Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Merrell Waterpro Ultrasport > Chuck Carnes > Long Term Report

Long Term Report
MERRELL
Waterpro Ultra-Sport Shoes

by Chuck Carnes
Report Date: February 21, 2006

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Name: Chuck Carnes
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Height: 6 ft. 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 175 lb (79 kg)
E-mail address: ctcarnes1(at)yahoo(dot)com
City, State, Country: Greenville, South Carolina USA

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND

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.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: Merrell

Model: Waterpro Ultra-sport

Year of manufacture: 2005

Shoe Size: 10 USA (44 Euro)

Color: Dark Grey / Yellow

URL: www.merrell.com

Listed Weight: Not listed on web site

Weight as delivered: 24 oz (680 g) pair

MSRP: Not listed on web site

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION (from web site)

The ultimate terrain vacuum, this Waterpro runs wild and runs fast, wet or dry. Contoured for canyoneering, the mesh upper drains automatically via integrated drainage ports, and is buttressed by synthetic leather strapping, and cinches down with a dynamic lacing system for custom adjustment. Vibram® RinseMaster™ Sole provides slightly higher perimeter lugs for additional traction and protection on uneven surfaces.

Slip Lasted Construction

Synthetic Leather/Ventilated Mesh Upper

Micro Mesh Free Flowing Drainage Ports

Injection Molded TPU Rearfoot Stabilizer

Free Floating Heel/Dynamic Lacing System

Hydro Drainage/Ventilated Footbed

Injection Molded TPU Toe Bumper/ Integrated Drainage Ports

Nylon 6.6 Injection Molded Arch Shank

In-Board™ Compression Molded EVA Footframe

Q-Form™ Alignment System (women)

Air Cushion® Midsole

Water Friendly Non-Marking/Razor-Cut Siped Sole

3.5mm Sole Lug Depth

Vibram® RinseMaster™ Sole Versa & TC1 Rubber  

LONG TERM REPORT

The shoes are much narrower than most trail shoes. They have a "rock climbing shoe" feel to them. The soles feel and sound, hard when I walk along wood floors; much like dress shoes sound but they seem to stick and grip real well to the ground. The shoes feel very light and airy; mostly due to more than half of the shoe being made of mesh. For more on my initial impressions see my Initial Report. See my Field Report for field testing conditions, questions and answers.

There has not been much change in the shoes since my Field Report. I have worn them on a few day hikes and on an over night trip to the Great Smoky Mountains area. On this trip the temperatures were 65 F to 55 F (18 C to 12 C) during the day and 45 F to 30 F (7 C to -1 C) that night. I wore them on the hike in and out of the campsite area and found the shoes to be very comfortable the whole time.

FINAL THOUGHTS, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

The comfort of these shoes has been outstanding. They really do have a bedroom slipper feel which gives me confidence in knowing that I personally don't have to worry about getting blisters or hot spots. This way I can enjoy the hike and the trail that I came to accomplish. The durability has been great up to this point. The treads have withstood nurmerous miles and the seams and the laces are still in "like new" condition. I can say that I have put about 35-40 miles (56-64 km) on the trail in these shoes and I also wear them on the weekends around the house and around town as a leisure shoe. Below are the questions and answers that were in my Field Report and I have added further answers from my Long Term testing if they apply. Answers in blue are from the Field Report. Answers in red are from my Long Term testing

Can I immediately do lengthy miles on the trail without much breaking in? On the first trip I did a total of 8.5 miles (13.7 km) and the shoes did not feel as if they needed break-in time. They were very comfortable from the start.

Will the shoe fit nicely around my foot with or without socks? Yes, I have worn them around with and with out socks and they fit my feet very well.

Will I have the custom fit feel? They do feel as if they are custom fitted because of the different options the user has for lacing techniques. Now that I have worn the shoes a bit longer, they are certainly starting to form to my feet.

Will I get any hot spots or blisters from tight areas or can I fix those easily? So far I have not experienced any hot spot or blisters. I still do not experience any hot spots or blisters.

Will my toes jamb up into the toe area on steep descents? I have to say that the size of my shoes is a half size larger than my normal shoe size. Merrell does not provide half sizes in this shoe. I wear a size 9.5 US (43 Euro) and I had to get a size 10 US (43 Euro). Therefore, the shoes are slightly longer than my other shoes. To answer the question, I was able to tie and lace the shoes in a way that kept my feet at the back and on steep descents my feet stayed in place. If I know that I will be experiencing step descents on the trail I will utilize a lacing system to keep my feet from sliding to the toe area.

Will my heels constantly come out of the heel cup on ascents? So far I have not experienced this problem. No problem to report of.

How comfortable is the footbed that is provided with the shoe? At this point in the test they are still comfortable. I continue to keep the manufacturers provided footbed in the shoe and have had no problems with it.

Will I need or want to replace them? Not yet. No.

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? So far I have worn a lightweight wool sock with a liner and a heavier weight wool sock with no liner and the shoes conform to my feet with these different thicknesses and do not feel tight.

I like to know that my shoes are dependable and durable. Will these shoes show any sign of wear at a four month period? At two months of testing the shoes show very little sign of wear. They are still in great shape. At four months of testing, these shoes are still in great shape and they have shown their durability over the many miles that I have put them through.

How well does water evacuate from the shoe? As noted above, very well.

Does the mesh material continue to let the water out as my foot squeezes water from my sock? Yes

When water does get in and drain, how quickly will my feet dry? Within about 30 minutes but that depends on the temperature. I did not experience any rain or water on the rest of the trips that I took with these shoes.

Is it a noticeable difference with the mesh material versus taking a wet shoe off, changing socks and continuing on while the shoe dries? I felt very comfortable with leaving the shoes on after they got wet and had no desire to remove them due to discomfort.

Does the Vibram sole protect my feet from sharp boulders or objects? So far, yes, the soles are thick and very durable. I still continue to not hesitate to step on sharp edged boulders or anything that I think might penetrate the sole of the shoe; except for nails and things of the like.

At the area where the sole meets the mesh, will the sole start separating from the shoe in this area at any time during the testing? At this point in testing there is no separation or any signs of wear. Again, still no signs of separation.

What kind of grip do the soles of the shoe give on wet, slick terrain; or dry terrain for that matter? I don't know about wet terrain at this point but they do grip very well on dry surfaces. Again, I did not experience any rain or water on the rest of the trips that I took with these shoes but I have confidence that the shoes would perform great in wet conditions because of the sticky type sole.

Do the web straps give good lateral stability for my foot personally? Yes, I really like this lacing system.

Does the outside material of the shoe clean easily? Yes, just a simple rub with a wet towel and the shoes are clean.

Will the material tear easily? So far they have not torn. All of the seams and material continue to be intact with no tears.

Will my foot fill up the volume of the shoe without many voids? All but the very front in the toe area and that is due to the half size larger.

Some of my testing period will be during the warmer months. That means stinky feet syndrome. How well do the shoes handle odor? I have not experienced any odor problems yet with these shoes. The shoes are starting to produce a slight odor that is not pleasing to the nose.

Do they dry well enough so that the shoes do not have an odor problem? Yes. At this point, I don't think it has anything to do with wetness.

How durable are the laces? The laces are still strong and have not frayed at all. They continue to function and look as they were designed.

It appears that the lateral webbing straps give many different tightening techniques with laces to support the foot and to keep the shoe well planted to the foot; will this prove to be true? Yes, I have been very impressed with the lacing system and my feet have stayed well planted in the shoes.

Will I have to replace them in the four month period? So far they are holding out and staying strong. This continues to be true.

If I wear gaiters, how well will they handle the lace hooks on Gaiters? At this point I have not used gaiters with these shoes. I have not had a reason to wear gaiters to this point.

How long into the colder months can I wear the shoes and my feet still stay warm? I have worn these shoes in 39 F (4 C) weather and my feet were still warm. The temperatures that I have experienced during this test have not affected my feet through these shoes.


Thank you Merrell and BGT for giving me this opportunity to test these awesome shoes.

Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Merrell Waterpro Ultrasport > Chuck Carnes > Long Term Report