Merrell Women's Encore Mid Boot Q2 Fashion - Waterproof Hiking Boots for Women with Arch Support - Perfect for Outdoor Adventures, Trail Walking & Winter Snow

My experience with this pair of Merrell footwear has not been a great one, while some other reviewers seem 5 star pleased. I would love to give these boots five stars; however, I have some really irritating issues with the pair I received. They are…. comfy, well-made and ever so cute. Now, let me say some other things about them.THE GOOD:`The thin but slightly cushioned insole is removable.`The arch is adequate for me; however, higher arches might complain and find it less than perfect.`The imitation fur goes about 2.5 inches into the boot providing slight cushion for the leg area just above the ankle.`The boots are true to size. I ordered my regular size, and the fit is good.`The heel is a good height, 1¾ inches with a ½ inch platform.`The rounded toe gives lots of wiggle toe room making for soothing comfort.`The strictly decorative strap on the side adds some bling to the boot.THE BAD:DIFFICULT TO GET ON AND OFF.!!!!These are the pits in that category. Fortunately, they do stretch a smidge after several exhausting but successful efforts of forcefully pushing the foot while pulling the boot to get the blinking thing on. The first time that I got my foot into it, I then wondered if I could get my foot out. With much effort, I did manage to extract my foot.I slept on my decision to return the boots and then decided to try once again. The exercise was pretty much the same as the first time. This time; however, I did use a shoehorn…..and that helped. I did; nonetheless, have a bit of a struggle extracting the shoe horn, and that was slightly ouchy! Well, I tried one more time, and I found that they were slowly becoming a tad less hostile and slightly more user friendly! With maybe a dozen or so more tries the ons and offs will not be so exhausting.`The description of the boot says, “…. contoured footbed supports all three arches of the foot with Merino wool.” My boots do not have Merino wool anywhere.THE UGLY:Wait….there is another issue. The zipper is challenging to move. It reluctantly slides upward, and then is equally stubborn about sliding back down. It may take oodles of ups and downs before it works effectively without being forced.`I have decided to keep this less than perfect pair of foot coverings; however, I do not think they will ever be my footwear of choice if I am in a hurry to skedaddle out the door. This is probably not the ankle boot for those with a high arch and thick ankles or large legs.I am happy with these boots. Like a lot of Merrells, they run on the narrow side. They offer a medium amount of support but I need more arch support. Fortunately the insole is removable and I can put an orthotic in them. They could use a pull tab on the back to assist when putting them on. They are not the most stylish boots with the round toe, but they are decent enough. I wanted a light weight low heeled boot with a zipper for easy on and off and these met those requirements. Merrell fits me better than most brands so despite them not being perfect, I still like them and am considering ordering them in one of the other colors offered. I usually need a 9.5 in Merrells, sometimes a 9 in other brands. The 9.5 was a perfect fit with medium weight socks.These boots have a swede finish, but dirt brushes off easily. The colour is as advertised (espresso). The boot fits loosely on me, a bit like a gumboot, the buckle is for show). They arrived yesterday and I haven't taken them off (except to sleep). I tried walking down a wet [slightly] muddy track and slipped over (sober) so won't use these boots on the farm. They are reasonably warm but the lining is synthetic so don't expect too much in this respect. Time will tell how they wear, but I've had many Merrell shoes and sandals in the past and hoping these won't disappoint.The shearling lining is only at the ankle and very thin. There is no lining around the foot, so this wasn't as warm and cozy as I had hoped. That said, I do reach for these often because they are cute and are casual without being sneakers. They are suede, so not rough and tumble. They scuff. Great to slip on for a run to the grocery store or to take the dog for a walk. The 2 stars off are because they are not especially warm or hardy... but maybe that is because it is a "fashion" boot, not like my other Merrells, so I apologize if I am being stingy.These booties are so warm and comfy. Yet breathable! Great support. Love the color. Neat on my feet, where I am a 10M. You'll need a shoe thong to assist in getting them on. But once one. OMG! I plan on getting them in Black as well, if still.available.I love Merrell’s and this bootie is no exception. I order a half size larger to fit my orthotics which helped since these do tend to run small in my opinion. Really cute, but the color is more a dark tan than taupe & the toe got scuffed immediately which has left a big white spot. I don’t know how to get rid of it so I just have to ignore it. Hence the four stars instead of five.These were great boots but it was a struggle to get them on. The ankle area was tight, I couldn'tget my heel into the boot without a shoehorn and I had very thin socks on. I ordered a half size large too so that wasn't the problem. Was sorry to see them go back but I will continue my search. I believe the decorative buckle and strap gave them too much stiffness at the ankle. It just wouldn't give.These fit snugly around the ankle but that's just what I wanted! Wider cut pant legs easily slide over and skinny pants stack nicely.My standard Merrell fit of size 9 was great wearing thinner wool socks. Nice wide toe box but booties actually look small on! First wearing was playing out in a snowy field w the dog in the cold for 20 minutes and my feet stayed toasty! 5 stars from me out of the box!Update: feel the same after weeks of regular wear. Live in em!