Merrell Men's Moab 3 8" Zip Tactical Boots

I have had these Merrill MOAB 3 boots for two weeks, and after putting several miles on them I must say that they are about the most comfortable boots for walking, both on pavement and in the woods, I have ever owned. They are light, soft stepping, stable and supportive, and are claimed to be waterproof (though I have not yet tested them for that). I purchased them for outdoor activities that involve lots of walking and standing, occasionally on wet and soggy ground, and I am confident they will serve well in that use. That said, I do have two observations:This is actually my second pair as the first pair I received were far too large. I have several pair of perfectly fitting Merrell walking shoes in size 9W, so that is what I ordered with these Merrell boots. They turned out to be far too large, with more than an inch of extra room in the toe, and too much room on the sides. The good news is that Amazon makes the exchange easy, and three days later I received a pair in size 8 ½ W. These are also just a little too large, and an 8 Wide or Regular would probably be better, but I’m trying to make do with thicker socks. Still this variance in sizing from the same manufacturer was surprising.The product information seems to infer that, with a side zipper, they can be put on and removed without having to deal with the laces. I found this to not be the case. They can be removed by opening the zipper, but if they’re laced tight enough to fit properly, there is no way I can get my feet into them with the zipper open. What I found is that if I leave the zipper open, tighten the laces as with any other boots, and then pull up the zipper, I get a good, snug and supportive fit around the ankle.

I have been wearing this boots for about two years. Because of extreme trauma arthritis in my right foot and ankle. I always have to go up a size in shoes, from 10.5 to 11. But, they ended up being too big and I felt I was wearing clown shoes. I then started wearing as 10.5 but while better, nut a snug fit. I just got them in size 10 and they are perfect. They have always been comfortable, but with a snug fit there is less wear and tear for me. However, the soles don't last. Despite the bad foot and being in my 70s, I take long walks, from 10 to 12 miles everday on sidewalks, never on the ground. Because of that the heals are ground down in about 3 months. Still, they are the best I have ever used.

These Boots Are constructed extremely well! Waterproof warm and cool extremely comfortable they fit my feet perfectly. I don't get any slip on the heel no blisters they're very lightweight very flexible you don't have to break them in. And with the zipper side it's easy to slide them off and on you don't have to mess with the laces at all. And then when there's zipped up and you have the velcro strap over it you don't even really notice that it's there. So I went ahead and bought two pairs two different colors. And they're made of real leather.

First, the good. These are super comfortable, super supportive, and have good grip.Now, the bad. The lace loops WILL break. One of mine broke on the 5th time I wore these. Then, I went to Merrell's site and looked at reviews there... all of them were bad reviews about the lace loops breaking. So I contacted Merrell's support for a replacement, and they said that buying them here was not from an approved retailer, so they won't support them. So now I'm going to have to throw out a pair of brand-new, $170 boots. Yay.Edit: I found a good solution to make these as good, or better than new. 2 packs of Tandy lace hooks, 1 pack of small Tandy rapid rivets, a Tandy rivet setter, and a pack of #6 stainless washers from the hardware store, and these are fixed - for $21. Picture attached. If anything, I like these speed hooks more than the original loops, it makes it super fast to unlace the top part of the boot to make getting it on or off even faster. Yes, they have a zipper to let them expand for that, but for me it doesn't let it expand enough.

Kept my feet warm and dry through pretty deep snow. Size was accurate, pretty comfy for a large boot.

I've been wearing combat boots for most of my adult life ( military and law enforcement) and although I've only had these for one day, i really like them so far. They feel very snug. For someone with large/wide feet, you may want to order a wide width or a larger size. Despite their large, clunky appearance, they are fairly light weight. Nicely made, comfortable. The soles are nice, with a aggressive look and nice grip. The only real downside, aside from snug fit (for those for whom this is a problem), is the price. They are rather expensive. But as I always advise rooky officers and new soldiers, don't chintz on your boots. (for some reason VALUE FOR MONEY autopopulates on the review, this is inaccurate. expensive boots)

Bought as a gift, they absolutely loved this. Perfect fit and true to size. So far so good, they have used every day for work and like the sturdiness, traction and thick soles. The side zip makes ease of wearing so easy on and off.