Note: this item was sent for review.
As I mentioned in my First Look of these boots, I was not sure what to expect when I received Meermin’s new Hiking Boots. Will these be nothing more than a fashion statement, not able to handle the grime that comes with being in the muck — or would they be more like an outdoor boot? In the end, they walk a fine line right in the middle of the two worlds. A well made, and good looking boot, with the everyday comfort of a sneaker, and the ability to step on a trail if the urge arises.
I’m a big fan of these boots, and they’ve become one of my most worn pair of boots since receiving them.
Materials
There’s a few color variants of this boot, which change the outer materials on them, but they are all leather. This boot is on Meermin’s new Ultraflex System which is their balanced foot bed system for support while retaining flexibility. These have steel shanks in addition to the veg-tanned insole and midsole. The boots are on Meermin’s Onyx last which is an E width.
The leather on these is boxcalf in ebony, with vegetable tanning from Annonay in France. They are lined with horsehide, and have a commando style sole which is Goodyear welted. The eyelets and hooks are overbuilt and extend closer to the toe, lending an alpine boot vibe.
The fit in and finish on these looked perfect out of the box. The performance of the materials thus far has shown exceptional durability.
Use & Wear
Here’s what Meermin labels these boots as:
Designed for durability, our new hiking boots feature thicker eyelets that are built to withstand whatever is thrown at them. The reinforced eyelets not only contribute to the overall rugged aesthetic but also enhance the boots’ longevity, ensuring they remain securely laced.
And:
All-in-all the Hiking boot alongside with the all new ONYX last would rapidly become your go-to boot whether you’re exploring the outdoors or navigating the urban landscape, these boots are designed to accompany you on every adventure, ensuring a stylish and comfortable experience.
In all of the marketing around this boot, they are billed as ‘hiking boots’, and not city boots that look like hiking boots. While I’ve not taken these on any serious hikes, I’ve done half a dozen miles in them many of days, through mud, snow, ice, rain, and dusty conditions. All of the pictures you see are without any restoration or cleaning of the boots outside of wiping them off.
The big question for me with these boots was how comfortable they would be, and whether or not they could handle adverse conditions. The answers to the first was rather immediate.
These boots are among the most comfortable boots I own. They are light on the feet, with a very luxurious and soft feeling lining. They are supportive, but in no way are they stiff feeling. They became my most worn boots this winter, not because of this review, but because they are so comfortable I didn’t want to wear something else.
On your feet these boots feel like they should have one of those unattractive white “sneaker sole” setups that you see from ’comfort’ focused shoe brands. But when you look at them, they look like a classic outdoor boot, yet they feel like walking on a sneaker. It’s that mix which is a bit of a secret weapon for these boots.
Any good boot has to perform well in gross conditions. Or to put it how I saw a reddit commenter put it “boots need to be able to do anything you wouldn’t wear a shoe for”. These have seen multiple days of walking through the snow. Of shuffling over ice. Of that same walk turning into snow slush and muck.
These came with a pretty high shine on the black leather, and I am surprised to see that the leather looks rather unfazed by all of that abuse and poor conditions these boots have seen. They feel too soft to be this rugged, and yet my testing tells a completely different story.
One thing I have noticed with these, is despite the fully lined interior, they don’t wear overly warm. They certainly won’t be something you’d want on your feet in the dead of summer, but on cold days with a thick sock, my feet were often cold in these boots. This is more of ‘a thing’ than a bad or good thing. I wouldn’t wear these as my primary snow boots, as my feet tended to get cold after 15 minutes in below freezing weather. However, they also never overheated in these boots either making them good to wear when the weather is bad but you are indoors more.
The last on these boots runs much trimmer than I expected. I have a fairly standard width foot, and these didn’t leave much room for thicker socks to be worn in them — the first sign that these are not purely for the outdoors. The plus with this is that they balance nicely with clothing you wear in the city, while not looking out of place outdoors. The downside is that they won’t leave a ton of room for foot swelling with thick socks on. I tend to find that a mid-weight sock is best with these boots.
The biggest question I had with these is: would I wear these hiking? I would wear these on any day hike I’ve done that is under 3-4 miles in length. I don’t see any reason why these wouldn’t be comfortable for such a hike and I think the only downside would be the potential for scuffs on the toe and heels of the boots since there’s no rolled protection on those areas.
They wouldn’t be my first choice for this activity type, but I wouldn’t regret it. I’ve worn these all day with about 6-7 miles of walking each day on them — I’ve had no issue with comfort or hotspots.
The only real issue I’ve run into with these boots is that the sole doesn’t perform well on ice. It doesn’t grip well, and is quite slippery to walk across a sheet of fresh ice with these boots on. It would be asking a lot for these to handle ice well, so that’s more of an FYI.
Overall
I hoped these boots would be a nice compliment to how I dress in the winter. What I found is a boot I tend to wear more days than not, as it’s comfortable and looks good.
I’m a big fan of these. And given that they are Goodyear welted, and $265 — these are a great deal for how comfortable and performant they’ve shown themselves to be.