#211 - Merrel Col Mid Hiking Boots

Merrel Mid Col's after the rain (see next pic).
This was also my first trail hike with these shoes.

I've worn my Merrel Col Mid's during this rain

Merrel Col Mid after 15 days.
They should be broken in by now.

According to most dictionaries, Serendipity is when

someone accidentally finds something good. Finding

the Merrel Col Mid Hiking boots should qualify as an

example of Serendipity.

Ever since I discovered that the trail in McRitchie Reservoir

connects to the various trails in Bukit Timah/Mandai area

via Rifle Range Road, I have always wanted to hike that trail.

Forget about running. My right knee has been operated on

already. My left knee has been very painful even if I just

walk from Lavender MRT to my house at Whampoa...

and those walks were done using running shoes with

anti-pronation wedges ... AND those shoes had aftermarket

inserts in them. I resorted to tying a patella band on my

left knee and that helped a lot.

One Friday, my wife and son asked me to accompany

them to Royal Sporting House in Suntec where they sell

cheaper jerseys, shoes, shorts, etc. Once we got there,

the first pile of shoes that greeted us was from Merrel

and well well well, it says all shoes were going

for 50$ per pair only !

I dived into the pile, let Serendipity do its job and

when I surfaced for air, I was holding a pair of Merrel Col

Mids in my hand. I went to one corner and surfed

the web for reviews using my iPhone. The reviews that

I read were a mixture of good and bad (as always), but

it seems the good reviews outnumbered the bad ones ...

and for just 50$, I decided I'd take my chance.

There was one hitch though ... one of the eyelets of the

right shoe was detached. The eyelet was on a piece of

plastic string which was attached to the shoe and so

my wife said 'maybe it can repaired?' ... so I thought,

ok, I'd still get it. Hey, even a pair of Havaiana slippers

cost over 50$ !

The Revelation began immediately after I paid for the

shoes. I immediately put them on ... It was like walking

barefoot on a thick pile carpet! I can feel my

knees were already thanking me! Walking with these

boots in the shopping mall make you feel funny.

They are clunky and unwieldy BUT they are very

very comfortable.

I wore them again the next day to work. I also

wear them whenever I walk home from

Lavender MRT to Whampoa. All this time, I still

have a patella band. Finally, when the weekend came,

I wore them on my walk from McRitchie

to Bukit Timah (10km).

From the time I bought them up to now, it has already

been 3 weeks and I have used them every weekend

on my hikes...Last Sunday (9 Oct) and yesterday (15 Oct),

I not only used them to go hiking from McRitchie to BT but I

also used them to climb the stairs in the Catchment Trail

in Bukit Timah. They are heavy, like almost all hiking boots.

However, yesterday, I forgot to bring my patella

band and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that

I don't need it anymore ... when I'm using these shoes :-)

Notice that I left out the specs of these hiking boots

in this review. You'll find the specs here at this website.

I don't understand much of the terms anyway

(e.g. "last", "rand", etc.). 

I just know that these shoes have saved me many

many times from twisting my ankles. It also has very

good grip even in the wet. It is waterproof but of course

if you use them during heavy rain, water will come in

from the top. Don't worry, though, once the rain stops,

the water does not slosh around inside the boot. I know

this since I have used it while raining.

But best of all, and I can't get over it, is it seems to

have 'cured' my knees!!!  I don't feel any knee pain

now ... so much so that I just bought a lighter alternative

to these shoes : Salomon XT Wings 2 hehehehe