Merrell Jam Approach Shoes Tested

Price: £60

Weight: 500g

Features: Precise fitting approach last, board lasted construction, 1.8mm Perwanger® Italian Leather, breathable polyester mesh lining, Perwanger leather/polyester mesh, bellows tongue, protective climbing rubber rand/toe bumper, protective climbing rubber rand/external heel counter, 4.5mm anatomical footbed, Texon/tempered spring steel shank, triple density EVA Air Cushion® Midsole, 4mm sole lug depth, Vibram® Approach™ Sole/TC5+ rubber, men's sizes: 7-12,13,14,15, women's sizes: 5-10,11.

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What's It For? The Merrell Jam made its first appearance late last winter, in both men's and women's versions, and it's designed primarily as a scrambling or tough approach shoe. The official blurb says it's suitable for bouldering or walking to your next climbing destination. We reckon something in between the two - a gnarly approach to a crag or a wander anywhere on Tryfan - is where they come into their own.

They're stiff-soled creatures, with some of the rubber toe protection you see on climbing shoes, and they edge better than your all-purpose outdoor footwear. You wouldn't want to wear them up more than the gentlest of climbs, but neither would they suit a fast and light day out on easy ground.

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The Techy Bits

Stiffness and grip are the aims of the game here, and that's reflected in the technology. The sole unit includes a tempered spring steel shank, which makes it pretty rigid. Shanks are the things you get in crampon-compatible boots and they work by reducing the amount of flex in the sole, so it can be attached to the metal frame of the crampon. Here, the insert obviously isn't intended to gear you up for glacier crossings but it works in a similar way and gives your whole foot plenty of support even when just a small part is balancing on a protruding rock.

The board-lasted construction has a similar effect. Without going into the details of how board-lasted shoes are made, they're a family of stiff-soled footwear which numbers beginners' rock boots amongst its members. These need to give maximum under-foot support until the climber's muscles develop properly and the Jams do the same thing.

You also get a good quality Vibram Approach Sole and an EVA Air Cushion Midsole to add a bit of cushioning above the solid base. The upper has a leather outer lined with breathable polyester mesh to stop life getting too sweaty on warm days.

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How It Performs

The Jam is a very situation-specific shoe, so it performs extremely well in some circumstances, but in others you can easily end up wishing you'd worn something else.

The laces thread through genuine holes in the leather, rather than around hooks, and so there's a fast-track entry for homeless drops of rain - or even whole puddles. Also, the tongues are attached to the rest of the shoe using a breathable mesh, not a waterproof layer. We once made the mistake of wearing the Jams on one of those British 'dry' days that didn't turn out to be all that dry after all and all we can tell you is that it was a bad mistake.

The other main reason for not wearing the Jams is that you're going to be moving quickly. At 500g a pair, they're far from the lightest shoes on the market but that's only a problem if you're wearing them in the wrong situation. At the right time, there's a reason for the extra grams and the extra stability can be worth the pay-off.

So, what is the pay-off? Well, these have the firmest sole of any approach shoes we've worn so far, which is unsurprising given that they're designed specifically for rocky terrain. For general use, some walkers like a flexible sole, but once you're scrambling it helps to have underfoot support even when only a small part of the foot is actually in contact with the ground, and that means wearing a shoe with a stiff sole.

We wore the Jams for scrambling and very gentle climbing and if you balance on the ball of the foot, there is some give further down the sole, but not too much. So long as your foot muscles are vaguely awake there's enough support to keep your whole foot in position. We'd happily wear them again on scramble routes, even at the top end of the scrambling spectrum.

The other advantage of the Jams over a more standard approach shoe is the extra grip on top of the toes and around the sides of the shoe. If you're going for a walk through a field, layers of rubber on the upper aren't going to be much use, but if you need to smear against the rock then the picture changes completely. The Jams give you a smearing option - again, much like a climbing shoe.

The only place where we weren't convinced by the grips in general was on a patch of slightly boggy grass, which they didn't handle too well, but then, a bog really isn't a Merrell Jam's native environment. Check your terrain before you put them on.

We haven't worn the shoes in particularly clammy conditions yet - not that we're complaining we haven't had a proper summer so far this year - but rubber isn't renowned for its breathability. Merrell have countered this by punching a cluster of ventilation holes in the rubber layer around the top part of the heel to let some air in. It's not perfect but when a scramble route is starting to look a bit thin we'll happily take the extra grip in preference to added breathability, and the leather upper itself performs pretty well anyway.

Fit's the other thing that's pretty important in a shoe for use on iffy ground so Merrell have paid it plenty of attention. The tourniquet-style lacing system has no less than eight sets of adjustment points (so 16 hooks/holes per shoe) - a lot more than you'd find on most approach shoes. This adds to the rock boot feel and helps give a precise fit. Of course, that's no substitute for trying carefully before buying to make sure the actual shape is right for your foot in the first place.

Finally, style, although for once this should possibly come first, as it's a pretty strong clue to the market Merrell are aiming for. The Jams have a definite climber look to them - whether it's the lacing system or the general shape or the fetching turquoise green colour (the alternative to the blue option above), we can't quite decide. They're definitely styled to have a clmibing look about them though, which says it all really.

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Verdict

For performance on steep, rocky ground, the Merrell Jam is a well-adapted approach shoe - the sole is firm, a layer of rubber gives good grip on the top and around the side of the foot, and a precise lacing system helps fine-tune the fit. If you're out scrambling, or moving between climbs on those sketchy patches of terrain called 'descent routes', you could do a lot worse.

Just bear in mind that the Jam is a very situation-specific shoe. It's good at what it's designed for, but it isn't keen on damp days (and no, it doesn't count if the weather forecast says it's going to be sunny!) or on long sweaty treks. Keep to steep rocky places and it won't let you down.

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Good firm sole for use on rock; grip around the sides of the foot. Unhappy in the damp.

Performance
Value

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Merrell web site

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