The thing about hiking shoes...

If you're in the market for hiking shoes, there are two truths that you must accept. The first truth is that hiking shoes are ugly. They're mostly brown, although there are some gray ones, but you're almost never going to find a bright pair with cool colors. Hiking shoes get muddy and dirty, and for some reason, manufacturers believe making the shoes brown, the mud won't stand out as much. The second universal truth to hiking shoes is that they are expensive. You're just not as likely to find the deals on hiking shoes as you do on regular shoes. This is because hiking shoes cost more to make because they need more features for better functionality. Also, it's a small market so they have to charge more to survive, and generally, people who are willing to buy hiking shoes generally are enthusiast who are willing to dish out the money.

I've been stalking hiking shoes online for a long time. A LONG TIME. Like half a year. I just can't get over the price. JEEZ, expensive. I haven't been able to pull the trigger and commit to a pair until now. Almost everyone knows about REI, but REI has an online outlet, and this past weekend the outlet was offering 20% off a single item. This isn't really that cheap for shoes, but it is a pretty good deal for hiking shoes.

This is what I bought:






























The original price is $95.00. It's on clearance for $69.93 and was 20% off. It ended up being $59+ including tax. I don't think that's a bad price considering it's hard to find cheap, good hiking shoes, and it's especially hard to find shoes in my size, if you noticed the size 11 in that one picture :P. While they're ugly and brown, they're high quality shoes, and I don't expect that I'll have to replace them anytime soon.

The reason why I went with Merrell's as opposed to some of the other, cheaper brands is this:















Vibram rubber soles. It makes for a super cushy, comfortable shoe. In fact, these shoes are way more comfortable than my running shoes.







I'm not going to call this "the deal of the day." The fact of the matter is, it's an OK deal on something I've needed for a while. Better than paying retail for sure, but not super. I've heard if you go to TJ Maxx and are lucky, you can find a pair of Merrell's for a lot less than how much I paid. If you wear a common shoe size, like anything size 7-9, I'd recommend trying that route. If you're like me with the huge foot, going to somewhere like TJ Maxx is hit or miss, but generally miss. (If they do carry size 11, It'll be super cheap b/c no one else wears that. But most likely they won't carry size 11 because no one wears that. Therefore, your best bet may be online.)