Merrell Men's Moab 2 Vent Mid Hiking Boot - Waterproof & Breathable Trail Shoes for Outdoor Adventures, Camping & Backpacking

I have drop foot in my right leg, happened when I was a 25 yr old when my pelvis was broken and I wear an AFO inside the shoe to give my toes elevation and do not trip. You can't imagine the difficulty in finding shoes I can wear comfortably with such a condition. The shoes are either too narrow at the toe box and painfully squeeze my toes or two narrow in the center of the foot and the brace will not fit inside. Many times, when I cannot find a wide style shoe, I have to buy a half size or full size larger just to fit the brace and end up tripping often from the extra length. The last pair of boots I bought were Salomon XAforce which were $200 a few years back. Since they are 3 yrs old and a light coyote brown color they have become dingy. They are great boots, probably the best but I didn't have $220 to spend. I decided to give Merrell a try because my 77 yr old uncle, who is also well aware of a good boot from his days in Vietnam, had a pair on one day. After reading several positive reviews, I purchased.The Salomon XAs took at least 3 months to break in, they were so uncomfortable in the beginning but these Merrill boots were comfortable right out of the box it actually surprised me because that almost NEVER happens. My foot is very tender in spots and some days it can be painful just to put ON a shoe. My brace fit in with no modifying whatsoever and the toe box doesn't scrunch my toes and make it painful like some other boots can. Laced up nice and tight they feel great on my feet and I can wear them all day with bo problems, which I cannot do with just any ol shoe. The bottom sole grips snow and ice and I feel fairly confident I will not slip on my butt on the icy Colorado ground. I've only had them about 4 months but so far everything has held up and I've had no problems. They've become even more comfortable than my Salomons and I wear them just as much if not more. Only time will tell if they last as long. I'm glad I got these either way when comparing price and now I'm Merrell guy just as much as Salomon, thanks uncle! ??