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Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Merrell Passage Ventilator Mid > Chuck Carnes > Initial ReportInitial Report
MERRELL Passage Ventilator Mid Boots  by Chuck Carnes Report Date: April 8, 2006
Name: Chuck Carnes Age: 36 Gender: Male Height: 6 ft. 0 in (1.83 m) Weight: 175 lb (79 kg) Shoe Size: 9.5 US E-mail address: ctcarnes1(at)yahoo(dot)com City, State, Country: Greenville, South Carolina USA
I love the outdoors – I’ve spent time camping in the outdoors since I was born, and have been actively hiking and backpacking since then. I consider myself a lightweight hiker, usually carrying 20 – 30 pounds (11-13 kg) for hikes up to a week in length. I hike at an easy pace, averaging 2 mph (3 kph). I am a one-man tent camper for now. I like to carry a single trekking pole when I hike to help relieve stress to my legs and knees. I like to get out on the trail as often as I can.
Manufacturer: Merrell Model:
Passage Ventilator Mid
Year
of manufacture: 2006
Shoe
Size: 9.5 USA (44 Euro)
Color:
Walnut
URL:
www.merrell.com
Listed
Weight: Not listed on web site
Weight
as delivered: 2 lb 10 oz (1.19 kg) for the pair
MSRP:
Not listed on web site
Think
of this as a right of passage: a day hiker that’s higher-cut for
support but still slim and fleet-feeling. Concealed In-Board™ EVA
footframe cuts the bulk; overt nubuck leather strapping reinforces a
breezy mesh upper that’s stabilized by a flying bridge molded TPU side
and ankle supports. Vibram® Day Hiker Plus™ sole adds larger and
deeper
braking and traction lugs at heel and forefoot for more demanding
conditions.
– Slip Lasted Construction – Nubuck Leather/Breathable Ventilator Mesh Upper – Breathable Ventilator Mesh Lining – Breathable Ventilator Mesh Bellows Tongue – Injection Molded TPU Counter/In-Step Stability – 4.5mm Anatomical Footbed – Nylon 6.6 Injection Molded Arch Shank – In-Board™ Compression Molded EVA Footframe – Q-Form™ Alignment System (women) – Integrated External TPU Support Counter/Grade 4 Insole – Air Cushion® Midsole – 5mm Sole Lug Depth – Vibram® Day Hiker Plus™ Sole/Trek & Versa Rubber
   The fit of these shoes are just right. After putting on a thicker pair of socks and wearing the boots around a bit, I really like the way they feel on my feet. I still have a small amount of room in the toe of the boot to be able to wear even a thicker sock or possibly a thinner second layer. With just a quick walk around the neighborhood, I could tell in that short period that these boots are very comfortable and at the moment, there doesn't seem to be any areas that are rubbing or discomfort
The features on these boots are what I will be looking at to see how well I like these boots. Below are the features and areas of the boot that I am able show, how I will be testing it and the questions that I may have during my testing period. External TPU Support
 The External TPU Support is Merrells way
of keeping the ankle and the heel in contact with the boot. It also
gives lateral support to the ankle to keep it from rolling over and
causing injury to the ankle. Merrell tags this feature as the "Flying
Bridge".
Can I immediately do
lengthy miles on the trail
without much breaking in?
Will the shoe fit nicely around my foot? Will I have the custom fit feel? Will I get any hot spots or blisters from tight areas or can I fix those easily? Will my toes jamb up into the toe area on steep descents? Will my heels constantly come out of the heel cup on ascents? Mesh Uppers
 The mesh uppers are made of lightweight foam filled breathable material. The material is very comfortable to the skin around the ankle if a short sock is worn. This mesh upper will allow heat that might generate in the foot area to be able to escape and not be traped to cause irritation or blisters. The Nubuck Leather at the front also helps to support the ankle laterally. Will the material tear easily? How well does the heat escape? If a short sock is worn, will I get irritation or blisters on my ankles from the material? Will my ankles stay supported? Laces and Lace Hooks
 The laces and lace hooks make this boot easy to tighten the shoe and quick to tie it up. The lace hooks appear to be made of a hard plastic and very durable. The laces are a flat shapped nylon lace that appears to be very strong. The length of them when tied is just right and I am not having to find a hidding place for laces that are too long. How durable are the laces? Will I have to implement different lacing techniques to get a good fit that keeps the shoe tight to my foot? Will I have to replace them in the four month period? If I wear gaiters, how well will they handle the lace hooks on Gaiters? Gusseted Tongue  The guesseted tongue is always a good feature to a boot. This helps keep small pebbles, water and rocks from entering in from the lace area. The mesh tongue allows heat build-up to escape from this area to help keep the foot cool. Will the material keep any water from entering the boot from this area? How well does it keep my feet from overheating? Will it feel bunched up when I wear thicker socks? Leather/Rubber Toe Guard  The toe area of the boot has a portion of the Vibram sole that wraps up the front part and a section of Versa Rubber that completes the toe area. Right away I feel that my toes will be protected against stubbing them on a rock or root. All portions of the different fabrics are double stitched to each other to ensure construction quality. Will this toe area indeed protect my toes against stubbing them on rocks, roots and other objects? How easy is it for water to enter in this area? Vibram Soles  There is not much, verbally, to add to Vibram Soles. These are top notch soles and are usually welcomed on any boot. These particular soles are very rigid and seem to be very durable and tough. The traction system on the bottom is very well laid out and the lugs are positioned in the most important places. Does the Vibram sole protect my feet from sharp boulders or objects? What kind of grip do the soles of the shoe give on wet, slick terrain; or dry terrain for that matter? Anatomical Footbed  How comfortable is the footbed that is provided with the shoe? Will I need or want to replace them? I like having the option of wearing different thicknesses of socks, sometimes one pair and sometimes two pairs with different thicknesses. Will I be able to wear a variety of different thicknesses of socks and still feel comfortable and not too tight? The material of the shoes seem very durable and with a Vibram sole, they should be able to take on a lot of abuse. The Nubuck Leather and mesh material seems to be very strong to keep sharp pointy objects from protruding into the foot around this area. I certainly like the rubber toe guard on these shoes to keep me from stubbing my toe on roots or rocks. The heel area seems to be reinforced in some way because of the stiff feel. Hopefully this will keep my heels and arches from getting fatigued when descending on hard surfaces.
I
plan to test
the Merrell Passage
Ventilators on
trails, in creeks and on the dusty lands of Africa. I will be looking
for performance and
durability of the boot and how well they hold to certain conditions. I
have
a few planned trips and hopefully have a few spur of the moment trips.
These are the locations and conditions I hope to encounter.
Smokey Mountains Planned trips: I plan on hitting trails here on possibly two weekend trips that will constitute four to five nights of camping. The hikes here between camp sites will cover approximately 5-8 miles (8-12 km) a day. Conditions: The cold winter months will still run into April and then the temperatures will be mild until later in the summer. During this time of testing, this area gets quite a bit of precipitation. Elevation: 5500 to 6500 ft (1676 to 1981 m) Temperatures and precipitation average for this testing period: March: HI (39 F / 3 C) LO (24 F / -4 C) 8 in (20 cm) precipitation April: HI (49 F / 9 C) LO (34 F / -1 C) 6 in (15 cm) precipitation May: HI (57 F / 13 C) LO (43 F / 6 C) 6 in (15 cm) precipitation June: HI (63 F / 17 C) LO (49 F / 9 C) 7 in (17 cm) precipitation July: HI (65 F / 18 C) LO (53 F / 11 C) 8 in (20 cm) precipitation Jones Gap Planned trips: I plan to go on several spur of the moment trips here. I would say at least 2 to 4 nights per month so that would make 8 to 16 nights during the test period. I will also be doing several day hikes in this area usually 2 – 5 miles (3 - 8 km) depending on the mood of the wife and kids. Me and my family usually go here on several trips during the Spring to local hiking and backpacking trails and walk up camp sites. Conditions: The temperatures here will be mild up until about June or July. It will probably be mostly dry and warm conditions except for late afternoon showers in the Spring. Elevation: 4500 to 5500 ft (1372 to 1676 m) Temperatures and precipitation average for this testing period: March: HI (78 F / 25 C) LO (21 F / -6 C) 7 in (17 cm) precipitation April: HI (82 F / 27 C) LO (33 F / 10 C) 5 in (12 cm) precipitation May: HI (88 F / 31 C) LO (41 F / 5 C) 4 in (10 cm) precipitation June: HI (91 F / 33 C) LO (54 F / 12 C) 17 in (43 cm) precipitation July: HI (99 F / 37 C) LO (62 F / 16 C) 9 in (22 cm) precipitation Lusaka, Zambia (Africa) Planned trips: I plan to go on a 10 day trip where I will be walking from 2-20 miles (3-32 km) a day; going to different huts and doing missionary work. I will be in the heart of the African bush and will have to carry a pack that will carry all of my gear for this trip. We will possibly be crossing rivers and streams where this shoe will come in very handy. Conditions: The weather is usually very hot during the day and slightly cool at night during the month of June. There will be no rain during this time so that means it will be very dry and dusty. Elevation: 3000 to 5000 ft (914 to 1524 m) Temperatures and precipitation average for this testing period: June: HI (110 F / 43 C) LO (65 F / 18 C) 0 in (0 cm) precipitation Most of the trails that I will be on are fairly nice trails although I do encounter roots, rocks, and other pointy objects that peer from the surface of the ground and I usually step on it or kick it. I do cross creeks occasionally and sometimes after a big rain, the trail is basically a creek. During this testing period there are always occasional thunder showers so I think these shoes will be exposed to plenty of water and warm conditions as well as a variety of terrain. I hope to answer most if not all of these questions in my Field and Long Term Report. Thank you Merrell and BGT for giving me this opportunity to test these boots. Read more reviews of Merrell gear Read more gear reviews by Chuck Carnes Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Merrell Passage Ventilator Mid > Chuck Carnes > Initial Report | ||||||||