I recently started hiking with a local meetup group and did a couple of 5 to 7 mile hikes, which I did with mountain hiking boots that I hadn't used for 10 years. I wanted my next hike to be a little more challenging so I decided to sign up for an 18 mile hike in PA with about 5000 feet of elevation gain over rocky wooded terrain. Knowing my boots were a little too heavy, I sought out this pair of Merrell's Chameleon Prime shoes after comparing with other shoes in the same price range and reading reviews.
I was a little concerned because I ordered these on a Wednesday night, with my hike being on Saturday... Even with next day shipping with Prime (4.99), I knew I wouldn't have much time to break them in and get my feet adjusted to them. As a former Marine, I was used to walking on bloody blisters, but that was 25 years ago. At 46 years old, I wanted a comfortable experience. I bought a couple pairs of wool People Socks, which likely helped in the rating of this shoe.
Getting my shoes on Friday and wearing them out to the store, I noticed that they put a little bit of pressure towards the front of my arches, but other than that were very comfortable. I wear a size 9, ordered a size 9, and had no problems with getting my foot in and out of the shoe. These were a very good fit.
During my hike these shoes held up great. After 18 miles of hiking over rugged terrain, I only noticed two very small tears in the tread where the rock beat the shoe... Otherwise the shoe beat the rock many times over. About an hour into the hike, I felt a little bit of rubbing on the outsides of my big toes, and was concerned that blisters would form, but after the hike was finished, my toes were only a little tender, no blisters formed!
The full hike took 9 hours in temperatures between 45 - 60 degrees. With wool socks, my feet were very warm and sweating a little bit. My feet were comfortable, and I'll need to see what they'll be like in warmer temps.
Overall, I'd highly recommend these shoes! I really liked the lace less system, no more tying and untying. The fit was near perfect and very comfortable.
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Reviews with images
A shoe horn is the absolute best way to do this
This shoe would perfectly meet my criteria for a flexible and light hiker with one exception...Getting them on is a RPITA! The design of the shoe replaces the traditional opening with a form fitting closed upper. The result is that even with the clinching shoe ties (instead of laces) loosened all the way, it is quite the struggle getting them on. A shoe horn is the absolute best way to do this, with jamming your foot in working, if a bit uncomfortably. Once on though, they are snug and quite comfortable. They wear almost like a sneaker, with good grip and flexibility. I'm only a week into them, but so far so good. They have handled 14F degrees and 80 degree weather with no issues.Update: I've now had two pairs of Chameleon Prime Stretch boots, with a ton of miles on them in Afghanistan, Korea, Hong Kong, and the DC Metro area. For the most part, I still love these shoes, need for a shoe horn notwithstanding, but I do have some gripes that I hope Merrell will address in the near future. First, the insoles that ship with the shoes suck. In my first pair, they actually start slipping out of the shoe while they are being worn resulting in major discomfort. In fact, the only solution to this problem short of gluing them down inside the shoe was a trip to the PX to replace them with the stickiest set of Dr. Scholl inserts I could find. On the second pair, I immediately replaced the insole. Speaking of the inside of the shoe, the lower heel area on my left foot has already worn away resulting in a hole in the interior lining of the shoe. The rubber outsole around the shoe is also lifting in several areas, most notably the front. A few friends in Afghanistan all nodded their heads when I mentioned this and told me that from their experiences with Merrell's, it's not a matter of if, but when the rubber starts to separate. Whatever adhesive they use to secure the rubber sucks, but why this isn't stitched down in some way in the first place is a mystery to me. All of the above being said, I still ordered another pair the minute I returned from my first deployment wearing these boots. They have handled temps in excess of 100 degrees F with aplomb. Under moderate loads (between 50-100lbs of equipment), I can move quickly in them over moderate terrain. They have been comfortable pounding hard packed dirt and climbing rocks and other mountainous terrain, to all day fast paced walking in Hong Kong in oppressive humidity. Paired with light hiking Smartwool socks, I've been able to wear them for over 8 hours on constant movement on black top, and unlike my previous "favorite" hikers (Asolo Fugitives), I can run in them without getting massive shin splints. On multiple occasions, I've conducted workouts in these boots, including 60mins treadmill sessions, rowing workouts, and squats/deadlifts in comfort. My recommendation is to buy about 1/2 size larger than your true size, and replace the insoles with an aftermarket pair that will not shift under your feet. Oh, and get yourself a shoe horn immediately!
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2015
REVIEW FROM AFGHANISTAN
When it comes to deployment shoes, I never go anywhere other than Merrell. Their shoes have a solid aggressive design, grip very well, and I love that I can slip them on or off.
So before the Chameleon Prime (CP), I had the Chameleon 4 (C4). And as I am writing this review, I am comparing both to see the differences. And here's what I found.
What's different about the Prime:
-The padding around the stretch insert (the hole you put your foot through) is tighter, and the padding is much thicker. This isn't the same material as the C4's, and since the material is thicker (twice as thick) my foot sweats more.
-The shoe is stiffer than the C4's, most likely because of the padding that replaced the C4's padding. It doesn't seem to be as flexible.
-The shoe fits my feet better and tighter than the C4. It seems to conform better to my foot and feels like my ankle has better support.
-The bungie laces I haven't even touched, but with the C4 I was constantly having to tighten and re-secure.
-The tread is much more aggressive and thicker, which i'm loving.
-The rubber toe lip comes up higher.
-The rubber rear lip is wider and conforms better to the base tread.
-The bungie laces are laced through tough fabric instead of the leather in the C4.
-The black is deeper and more attractive.
-The toe of the shoe feels more rigid.
Now here are some things I was hoping Merrell would fix, but haven't and its disappointing that they didn't:
-The pull-on tab. If you take a good look, you will see that the manufacturer ends their stitching on the pull-on tab. I think this is primarily the reason these pull-on tabs fail. Not only that, but they sew this to the stretchable fabric of the Stretch Insert, which causes it to rip if you pull too tightly.
-Implement a Padded sole insert.
OVERALL-
I am extremely happy with my purchase, the new shoe offers my foot more support and better traction. The new design is aggressive yet professional. If I wear these out in a year, I know the shoes are taking more of a beating than my feet, and would gladly purchase them again. Although I don't enjoy my feet sweating more, I hope that Merrell will address this and change it in the CP2's.
When it comes to deployment shoes, I never go anywhere other than Merrell. Their shoes have a solid aggressive design, grip very well, and I love that I can slip them on or off.
So before the Chameleon Prime (CP), I had the Chameleon 4 (C4). And as I am writing this review, I am comparing both to see the differences. And here's what I found.
What's different about the Prime:
-The padding around the stretch insert (the hole you put your foot through) is tighter, and the padding is much thicker. This isn't the same material as the C4's, and since the material is thicker (twice as thick) my foot sweats more.
-The shoe is stiffer than the C4's, most likely because of the padding that replaced the C4's padding. It doesn't seem to be as flexible.
-The shoe fits my feet better and tighter than the C4. It seems to conform better to my foot and feels like my ankle has better support.
-The bungie laces I haven't even touched, but with the C4 I was constantly having to tighten and re-secure.
-The tread is much more aggressive and thicker, which i'm loving.
-The rubber toe lip comes up higher.
-The rubber rear lip is wider and conforms better to the base tread.
-The bungie laces are laced through tough fabric instead of the leather in the C4.
-The black is deeper and more attractive.
-The toe of the shoe feels more rigid.
Now here are some things I was hoping Merrell would fix, but haven't and its disappointing that they didn't:
-The pull-on tab. If you take a good look, you will see that the manufacturer ends their stitching on the pull-on tab. I think this is primarily the reason these pull-on tabs fail. Not only that, but they sew this to the stretchable fabric of the Stretch Insert, which causes it to rip if you pull too tightly.
-Implement a Padded sole insert.
OVERALL-
I am extremely happy with my purchase, the new shoe offers my foot more support and better traction. The new design is aggressive yet professional. If I wear these out in a year, I know the shoes are taking more of a beating than my feet, and would gladly purchase them again. Although I don't enjoy my feet sweating more, I hope that Merrell will address this and change it in the CP2's.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2015
Top reviews from other countries
Mark Lo
Proven it is durable, waterproof and comfortable in my several hiking and city trips
Reviewed in Canada on December 21, 2016
Russel
as far as the shoes go i just love them the only down side is that a little ...
Reviewed in India on July 8, 2016
