Women's Merrell Trainers & Hydro Mocs

Merrell began in 1981 with a bootmaker who made custom cowboy boots by hand and two ski executives who thought he should make hiking boots instead. The first pair sold for $500. What we stock now is the lighter end — the Hydro Moc, which is a moulded clog rather than a shoe, alongside the Moab and Agility Peak trainers. Anything reduced sits in sale footwear.

Women's Merrell Hydro Moc and Hydro Mule

The Hydro Moc is one piece of moulded EVA with holes in it, and it is the thing most people arrive here looking for. No laces, no upper as such, no lining to get wet — you can wear it into water and it dries in minutes. The Next Gen version is the current one; the Mule is the same idea with the back cut away so it goes on like a slipper. They look odd and they are extremely comfortable, which is roughly the deal.

Merrell Moab Speed and Agility Peak Trainers

These are the actual trainers. Moab is Merrell's best-known name — it started as a hiking boot in the early 2000s and the Speed 2 Vent is the low, ventilated version built for warm weather rather than winter hills. Agility Peak 5 is the trail runner, and the GTX version has a waterproof membrane if you walk in British weather rather than around it. Both have a proper lugged outsole, so they grip on wet ground in a way the Hydro Moc does not.

Which Merrell Should You Buy?

If you want something to slip on for the garden, the beach or the school run, the Hydro Moc. If you want something to walk five miles in, the Moab. If those five miles are off-road and uphill, the Agility Peak. The MTL Adapt Matryx sits apart from all three — a technical trail shoe with a woven upper, and the closest thing here to a running shoe.

Merrell has been owned by Wolverine since 1997, which is how a company that started with $500 handmade boots ended up making a rubber clog. There's more in all footwear and casual shoes.

FAQs