Merrell All Out Blaze Aero Sport

I wanted to love these hiking shoes, but they just didn't win me over after multiple backcountry hiking trips. They did not hold up in the arch area for comfort on long backpacking trips.

Merrell All Out Blaze Aero hiking shoes

Good traction on soles

Extra rubber protection in the toe box

I bought these shoes at REI during a sale. I tried them on and was super impressed with how comfortable they felt. I never would have guessed that these were about to be one of the worst shoes for backpacking.

First trip they held up fine, still impressed with them. They are rugged with good traction and proved to be water resistant and I loved the color that blended well with the rest of my hiking clothes (not that it matters). 

It was not until my fourth backpacking trip that they started to really bother my arches. So on my next trip I purchased high dollar arch supports. They helped a little bit, but the supports raised my toes just enough to get massively bruised and ultimately lost four toenails. With that said I decided to just go with a brand new hiking shoe all together. 

I definitely don't blame the toenail situation on the shoe, but the arch situation was just not the best for me. I brought them back and exchanged them for the Adidas (see my review) which have done well so far. 

I love Merrell shoes and have owned other varieties. They have a great reputation, but these just didn't hold up to the test. 

My foot size is 7.5 and I bought a size 8.5 in these shoes.

One of their best-looking shoes, with one of their best treads (basically a tire), with a tragically poor fit.

I always wanted to like these, especially the BLACK "colorway". It just looks awesome. If they made a non-mesh version, it would be, visually and as far as the tread, my ideal shoe. 

Alas, the fit is just off—if you size up to wear with socks, you're negating the point of it being mesh, because your socks will get wet anyhow; if you size down, your toes will be hitting the edge of the box, and a tight lockdown WILL bruise the top of your feet. 

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Decades