A little over a year ago I did a review on the Merrell Fraxion Adventure Shoes. Since then I’ve been wearing these shoes off and on for the better part of the year. Out of the gate I have to say I’m thoroughly impressed with how they have held up.
I have worn these shoes on multiple hikes in both fair weather and crappy wet weather. The fact that these shoes are waterproof makes them an ideal minimalist shoe for hiking in almost any condition short of snow. Pair these shoes with a good pair of wool socks and you got yourself a solid base for your feet, even into the early winter season. I have also worn these shoes as daily wear to the office as well as yard work on many occasions.
One of the features that really stand out on this shoe (in my opinion) over all others that I have worn are the soles. The tread on the sole of the Fraxion shoes is a very aggressive sole. You could damn near use this shoe as an approach shoe for rock climbing or bouldering. Again…look at the lack of wear after 1 year of use. Impressive!
The other area of these shoes that has really impressed me are the toe caps. The toe cap of any shoe will take the most abuse during hiking or any type of rock climbing or bouldering. You can certainly tell from the picture that the toe cap has seen some use and abuse, but material and construction are still solid and have not shown any compromise.
Overall these shoes have outlasted some costing much more. I consider this shoe a crossover shoe due to the material used, construction and design. I can wear these shoes out on the town and turn around the next day and go on a technical trail hike or rock climb.
Although these shoes are getting harder to find, you can still get yourself a pair of Merrell Fraxion shoes on Amazon.
