Review on 🥾 Ontario Hiking Shoes for Women – Merrell Brown Sugar by Roberto Smith

First of all I have to say that I am unlucky that I can't find a good fit in almost any shoe, especially trail running shoes. I've tried a few, most recently Scarpa and LL Bean, and either returned them or just threw them away after a few days or weeks. I usually find the toe box too tight compared to things like Red Wings or more recently Hubbard products. A decent pair of Merrell shoes made me take a chance and buy these Ontario mid-trail running shoes a few years ago. I chose a color called brown sugar, something like a light tan. The leather is full grain and feels strong and thick enough to last. The midsole is a moderately aggressive Vibram that feels fairly stiff while the midsole is nice and soft. Decent quality insoles and lining. Overall the look of these shoes is conservative, some would say boring and some would say cool for a trail running shoe. The price of around $150 was also very attractive. A size 12 with a fairly thick toe box feels great at first. Roomy but not big enough to feel my feet sliding over rough terrain. I've learned the hard (expensive) way of being overly critical of a shoe's initial feel. I now reject any pair that exhibits ANY annoying aspect of matching. If they're a bit off at first, chances are they'll get better. This shoe also comes in a low-top model, which was tempting, but for my local trails here in central Arizona I went with a little ankle support since at 69 I don't have as steady a footing as I do previously.