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Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Merrel Chameleon Kids Regular > Colleen Porter > Initial Report
Product Description: essentially a miniature reproduction of the adult version of the Chameleon; the only difference is that the Kid Chameleon has elastic shock cord laces instead of the boring old traditional kind of laces. The Kid Chameleons feature Vibram Octogrip soles, leather and mesh uppers, a removable insole, shock cord lacing with a cord lock, mesh lining inside, and a fairly substantial heel cap. They are below-ankle height. Field Conditions: Paul goes where his parents go. Over the next four months that is very likely to include both the low and high deserts of the southwestern region of the United States, possibly the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada, the Santa Ana and San Gabriel mountains. Terrain will include sand, mud, and a wide variety of rock. Maybe even snow. Trails will range from wide, well-maintained thoroughfares to water-damaged and neglected, level to steep, forest-clad to exposed. We are planning four or more nights of camping this month in a local park and in Joshua Tree National Park, will pack into the waterless Mecca Hills in November, and possibly into the Orocopia or Whipple Mountains in December. Once the snow falls, we will head to the high mountains to try snow-camping. Temperatures will likely range from 95 F/35 C to at or just below freezing. Weather should mostly be dry, unless we are blessed with snow & rain within the next four months. Elevations will range from sea level to perhaps as much as 8000 feet/200 meters. Initial Impressions: Both my husband and I have a pair of Merrell Chameleons, so I must confess we were very entertained to find that the Kid Chameleons appear to match our larger shoes in every way, except for the shock cord lacing. Even the lug pattern is precisely reproduced, scaled down to child size. The Kid Chameleons appear to be very well constructed, with exactly the same materials as the adult Chameleons. Once the Chameleons arrived, I put a pair of mini-crew athletic socks on Paul and then put on the Chameleons. This sounds like a simple feat, but I immediately discovered a major problem - the shoes are incredibly difficult to put on. It was like a wrestling match. The problem seems to be that darn nifty shock cord. When I open the shoe wide to slide Paul's foot in, the shock cord automatically pulls the tongue back in, shrinking the opening. Fighting to get the shoes on is not very fun, and in fact I struggled to resist the urge to chuck the shoes across the room. Poor Paul was very patient while his mother turned red with the effort. For context, let me tell you about Paul's feet. On a Brannock device, his feet are a little bit longer than a size 9. However, his feet are a little bit wider than average, so we find he gets the best fit in an 11. Before this test began, I had him try on another pair of Merrells in order to be sure of the sizing. We couldn't find a store locally that carried the Kid Chameleons. The 11's provided the best fit, so that is the size we specified for the test. However, the shoes Paul tried on were lace-ups, not shock-corded. I never imagined that would make a difference. Once I managed to twist, torque, and shove the shoes on, they fit great. Paul's toes had wiggle room and he ran circles around me while we went walking for a few hours. He jumped, climbed, ran and generally acted like a three-year-old boy, with no complaints about the shoes. He even managed to soak them completely. When I took them off of him later, his feet looked just fine and he said there were no spots that hurt. So aside from the problems with getting them on, Paul likes them and so do I. They are very easy for Paul to remove by himself - too easy, considering how difficult they are to get on! So far, the Kid Chameleons seem to be a very well-made, sturdy, and useful pair of shoes. But I felt that the difficulty of getting the shoes on would make testing them very difficult, so I have been given leave to remove the shock cording and replace it with old-fashioned shoe laces. As the lacing is only one component of many, we will still be able to test and report on all other aspects of the shoe. Test Considerations Durability - Kids are hard on clothing and shoes. Can the Kid Chameleons hold up? Will I be able to hand them down to Paul's little brother someday? Anywhere there is water, Paul is sure to soak them. If there's mud, it's certain to end up caked on. Hopefully the Kid Chameleons will clean up easily and dry quickly. Comfort & Fit - So far, there seem to be no problems. But the test is yet to come - when we hit the trail for more than a couple of hours, will the Kid Chameleons stay comfortable? We'll be in the desert quite a bit this winter; will Paul's feet overheat in them? Performance - This is where I'll have to watch Paul to see how he does in them. Our desert trips will involve lots of lovely rocks to climb, sand to slog through, and various prickly things to avoid. Will stepping into a boggy mud puddle suck the shoes right off Paul's feet? Are they prone to letting debris in? I'll be reporting on these questions and anything else that arises during the course of the test. I can't wait to get Paul out into the wilds with his new shoes!
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