Merrell All Out Peak review

“I have a hard time taking Merrell seriously as a trail running shoe.”

At our Rattlesnake Mountain group run, I was extolling the merits of the soon-to-be-released Merrell All Out Peak, and Kay uttered these words.

I have often heard them on the sales floor as well.

Even with such dubious opinions of Merrell floating around, I still eagerly look forward to seeing the All Out Peak on our wall in 2015.

It is a cross between the Hoka Stinson ATR and the Brooks Cascadia.  It is like the Hoka Huaka, but with Salomon-esque grip and mid-foot fit.

It is extra-cushioned–but not over-sized.  It will likely take more sales away from the Hoka Speedgoat (due out in July) than it will take sales away from the Hoka Challenger ATR/REI.  The Peak has a firmer cushion like the Hoka Huaka or defunct Rapa Nui; it is not soft like the Hoka Clifton or Bondi.

I’ve put all my trail long runs in these Peaks since receiving an early pair in November.  My first run in them was a 5 miler back home from the Merrell showroom–through Seattle on roads.

All of our most recent best-selling trail shoes feel just as nice on trails as they do on roads–and the All Out Peak is no different.  Rare with the Peak, however, is the amount of tread on the bottom that works well in mud but does NOT make you feel like you’re wearing roller skates on wet pavement.

The Peak easily handles: mud, icy snow, wet wooden bridges, and slick pavement, while providing tremendous rock protection.

What’s the catch?  The only catch here is that the Peak comes from Merrell…and who will be willing to spend $130 on a shoe they don’t trust?  I joked on our group run that the big Wolverine shoe company (owner of both Merrell and Patagonia) should have launched the Peak as the “Patagonia Peak”.  People would take it more seriously–and double bonus: Patagonia would still be selling running shoes rather than falling by the wayside.

In fact, the Merrell Peak is nothing like the other shoes in the All Out collection.  We’ve had: the All out Fuse–really minimal; the All out Rush–cushioned like the Altra Superior it was still too minimal for most ultra trail running folks; and the All out Flash–basically a road racing flat.

The Peak is in a league of it’s own compared to the other All Out offerings!

I may be stubborn, but not enough to pass up what I think is the best #NewTrailShoe around.  I want our customers to have the very best selection from any brand that makes great shoes.  Hopefully customers looking for great cushion and superb tread won’t let the Name prevent them from trying on the Merrell All Out Peak.

What makes the Peak worth trying:

1. cushion – in this new era of Trail Shoes, the pendulum has swung back to more cushion.  The Peak has more cushion than anything you are currently running in unless you are using Hoka or the Altra Olympus.
2. fit – the upper really wraps around your foot, providing a snug fit (if needed) through the mid-foot.  It has enough volume and width in the toe-box however to accommodate wider feet and higher in-steps.  Not as wide as Altra shoes; it should feel roomier than most Hoka models.  The wrapping effect of the upper will fit narrower feet much better than any Altra or Hoka models currently available.
3. tread – never before have I had a shoe with so much traction that stuck so well on smooth wet surfaces: rock, roads, wooden bridges.  It’s Vibram Mega-grip tread pattern should be copied by other brands!