike
• A medium to wide fit which suits most people providing greater options for fit
• A lightweight hiking shoe that you wont notice even after a long day
• Readily available around the world so they are easy to replace should you have the need
• Highly durable
• Available in waterproof and breathable options

We Don't Like

• I found the traction on these shoes to be poor in dry conditions. I regularly walk on steep unsealed fire trails and when they are powder dry I have very poor traction particularly coming down hill, which forces me to tread very carefully

Best Uses

• All types of hiking, particularly good for long distance on non technical trails

Buy One

You can purchase the Merrell Moab Ventilator hiking shoe from Merrell Australia

Disclosure:  We may earn a small commission, at no additional expense to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!

If you have worn the Merrell Moab 2 Ventilator hiking shoe or if you have questions, we’d like to hear from you. Post your comment or question below

Other Versions

The Moab now comes in a range of options from  low cut shoes to boots, men’s and women’s and waterproof and non waterproof. There’s something for everyone

Disclaimer

This review was done with product provided by the Australian distributor of Merrell

Merrell Moab 2 Ventilator Hiking Shoe

Merrell Ventilator toe box

Side view

Heel view

Merrell Ventilator view of sole

After 316 km on the Hume and Hovell Track

Shares