Every version of the Moab 3, low and mid, from about $110 to $185, and what owners say about each one.
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Comfortable on day one. Get the low one with no waterproof lining, unless your trails stay wet.
Trails always wet? Merrell Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX · $192.36
Trails always wet? Merrell Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX · $192.36
The Moab that breathes best and the one owners rate highest, at about $110. It isn't waterproof, so expect wet feet at creek crossings.
If you're buying your first real hiking shoes, start with the Merrell Moab 3. There's nothing to break in, and the toe box is roomy enough that the regular width fits a lot of wide feet. When it doesn't, Merrell charges nothing extra for the wide. It isn't light and it isn't sticky on wet rock, but on a maintained trail it's very hard to get wrong.
The catch is that Merrell sells it in six versions for men that look the same on the shelf and don't handle water the same. Get the plain Moab 3, the low one with no membrane, at about $110. It's the version owners rate highest, and it breathes far better than the waterproof ones. If your trails stay wet, pay for the Mid GORE-TEX and skip the Mid Waterproof, the version owners most often say lets water in.
The Moab that breathes best and the one owners rate highest, at about $110. It isn't waterproof, so expect wet feet at creek crossings.
16.2 oz per shoe No membrane Medium and wide
Also on Amazon:Wide
The Moab boot that owners say keeps water out, with your ankle covered. It costs a little more than the Mid Waterproof, and it's the one to pay for.
17.3 oz per shoe GORE-TEX Medium and wide
The cheapest Moab with a membrane, for dew, mud and puddles on day hikes. Owners complain about leaks far less than on the Mid Waterproof.
16.9 oz per shoe Merrell membrane Medium and wide
Also on Amazon:Women's
GORE-TEX in the low shoe, for wet day hikes when you don't want a collar around your ankle. It runs warm in summer.
GORE-TEX 11.5 mm drop Medium and wide
The cheapest waterproof Moab boot, but about a third of its unhappy owners got wet feet. The Mid GORE-TEX is the safer buy.
17.5 oz per shoe Merrell membrane Medium and wide
Also on Amazon:Women'sThere are really only two decisions. Low or mid: the Mid covers your ankle and weighs a little more, which helps with a loaded pack and on loose ground. For day hikes most people are fine in the low. Membrane or not: a waterproof Moab keeps dew and puddles out but runs hot. One July I waded the Big East Fork in waterproof boots, the river came in over the collars, and I walked the last miles with my socks sloshing. A shoe with no membrane gets wet just as fast, but the water doesn't stay sealed in with your feet.
If you do want a membrane, owners settle the GORE-TEX question for you: leak complaints are far more common on the Mid Waterproof than on the Mid GORE-TEX. Merrell also makes a Mid with no membrane, about $145, if you want the ankle coverage without the heat. Its sibling, the Moab Speed 2, tops my list of women's hiking shoes.
| Weight | About a pound per shoe, 16.2 oz for the plain low to 17.5 oz for the Mid Waterproof, as Merrell lists them |
|---|---|
| Drop | 11.5 mm, heel to toe |
| Outsole | Vibram TC5+, 5 mm lugs |
| Upper | Pig suede leather and mesh (pigskin leather on the Mid GORE-TEX) |
| Waterproofing | None on the plain Moab 3 and the Mid, Merrell's own membrane on the Waterproof versions, GORE-TEX on the GTX versions |
| Widths | Medium and wide on every men's version, same price |
| Full price | About $145 to $195 at Merrell, depending on the version |
The loudest complaint is about water, and it's almost all about one version. Among the unhappy reviews of the Mid Waterproof, about a third describe wet feet, and not after a river crossing: a walk through wet grass, a puddle. One buyer had gaiters on in ankle-high wet grass and still felt water come in at the toes. On the Mid GORE-TEX the same complaint turns up in about five of 38 critical reviews, and one owner who crossed creeks and some snow came home dry. The low Waterproof sits much closer to the GORE-TEX than to its Mid sibling.
Next comes the rubber starting to peel at the toe or along the side. It shows up in a few reviews of every version, sometimes after a couple of weeks, sometimes after a few months. It's a minority, and the flip side is the owner who bought a used pair of the Mid Waterproof and put more than a thousand miles on it.
Longtime Moab 2 wearers are split. Several say the new insole and heel cup don't feel like their old pair; others, one after fifteen years in Moab 2s, say the 3 fits better. The insole divides everyone else the same way. Most call it firm and supportive, a few say it has no arch at all, and a few say it has too much.
On wet rock and roots, a few owners compare it to walking on ice, and reviewers are split. RunRepeat measured the rubber on the low GORE-TEX as harder than 83% of the hiking shoes in its lab, which usually means a sole that lasts but grips less. On wet roots, that's the first thing you'd notice. On dry dirt and gravel it's fine.
And the praise is mostly about comfort with nothing to break in. It's one of the most common themes in the happy reviews, along with the buyers who wear their Moabs at work all day.
Most men can order their usual size. About four in five buyers who answered the sizing question said true to size, and the ones who didn't found it a little small more often than large. If you're between sizes or wear thick socks, go up half a size. The regular width is already roomy, so if your heel slips in most shoes, the Moab may not be for you; if your toes get squeezed, every version comes in a wide at the same price.
Women, order the Mid Waterproof half a size up. About one in four buyers found it small, and a good number of them said a full size.
The heat is easy to underestimate. RunRepeat gives the GORE-TEX versions its lowest breathability score and doesn't recommend the Mid GORE-TEX above about 70°F, while the plain Moab 3 scores near the top.
The Moab 3 replaced the Moab 2 in the summer of 2022. It's the same idea, a cushioned, roomy leather and mesh hiker on a Vibram sole, with a new insole and more structure at the heel. OutdoorGearLab found it noticeably more stable than earlier Moabs, and the laces, webbing and lining are now recycled. Merrell no longer sells the Moab 2 in the US, though some pairs are still on Amazon. If you loved your Moab 2s, try the 3 somewhere you can return them easily.
If the Moab's weight, grip or width is the problem, one of these fixes it. The Salomon has its own X Ultra 5 review.
| Shoe | Weight per shoe | Drop | Membrane | About |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrell Moab 3This review | 16.2 oz | 11.5 mm | None | $110 |
| Merrell Moab 3 GORE-TEXThis review | About 16 oz | 11.5 mm | GORE-TEX | $185 |
| Salomon X Ultra 5 GTX | 13 oz | 11 mm | GORE-TEX | $165 |
| KEEN Targhee IV Waterproof | 18.7 oz | 12 mm | KEEN.DRY | $145 |
| Merrell Moab Speed 2 | 12 oz | 10 mm | None | $145 |
About 3 oz lighter per shoe than the Moab GORE-TEX and steadier on rocky, technical trail. Owners of the mid version find it narrow.
A low waterproof shoe from the Targhee line, whose toe box owners of the mid call spacious, about $145 on Amazon. About 2 oz heavier per shoe than the Moab Waterproof.
About 4 oz lighter per shoe than the Moab 3, on a different foam with a plate inside. The Merrell to buy if the Moab feels clunky.
I read Merrell's pages for every men's version and for the women's, then every owner review on Zappos for the versions that have a page there, seven pages and more than 3,400 reviews, along with their answers on size and width. RunRepeat's lab measurements filled in weight, width, stiffness and breathability, and the reviews at OutdoorGearLab, Switchback Travel and CleverHiker showed where reviewers and owners disagree. Prices come from Amazon and update on this page.
Yes, if you hike maintained trails and want a shoe that's comfortable from the first mile. The plain Moab 3 at about $110 is the best value in the line. It's less of a deal if you want something light, or if most of your hiking is on wet rock, where the sole doesn't grip as well as the best hiking shoes.
For summer and dry trails, the plain low Moab 3 with no membrane. For wet trails, a GORE-TEX version, low or mid, rather than Merrell's own Waterproof, going by owner reviews. Take the Mid if you carry a loaded pack, and look at the Moab Speed 2 if weight matters more to you than support.
For men they run true to size for most buyers and a touch small for the rest, so go up half a size if you're between sizes. The regular width is already generous, and every version comes in a wide. The women's Mid Waterproof runs small: order half a size up.
The plain Moab 3 isn't. The Waterproof versions use Merrell's own membrane and the GTX versions use GORE-TEX. Owners report leaks much more often on the Mid Waterproof than on the Mid GORE-TEX.
Dr. Tom Biernacki, a podiatrist in Michigan, calls the Moab 3 his first recommendation for hikers with plantar fasciitis, for its contoured footbed, firm heel counter and deep heel cup. He doesn't suggest it for pavement or for severe overpronation, and he expects about 500 to 800 miles from a pair.
For most day hikers, the low Moab 3 with no membrane is the one to buy, at about $110. If your trails are wet most of the year or you carry a loaded pack, spend a little more on the Mid GORE-TEX rather than the Mid Waterproof.