Merrell Improve Trail Shoes (For Men)

These shoes are great, you hardly know that you have them on.

Although they are too new to comment on durability, I have owned Merrell shoes in the past and found them to be fantastic every time. If you are looking for an everyday casual hiking shoe, I highly recommend these.

These Merrell Improv (not Improve) shoes are interesting and useful if you understand their limitations. There is a full neoprene sock built into the shoe. This helps keep pebbles and sand out of the shoes, but it makes them a little harder to get on because one must stretch the neoprene and definitely makes these shoes hot. The heat and water resistance might be nice for cool weather but is not nice for hot weather. The sock does grab well enough that the laces are optional for flat terrain.

Good shoe; quality leather, sturdy sole, and very stable. I've found that shoes of this type (that span a few different categories) tend not to be so well made. The neoprene liner is a bit slippery (especially with wool or nylon socks), but they're extremely comfortable, light, and sporty. Great deal [$]

empressed