Bristol Waterproof Mid Hiking Boot

I bought these boots 3 days before a 2 week trip which included a 6day hike in Europe. I wore them 2 days straight to make sure they were truly as comfy as they seemed to be and YES they were...I wore them brand new 6 days straight 20000 steps + daily hiking in the alps and they were fantastic! SO comfortable and no rubbing etc....My other hiking boots have always been Merrells as well although these I bought a 1/2 size smaller with no problems at all. I truly hope merrell keeps this in their lineup - they are very fashionable as well!

.Here’s a polished version you could post online: I had the exact same painful experience as another reviewer ECC here, and I really wish I had read her review before buying the Bristol boots. I’ve been a fan of Merrell for years. My Merrell Ontario were incredibly comfortable—I could hike miles in them the same day they arrived with zero break-in period. I ordered the Bristol expecting a similar fit and experience, especially since I bought the same size. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case at all. The Bristol felt slightly wider than my Ontario at first, so I thought they would be fine. But after wearing them on a hike, I developed a huge blister on the ball of my foot, and the areas above my ankles became badly bruised. I tried adjusting the lacing in different ways throughout the trip, but nothing helped. The worst part was that I had already started a multi-day hiking trip, so returning them or switching shoes wasn’t an option. I had no choice but to keep going and basically drag my feet through the rest of the trip in pain. Really disappointing, especially because I had such a great experience with my Ontario. I wanted to love these, but they ended up ruining what should have been an enjoyable hike.