Astral  TR1 Merge 2.0 Hiking Boots

These boots are awesome! I wore them while hiking through Zion, Bryce Canyon, Dixie National Forest, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, the Grand Canyon, and Saguaro National Park. I’m usually more of a trail runner type, but about six and a half weeks before our trip I tore my ATFL and had severe bone bruising throughout my foot and ankle. These boots gave me the perfect balance of support and comfort for recovery—and the lightweight design made walking so much easier.

There is a lot to love about these shoes. I will expound on that. The 2 star rating is because they are not durable. I consider them disposable. After about 70 miles they have significant wear and holes in the mesh that I'm not sure I trust them for another long trip. Astral did provide me with good warranty service. However, I don't like disposable gear. What did I like? Grip is good although they may overstate that. I liked the ankle support and collar. It kept junk out of the shoes which is really great. The laces never became loose or untied. They drain and dry fast. They seemed to fit no matter the sock (light, medium, and Sealskinz waterproof socks). I found the sizing to be true. Biggest room for improvement is durability. I'm in my 50's with 2 bad knees so I'm not exactly thrashing the wilds with these things. My flat feet ached if I hiked more than 8 miles. I could use more of a shank for support and protection from rocks, roots, etc. Concern Is the mesh a vector for spreading aquatic invasive species? Felt soles on waders are strongly discouraged for this reason. There has to be a better material.

Bought these for wading bonefish flats in the Bahamas. They are almost perfect for this, except the mesh is too coarse. While this lets them drain well, it lets in the fine Bahamian sand. Unfortunately, I had to stop a couple times a day and empty out the accumulated sand. Otherwise, these are great boots. They dry quickly, are lightweight and provide a nice amount of stability without being clunky. Still giving them 4 stars because I'm sure this is not the end use Astral had in mind. If you guys made a boot like this with fine mesh that keeps sand out, I would snap them up in a heartbeat and recommend them to all my fishing friends.

I have been wearing TR1 Merge boots (old model) since 2019 and I loved them. I bought them twice because I hiked a lot. They lasted two to three years depending on how often I hiked. Then the old model was no longer made. But Astral made a new model last year. So I bought them last year. I noticed that the material was different, not strong fabric. Few months ago the material got holes. I was disappointed. Then last week my right boot became defective because midsole and toe box were going to separate! They lasted ONLY 11 months!! I am not happy with their quality of new model, TR1 Merge 2.0. I want the old model back because they lasted more than 2 years. Do NOT buy them if you use them very often to hike to the waterfall trails.

Bought these on a whim for a wading boot after having great luck with the tr mesh for wet wading season (altho that one def needs a sock) and wow these are by far the most lightweight, quick drying boot for fishing and just the right amount of support, def had to order a half size bigger to fit over waders but wow these are a sleeper excellent wading boot, should market this thing for fishing, few friends have been turned on to these for this purpose and love them more than Simms or Orvis brand boots.

As a physical therapist, proper footwear is high priority and I will highly recommend these to everyone that loves to get out in nature to hike. Just tried these out for the first time in Guatemala for a very difficult hike--over 15 miles with over 5,000 feet of elevation gain and LOVED them. Good combination of 'minimal' and flexible, yet also supportive.

Well made. Holding up great. Walking three miles a day of combined wading and hiking. Impressive traction and durability

I purchased the Soil Taupe in size 7. Opening the box, I loved the look of these shoes. They are stylish and fresh. As I laced them up, I thought to myself “wow, these feel really good on my foot”. They are a true 7 - IMO. Upon use: Not too much cushion that I can’t feel the trail, and the perfect amount of structure for my ankles to feel supported. The 3 star reflectors are a nice brand touch that catch the light perfectly and IMO look cool. Also, the bottom sole color is a unique take that I haven't seen elsewhere and adds to the overall style of this shoe. I did not own the previous version of the Merge and I realize now I’ve been missing out! Highly recommend.

Got them a week ago and have been loving them on and off trail! The fit feels true to size, 10 feels good like in all my shoes. Instant comfort straight out of the box onto some mellow hikes. I really like the mesh construction! Helps keep the feet cool and let moisture out while you are charging! The outsole grips well on steep dusty trails, wet slimy rocks, everything in between! Haven’t gotten them on the water yet but they feel like they would be the perfect expedition boot on the river.

These are GREAT. I wanted mids that were breathable, quick dry, great for wearing on all sorts of terrain (urban, hiking, various activities) I wanted quick dry. EVERYTHING out there is "waterproof" (terrible for wearing all day. It traps in the nastiness) these work amazing for all that. My ONLY complaint is that sand will find its way in through any of the mesh then it just scoots around in the shoe when you're walking. This can be a potentially huge flaw depending on where you are (not good for places with beaches!) I walked along a sidewalk on the opposite side of the road from a beach and had random grains of sand finding their way into the sole. I hope they release a 3.0 that has some sort of way of dealing with this. (finer mesh as well as some sort of system to expel any grains that end up inside?)