You’ve Never Seen a Hiking Shoe Like This: Merrell SpeedARC Surge Boa Review

The frantically waving, stout brown tail in front of me tick-tocks too fast to set a proper jogging cadence, but it does add its own gleeful encouragement to my swift downhill hike.

Leica — GearJunkie’s famous German shorthaired pointer — and her four paws made easier work of North Table Mountain’s snaking trail, but I doubted they offered the same bounding ease as the marshmallowy shoes I was wearing. Just ahead of me, my boss and fellow shoe tester Sean McCoy stayed hot on Leica’s tail, testing his own pair of cutting-edge trail runners.

Still, my shoes weren’t made for running. Launched this month, the Merrell SpeedARC Surge Boa (henceforth, just “SpeedARC”) is all about hiking — fast or slow, but with exceptional comfort, fit, and protection. While my cohorts skirt boulders and obstacles in search of more velocity, I parkour as many trail features as I can find. These shoes are a little less superbike and a little more rally car, after all.

In short: Merrell breaks the mold with the SpeedARC. A pronounced nylon “Flexplate” runs the length of the bulbous, pillowy midsoles. With it, these shoes combine plush cushion and stiff, responsive spring. It’s not a remarkable sensation, but the SpeedARC left my feet less fatigued after long days and provided exceptional comfort on hikes. Just note that they’re not quite as versatile as high-end trail running shoes.

Check out GearJunkie’s guide to the Best Hiking Shoes to see the top picks from our testing.

Merrell SpeedARC Surge Boa Review

I received an early sample of the SpeedARC hiking shoes (and the very first pair in size 13) in late summer. In the months since, I tested them on woodsy dog walks with flat terrain, rocky, switchbacking mountain trails, and light to moderate runs. But I also wore them as my daily shoe, standing and walking on them all day over concrete, tarmac, and hardwood.

In that time, I’ve experienced what these shoes do exceptionally well and also some of their limitations. I can say right now that if you’re looking for a trail shoe for at least 50% running, you should hop over to our Best Trail Running Shoes roundup right now. The SpeedARCs are great shoes, but they’re focused primarily on hiking (as I learned).

If mostly hiking and the occasional trot are your focus, read on.

Materials, Construction

As the full name suggests, the SpeedARC uses a dual Boa closure for each shoe. One snugs up the toebox and forefoot, and the other tightens up and over your arch.

The Boa laces pull soft, pliant flaps securely over the foot. These are part of the “Matryx” upper construction — a synthetic fabric bootie that’s designed for breathability and abrasion resistance while remaining lightweight. A thicker, padded heel cup provides support and structure around the back of the shoe.

This upper sits on top of a dual-density supercritical (read: nitrogen-infused) midsole. This midsole material is common among many high-performance hiking and trail running shoes; it’s lightweight and provides bounce and cushion while remaining fairly resilient.

But there’s even more to this midsole — it is, in fact, the star of the show. Sandwiched within the foam is a nylon “Flexplate.” This is designed to add some stiffness, support, and energy return between the ground and your foot. And if this sounds like a lot of material, it is. The SpeedARC boasts a 38-30mm heel-toe stack.

Underfoot, Merrell employs its own “Quantum Grip” rubber outsole with 4mm lugs (a moderately aggressive tread pattern). This is the same outsole used on the very popular Merrell Moab Speed 2.

Trail Testing: Are They Good Hiking Shoes?

On trail, the SpeedARC hiking shoes were a delight. As you might guess from looking at the head-turning midsoles, these shoes deliver ample cushion. However, don’t expect a plush, Buick-like bounce on rough terrain. The midsole plate acts like a stiff leaf spring, reducing the overall squish and pushing back some of that energy on each step.

Again, this is not a dramatic sensation, but it is highly effective at gobbling up impacts from the ground and boosting foot stamina. This was evident when wearing the SpeedARC all day, every day, for a weeklong trip to Germany. Through airports and back-and-forth over tradeshow floors, I was impressed by how not sore, tight, or tired my feet and calves were at the end of each day.

This translates to greater comfort over longer miles. Plus, the knit upper kept my feet dry and breezy — at no point did I experience muggy or hot days inside the shoe.

I had no issues with the tread, though I’ll note it’s not an aggressive tread, nor is it exceptionally sticky. I went over some wet rocks and descended quickly on my Colorado hike, and didn’t sense any slipping. Just be aware these soles are not built for high-speed or high-slip environments.

Gripes? Not Many

For a true hiking shoe, I didn’t find any red flags with the SpeedARC Surge Boa (there, I said it). However, I would note a couple of factors before purchasing.

First off, these are not waterproof. This is a matter of preference, so follow your own intuition. Some people swear by waterproof-breathable shoes alone — they want the added protection to battle back splish-splashing across streams and through puddles.

Other people value breathability above all else in footwear. The SpeedARC most definitely caters to the latter.

Second, I tried a couple of light runs in these shoes and learned fairly quickly it’s not their strong point. It’s not that the shoes were too heavy, but they were a bit clunky. The big midsole scraped the inside of my ankle a number of times — think of lightly kicking yourself on almost every step.

This only occurred when I was running, never when hiking. And I’m sure it owes in part to my own stride. Still, I would not choose these for dedicated runs.

Conclusion: Should You Buy?

That’s the $64,000 question — actually, the $290 question. The Merrell SpeedARC Surge Boa is not a budget shoe. At nearly $300, this is a performance tool for folks who plan a lot of hikes throughout the spring, summer, and fall. If that’s you, and if you fall into the breathable-footwear-only camp, these are phenomenal shoes.

They’ll turn more than a few heads, but that’s not the point. The comfort and ease during and after long hikes make these a winning trail shoe. They can be nimble when you need them to be, but the comfort is impossible to miss. Just don’t try to keep up with your four-legged friend.