tboese
Par Member
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2008
- Messages
- 134
Hey Guys,
I've been looking at new shoes and currently I'm pretty stuck on either the Chameleon 3's or the Teva Riva eVent shoes. Mostly because they both have Vibram soles, they're at my top end price range, and it's easy for me to go and try the shoe on at the local REI.
Basically I know Merrell makes great shoes, but there are a few issues I have with the Chameleon 3's which I wanted.
1. Stiff. These shoes are so extremely stiff starting out. I don't know if all Merrells are this way, but it's by far the stiffest shoe I've ever tried on. How long does it take to break in?
2. Noise. The most common reported issue with these shoes is that a squeak may randomly start while you're walking. Apparently it's got something to do with the insole, and instead of fixing it, Merrell's response so far (at least as of July time frame when they responded on their site about it) was to use baby powder between the insole and shoe. That's kind of stupid for a shoe that's been out for so long...
3. Breathability. Not a huge deal, but the guy I talked to at REI was saying that the eVent shoe line from Teva was much more breathable than standard Gortex. Anyone else know much about this?
All-in-all, I like the sportier look of the Chameleon's. I do also like the Riva's, although they are a bit plain. Honestly, as shoes go, the Riva's were very comfortable when I tried them on (soft, and broken in, although they do require regular leather treatments apparently, which I would need to explore more as I'm not used to this type of maintenance). I just don't want to write the Merrell's off yet as a couple friends of mine have them and say they break in to be very comfortable.
I've been looking at new shoes and currently I'm pretty stuck on either the Chameleon 3's or the Teva Riva eVent shoes. Mostly because they both have Vibram soles, they're at my top end price range, and it's easy for me to go and try the shoe on at the local REI.
Basically I know Merrell makes great shoes, but there are a few issues I have with the Chameleon 3's which I wanted.
1. Stiff. These shoes are so extremely stiff starting out. I don't know if all Merrells are this way, but it's by far the stiffest shoe I've ever tried on. How long does it take to break in?
2. Noise. The most common reported issue with these shoes is that a squeak may randomly start while you're walking. Apparently it's got something to do with the insole, and instead of fixing it, Merrell's response so far (at least as of July time frame when they responded on their site about it) was to use baby powder between the insole and shoe. That's kind of stupid for a shoe that's been out for so long...
3. Breathability. Not a huge deal, but the guy I talked to at REI was saying that the eVent shoe line from Teva was much more breathable than standard Gortex. Anyone else know much about this?
All-in-all, I like the sportier look of the Chameleon's. I do also like the Riva's, although they are a bit plain. Honestly, as shoes go, the Riva's were very comfortable when I tried them on (soft, and broken in, although they do require regular leather treatments apparently, which I would need to explore more as I'm not used to this type of maintenance). I just don't want to write the Merrell's off yet as a couple friends of mine have them and say they break in to be very comfortable.