The Merrell Rogue Hiker is not your typical Merrell—or your typical backpacking boot. 2023's newest hiking boot breaks the Merrell mold—from its fiery orange color to its lightweight build to its premium price. This isn't your dad's Merrell. Or his backpacking boot. My Merrell Rogue Hiker review lets you know if this new, lightweight backpacking boot is a premium option for Merrell lovers or one for men and women who normally would not consider wearing Merrells.
Meet the Merrell Rogue Hiker
Backpacking Old Loggers Path in the new Merell Rogue Hiker
The Merrell Rogue Hiker is a new lightweight backpacking boot that just dropped in April, 2023. It's a hybrid—a backpacking boot built on the last of a trail running shoe. That makes it lighter, and more athletic, than the typical backpacking boot.
In many ways, the Rogue Hiker is an anomaly for Merrell. Merrell is best known for budget-oriented boots and shoes that are popular with beginners, hikers on a budget, and people who wear their hiking shoes for more than just hiking. The Rogue is a premium boot that targets fast-packers, speed hikers, and backpackers who prefer lightweight footwear to more traditional hiking and backpacking boots. It's arguably Merrell's first performance hiking boot.
That means the Rogue has little in common with the best-selling Merrell Moab. The Rogue is lighter and more athletic with better waterproofing and traction than "the world's best selling hiker." It's also more expensive. Merrell offers the Rogue Hiker in a waterproof, GORE-TEX (GTX) version for men and women with a MSRP of $230:
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Merrell Rogue Hiker Review
My Merrell Rogue Hiker review is based on about 100 miles of hiking, including two of Pennsylvania's signature backpacking trails: Old Loggers Path (28 miles) and the Loyalsock Trail (59 miles). These two trails features plenty of mud and water crossings, some gnarly stretches of roots and rock gardens, some steep climbs and ascents, rocky ridges, and old railroad grades and service roads that can be hiked in a hurry. That varied terrain let me test the Merrell Rogue Hiker's support, weight, comfort, fit, waterproofing, traction, and overall value.
Support
MODERATE
With its higher ankle collars, the Merrell Rogue Hiker offers more foot and ankle support than the best-selling Merrell Moab. However, it's a hybrid that blends a trail running shoe with a backpacking boot. That means it's not as stiff or supportive as a traditional hiking and backpacking boot, even though it's a mid-cut.
The Rogue is Merrell's best option for backpackers. Still, tere's plenty of flex underfoot, and the ankle collars are also soft (not stiff) with Merrell's "out of the box comfort." That means the ankle support is just okay. The Rogue may seem similar to Salomon's famous Quest backpacking boot, but the Quest has much more foot and ankle support. The Rogue feels more like hiking in my old basketball high tops. Even so, I haven't turned my ankles while backpacking some moderately difficult terrain in Rogue Hiker.
Weight
LIGHTWEIGHT BACKPACKING BOOT
The Merrell Rogue Hiker stresses weight savings more than support. My pair (men's size 12) weighs only 2lbs and 6oz. That's less than the average day hiking boot (which run 2.5-3lbs) and 12-14 ounces lighter than my other backpacking boots, the Salomon Quest and Lowa Renegade. It's even a few grams lighter than my low-cut, Merrell Moab hiking shoes! You can tell on the trail, too. Knocking out 18 miles of the Old Loggers Path on my first day, I felt like I was hiking in trail running shoes, not backpacking boots. If you're looking for light and agile hiking boots (over more supportive ones), the Merrell Rogue Hiker may be a great option for you.
Women's Rogue Hiker GTX
Fit
WIDE AND ROOMY
Merrell is known for its wide and roomy fit. That's also true of the Rogue Hiker GTX. As my feet swelled on several 18-22-mile days, they still had plenty of room in the Rogue's roomy forefoot and toe box.
Merrell's standard size is as wide as (or wider than) some brands' "wide" sizes. That means my moderately wide hiking feet felt comfortable in my normal hiking size (1/2 size larger than my everyday size). Hikers with narrow feet may find Merrell's fit too big or too sloppy on steeper trails. As a new release, the Merrell Rogue Hiker is only offered in standard sizes (no wides). Hikers with extra-wide feet may want to order this a full-size bigger than your everyday footwear to get enough width.
Comfort
POTENTIAL PLUS (DEPENDS ON FIT, PREFERENCES)
Comfort has a lot to do with fit and with hikers' personal preferences. The Merrell Rogue Hiker may be a comfortable hiking boot for hikers with bigger feet who find lightweight footwear more comfortable than traditional, sturdy hiking boots.
Overall, my feet have liked the Rogue Hiker. For me, the roomy fit was quite comfortable, letting my toes splay naturally. With most backpacking boots running narrow in the toes, that's a comfort plus. There's moderate cushion that's soft for a hiking boot. I personally prefer more support, especially when backpacking. The lightweight build meant I felt more of the rocks and roots of Old Loggers Path than I would in sturdier boots. At the same time, my feet felt pretty good after hiking 28 miles of moderate terrain over 24 hours. LIkewise, my feet made it through the 60-mile Loyalsock Trail fine, but they got fatigued faster in the Rogue than they do in stiffer backpacking boots. My guess is that many people will love the Rogue Hiker's light and roomy feel, as long as they aren't hiking gnarly terrain.
Weather Protection
GORE-TEX
My hiking feet stayed dry and comfortable through miles of mud, plenty of puddles, and several short water crossings on Old Loggers Path. LIkewise, I crossed at least two dozen streams on the Loyalsock Trail with relatively dry feet.
Merrell's proprietary waterproofing has a poor reputation. However, the "GTX" on the Merrell Rogue Hiker GTX stands for GORE-TEX, the industry's most reliable waterproof membranes. GORE is also breathable, which meant my feet didn't get sloppy sweaty on the trail. The mid-cut ankle collars don't provide great ankle support, but they do allow for the waterproofing to extend to the ankle. That gives a little more clearance for puddles, mud, snow, and shallow streams. Waterproof hiking boots won't work miracles in sustained wet weather. However, these GORE-TEX boots provide above average in weather protection.
Traction
PREMIUM VIBRAM OUTSOLES
The traction on the Merrell Rogue Hiker has better hiking tread than other Merells. This particular Vibram outsole has deep, 5 mm lugs to dig into soft surfaces, and they're widely spaced to prevent mud and snow from caking to the bottom of the boots. The V-shaped lugs and ridges add climbing traction in front and braking traction in back for steeper trails. That aggressive tread works well on moderate to difficult terrain with soft or loose sediment. It's also fine on rock since the lugs are moderately wide for more friction on hard surfaces. The footing on Old Loggers Path varies widely. However, the Vibram outsoles were solid on every hiking surface I encountered on my weekend trip. I also hiked the Loyalsock trail slip-free after taking a couple of hard falls previously on that trail in another lightweight backpacking boot, the La Sportiva Nucleo High GTX.
For me, the traction was my favorite performance feature of the new Merrell Rogue Hiker.
Durabilty and Value
PREMIUM PRICE .
It's too early to judge the durability of the Merrell Rogue Hiker. Its lightweight construction could mean that it will wear more like a trail running shoe (which doesn't last as long as a traditional hiking boot). At the same time, the Rogue's premium components could last longer, too. I'll update this post as the boots age.
Price-wise, the Rogue Hiker is Merrell's most expensive hiking boot with a MSRP of $230. That's more than most of the best lightweight hiking boots and pretty typical for a backpacking boot. Here are current prices:
Note: Links coming soon—the Rogue soon will be available at Backcountry, REI, and other outdoor specialty retailers.
Merrell Rogue Hiker GTX: Pros & Cons
Merrell's first performance hiking boot is a fun addition to the hiking boot line up of 2023. Like most Merrells, the Rogue Hiker offers "out of the box comfort" that blurs the boundaries between different footwear categories—in this case, between a backpacking boot and a trail running shoe. Unlike other Merrells, this one's meant for faster, more pursuit-oriented hikers—not casual, budget-oriented hikers. Here's a quick comparison of the boot's pros and cons:
Conclusion:
In terms of features and quality, the Rogue Hiker is easily Merrell's most impressive hiking boot. It beats the Merrell Moab in ankle support, weight, waterproofing, traction, and overall athletic feel. If you want to wear the best Merrell hiking boot, you should buy the new Merrell Rogue Hiker.
As with all hiking boots, however, you should consider if the Rogue is a good fit for your feet and a good fit for your hikes.
That's why I wrote this Merrell Rogue Hiker GTX review. Merrell made this lightweight backpacking boot for the growing population of fast-and-light hikers who prefer the feel of trail running shoes to traditional hiking boots. The Rogue tries to be both at the same time—a backpacking boot that feels more like a trail running shoe. That makes it more of a niche boot than an all-around hiking and backpacking boot.
Best Fit
true to size,
best for standard to wide feet
Best Match
speed hiking, thru-hiking, lightweight backpacking
If this preliminary review has piqued your interest in the Merrell Rogue Hiker GTX, please consider purchasing your new pair through the affiliate links above. That doesn't cost you anything, but it sends a few shillings my way to pay for this site and the boots I review. Those small commissions also give me a little something back for all the unpaid hours I've spent creating free content to help people buy hiking footwear that fits their feet and matches their hikes. If this site hooked you up, I'd appreciate it if you hook me up, too.
Thanks for reading Hiking Feet. Happy Hiking!
Nice review Jory. Have you had any issues with with the material on the toe box “popping” or “clicking” when you walk in these boots? I have and its a real bummer. If the right boot was like the left boot, I’d be super happy with these. That popping noise is super annoying though.
No, I haven’t noticed a sound like that. Is it the gaiter attachment making the noise on one side? If that’s it, you might be able to tighten the bottom lace enough to snug it into place? That’s my only guess of that sound. Thanks for checking out my review.