I fall in love with Merrell and the Gore-Tex. After 9 years,
The best, the most comfortable pairs was Merrell Chameleon 2. The quality seems to have degraded for the years, and I have accustom to the less comfortable shoes too.
I hope the latest verions Chameleon 5 will make a real comeback in my neck of the woods..
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I used think Merrell style shoes were ugly. It doesn't look like any of the court shoes like Tennis shoes, basketball shoes etc. After 2-3 weekends of hiking on natural, rocky trail with my favorite running shoes, I realized why many people on the trail wore the ugly shoes.
I found Merrell generally have good reviews or achieve the sweet spot for the performance and value perspective. I like the shoes with Gore-Tex, it does wonder in the rain - keeping my feet dry.
Chameleon - a bit more serious hiking, on uneven terrain
Moab - a bit more suitable for walking on non-paved, yet even surface.
Chameleon vs Moab - Nylon arch support / sole design
Ventilator vs stretch ??
