Serious three-season hiking boots plus trail running shoes new for 2010.
Merrell is
arguably best known for its range of approach shoes, but for
2010, the biggest
change is a move further up the mountain with an expanded range of
proper walking boots.
The first hiking and trekking boots from the company, called
Outbound, are due
out this autumn, 2009, and more of them once they're available, but we
can tell you now that they feature a Gore-Tex liner, Vibram sole unit
and Cordura upper and are designed for three-season use below the
snowline.
For 2010, the range gets expanded with full leather versions - above -
featuring Gore-Tex liners and Vibram along with sturdy bumpers to
protect the uppers from abrasion damage. For what looks like a sturdy
boot, they felt surprisingly light.
Also new next year is the
Col,
a lighter, less technical 2/3-season sort of boot in two waterproof Mid
versions, one with Gore-Tex and one without for both
men and women along with a low-cut men's version in either full-grain
leather or ventilated guise.
The new boots draw on Merrell's full range of technologies with new
Endless Mile technology which provides a suspension support system and
an exposed PU heel shock pad.
Another new area is trail running where Merrell is launching a shoe
called the
CTR Cruise
for both men and women in Gore-Tex and non Gore-Tex versions. The shoe
has a toothily aggressive sole unit, rubber toe and heel bumpers
We'd expect it to be used both for trail running and also by
lightweight walkers looking for a combination of nimbleness and
underfoot grip and cushioning.
Also on the trail-running side of things is the new
ATR Cross, a
ventilated runner with a less aggressive sole unit, which is 'built
around the gender -specific stride patterns of Men and Women and
anatomically true footbeds', says Merrell.
It's been treated with a DWR, so should cope okay with wet grass and
the odd shower plus dry out faster.
Socks!
There's plenty more besides including some neat
watersports shoes, but for next spring, Merrell also has a range of
matching socks, and we mean matching - the pattern mimics the classic
lines of the Chameleon approach shoe.
They should be good as the range has been developed in conjunction with
top sock specialist Bridgedale and includes no fewer than eight styles
in four categories to cover anything from running through to
backpacking.
There's plenty of strategically placed padding and fabrics used include
merino wool and Coolmax. As you'd expect, quite a few of the models are
specced to work well with shoes and cut short. The socks carry a
three-year guarantee.
More about Merrell at
www.merrell.com
