The Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slam Review

Merrell shoes are a Vermont based company, with close to 30 years experience in providing outdoor footwear capable of withstanding the extremes of the New England weather. Designed to take the path less trodden, the shoes provide exceptional grip in mud and soft ground, with great cushioning and support for moving over hard and uneven surfaces.

Producing a range of boots, shoes, sandals and trainers, they cover the full spectrum of outdoor sports and pastimes, and can equip you from head to toe for all of your outdoor adventures. However whilst particularly adept at dealing with serious off-road action, the shoes are equally suited to casual wear around town, and no shoe gives more comfort for casual wear than the Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slam.

The Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slam is an awesome trainer, which takes the exceptional Merrell fit and adds more cushioning and comfort.

Merrell design their shoes from the inside out, first taking the foot and making sure it is perfectly protected and cushioned. In the Chameleon Wrap Slam, they use a flexible neoprene and Lycra lining to give a foot hugging fit for exceptional comfort, whilst being highly breathable to keep the feet cool.

The uppers are hard wearing and wrap around the lining, held in place by an innovative lacing system which pulls from the base of the shoes for an really close and well supported fit, removing lace tension from the top of the instep for added comfort. To keep you on your feet, Vibram rubber outsoles are used with a Merrell Chameleon Sport sole for maximum traction over wide range of surfaces, and are vegan friendly to let you have comfort with a clear conscience.

A wrap around rand, toe bumper, instep stability arm, EVA foot frame and nylon arch shank provide all the protection your feet will need, with an un-breakable Merrell Air Cushion for incredible shock absorption.

Undoubtedly the best feature is the comfort fit, an area where Merrell have surpassed even their own high standards, giving a glove-like fit. The cushioning is perfect to daylong comfort and the tread pattern and sticky rubber sole gives great grip across all terrain you are likely to come across. The lacing system is pretty cool, holding the uppers to the feet without feeling tight. The Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slam is the most comfortable pair of trainers I have ever worn, and for casual wear and light off road walking, they get my vote as the best fitting trainers I have seen.

• Breathable mesh uppers for temperature control
• Moulded instep stability arm for support
• Moulded rubber rand and toe bumper for protection
• Lycra/Neoprene stretch collar for a perfect fit
• Air Cushion midsole for shock absorption
• 4mm Vibram rubber lugs for off road grip
• Speed sole to promote fast movement
• 4.5mm anatomically moulded footbed for comfort and shock absorption

It’s difficult to find fault with these trainers due to the exceptional comfort for urban walking. For light walking off road and general approach work, the Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slam keeps up its great performance, however if you are planning on venturing a little further off the beaten track, and hiking at altitude you take the shoes outside their comfort zone.

They will still be comfortable, but you would be better off with a more well rounded and versatile off road trainer such as the Merrell Intercept or a heavy duty hiking boot such as the Merrell Col. For the majority of people however, the Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slam will offer nothing short of an awesome performance on all surfaces you are likely to walk on, and if you are on your feet all day for work, with a pair of these you will have comfort all day long.