After 12 months of searching I have finally managed to get a hold of a pair of Merrell Moab FST Men’s Shoes to try them out. Supposedly the average men’s shoe size is 10.5 US which is why as someone who wears size 14 US it has taken me so long to track down a pair. I try to support local stores but when all else fails, Amazon becomes my friend.
As someone with large feet my choice of shoes for hiking is very limited, an issue that I contend with in every sporting or recreational activity in which I have participated. What this means is that I don’t have the luxury of choice and have to work with a very limited range. This is why whenever a manufacturer comes out with a pair of shoes in my size I will purchase a pair to see how they perform, whatever the perceived shortcomings.
I have previously tried a pair of Merrell Moab Ventilators, a well known model and one of the most used shoes by American thru-hikers. My issue with the Ventilators is while they are durable and perform well on wet muddy trails but don’t have good traction on the dry powdery trails which makes up much of my hiking.
Based on my experience with the Ventilators I had preconceived ideas regarding the Moab FSTs. These shoes fall into the trail runner/hiking shoe category and won’t provide the durability and support of a full leather boot. They will however provide a lightweight alternative for those of us that prefer not to wear boots.
I’ve been using the Moab FSTs for just over two weeks now so thought I would provide a brief overview on how they have performed so far in this limited timeframe.
Good points
Possible issues
I hope these first impressions have been helpful. Over the next few months I will give these shoes a flogging and see how they stand up to long multi-day hikes in a variety of conditions.
It’s now been two months since I published my first impressions of these shoes and I have worn them almost exclusively apart from the odd times I have done comparisons with other footwear. In that time they have notched up over 600km in a variety of conditions. So how did they perform?
8.9 / 10
Value for Money 1.7
Durability 1.8
Comfort 1.7
Weight 1.8
Support/Stability 1.9
I wear a size 14US hiking shoe and struggle to find a good range of footwear to choose from. This small range is even smaller in Australia with importers electing to stop their range just below my size and as such I find myself buying from Amazon in the USA . For the past two years I have been testing whatever I can find in my size to find that ‘perfect shoe’ and for me nothing has managed to come close to the Salomon XA 3D Pro. The Solomons have ticked just about all the boxes but still didn’t quite reach that lofty goal of perfect.
In testing the Merrell Moab FST shoes I had preconceptions about how they would perform based on my experience with the well known Merrell Moab Ventilators which are one of the best known hiking shoes currently on the market; this preconception was a negative one. However having worn the FST’s for just over three months in a variety of conditions this offering from Merrell was a big surprise, a very big surprise.
As I mentioned in my first impression review at the time I managed to purchase my Merrell Moab FST’s I couldn’t find a pair fo sale in size 14 on the Australian market so had to purchase mine from Amazon in the USA.
My first impression of these shoes was positive and even after 1000+km of wear and tear this impression hasn’t changed. There are some negatives here so lets look at these first up:
Now for the positives:
In Comparison
In choosing footwear there are a number of considerations with the obvious one being size. When you go into most specialist hiking stores they will usually have small ramps to try out different shoes to make sure that you aren’t pushing into the toe box. While length is just one aspect of size and while reasonably critical, width and ‘depth’ are also just as important. I have also worn the Keen Targhee II’s and if you have a broad solid foot then this is a good starting point. If you have a slightly wide and solid foot then go the Salomon XA 3D Pro’s. If however you have a long average width and average hight foot then this is where the the Merrell FST’s come into there own.
Now I need to say here that everyones foot is different so what works for one person won’t necessarily work for others. I have been very happy with these shoes and have now worn these shoes out managing over 100km in variety of conditions. While the testing still goes on the Merrell FST’s are a strong contender for my planned thru-hike in 2018.
You can purchase Merrell Moab FST Men’s Shoes online from Wild Earth or Merrell Australia
If you live in the USA you can also try or Amazon USA
Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our gear reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!
If you have worn the Merrell Moab FSTs or if you have questions, we’d like to hear from you. Post your comment or question below
Please note that the full range of models/colours of these shoes doesn’t appear to be available in Australia but is available in the USA.
This review was done with product purchased from a retail store by the reviewer
Merrell Moab FST
Merrell Moab FST – view of the sole
Merrell Moab FST heel guard