Merrell may be best-known in GORP-leaning streetwear circles for its slick 1TRL line and charmingly elderly moc shoes but the Michigan-based outdoor brand is actually pretty well-regarded among serious adventurers for its more utilitarian shoes.
The Merrell Agility Peak 5 sneaker, in particular, is a hard-wearing trail runner that looks as handsome as any of HOKA's excellent trek kicks and Salomon's myriad technical sneakers. So, little surprise that Merrell's star trail shoe would get a seasonal update only a year or so after its award-winning debut in 2022.
Winter, do your worst — nothing's gonna get through these GORE-TEX Merrells.
In September 2023, Merrell quietly rolled out the Agility Peak 5 with an infusion of GORE-TEX lining for maximum weather resistance. Especially in its all-black colorway, with the chunky Vibram sole and technical waterproofing, the new iteration of the Agility Peak 5 is giving HOKA in a good way.
I know that there aren't any sportswear companies that wanna see their sneakers juxtaposed against a competitors' shoes but I really do mean it as a compliment.
In the red-hot functional footwear space, no one is doing better-looking heavyweight sneakers than HOKA, so for a peer to rise to its level is high praise indeed.
Merrell has had plenty of success on its own merits, of course, as a new generation taps into the inherent comfort and riotous styling of signature shoes like the Jungle Moc.
But the new Merrell shoes hit just as hard and perhaps even more approachably, as the Agility Peak 5 is a great-looking shoe that's as strong as anything else out on the market. Even its wackier colorways speak to Merrell's growing design acumen.
We're living through a true trail shoe renaissance at the moment, as every brand of note begins serving up top-tier sneakers and consumers begin opening their stylistic eyes to the appreciably fashion-agnostic inclinations inherent to each offering.
The best thing about the boom is the sheer variety of good stuff on the market, allowing interested shoppers to express their own taste by selecting a preferred brand and silhouette. Merrell's Agility Peak 5 is another welcome option.
