Best Show Ever!!!
This is simply the best shoe I have ever owned. If I don't have dress shoes on - I am wearing these. I use to walk in the white leather "walkers" - this shoe is so much better. It never ever looks dirty. We live in Northern Ohio and I walk all year long - my feet are comfortable at 20 - 95 degrees. As usual in this style of shoe, I take a full size up from my dress shoe size. For more rugged hiking, I didn't find them to have the grip that I would have expected. If you are looking for a nice looking comfortable and supportive everyday shoe to wear in place of athletic shoes - this is it. Like athletic shoes, they do need to be replaced about ever 400 miles. They still look perfect on the outside, but the interior structure breaks down - I'm on my third pair, but only due to the miles I have put on them.

Great Hiking but Size Up
I bought these shoes to hike in the Canadian Rockies in the summer when I didn't want to lug my wonderful but heavy Vasque boots. While doing "break them in" hikes at home, I discovered they didn't need any breaking in. They were comfortable right away. I normally wear a 6.5 or with hiking socks a 7. After reading other reviews, I ordered both a 7 and a 7.5 and found the 7.5 fit best, so I returned the 7. So, yes, a full size up is necessary. Maybe the waterproofing means that there's no stretch. But once in the 7.5 with medium to heavy socks, they were comfortable all day - even on the plane. The only reason I didn't rate them higher on the water protection scale is that since they they are really shoes not boots, you can't help but get water in your socks if it's really coming down. But it was plenty for the amout of rain I encountered.

The best hiking shoe ever!
My friend and I walk 7-10 miles a day and these shoes are the best we've found. The arch support is perfect for longer hikes as well as your daily commute. I am planning to walk the Camino de Santiago (a 489 mile walk across northern Spain)next spring and these will be the shoes I wear. Thanks for such a great product and service.

The best Merrell hikers!
I had a really hard time finding these shoes. REI doesn't even carry them. I first found them at the Grand Canyon over a year ago and hiked Bright Angel Trail in them. Then I hiked in the Blue Ridge Mountains--AT and other trails and have taken tons of urban hikes. They also got me up some mountains in Ireland and now I'm doing cliff walks in Maine in my brand new pair. They're such a great fit, I don't even need to break them in. The price was really good at Altrec and I got the shoes super fast.

Merrell Rocks!
I have narrow feet that need a lot of toe room. That combination is hard to find but Merrell always fits my foot perfectly. There is no other shoe in the world that I would order without trying on. These were perfect right out of the box. No break-in period necessary at all. As everyone else has said, you just need to order a half size bigger. I recommend these wholeheartedly.