Introduction
I bought a pair of Merrell MOAB boots for £115 (see featured image) from Millets in Derby 40 days ago and this morning I came back from walking my dog, Leo, and found my left sock was wet because those Merrell boots let in water. They were sold to me as waterproof. Every day I walk a minimum of five miles, 1.5 miles in the morning over wet grass when Leo chases a tennis ball, and 3.5 miles in the afternoon when he just walks. I cannot tolerate wet feet on a regular basis. I must have waterproof shoes or boots. Wellingtons are no good for walking a long distance. My last pair of walking shoes split where the upper and sole join on one foot. That was detected by a wet foot too.
The Action I Took After My Merrell Boots Let In Water
I returned my Merrell boots to Millets immediately while they were still wet and they were very good about it. Full marks to them. I produced the receipt and they told me I could have a new pair. I asked if I could have a better more expensive pair and pay the difference. They let me do that. So I now have a pair of Brasher Fellmaster GTX TECH boots sold to me by Millets for £125. See them below:

2017 Update
I don’t think this exact boot is available any more. The nearest seems to be the Brasher Fellmaster GORE-TEX® Boot .
I also bought some gel insoles for £10 which are supposed to be used instead of any existing insoles but I have cut them to size as per instructions and then fitted them on top of the original Brasher insoles. I have a tendon problem on my right foot so I need extra padding under my sole.
The original Merill boots were excellent for their lightweight and comfort. They were the cloth type with a Gore-Tex® layer. My new Brasher boots also have a Gore-Tex® layer but are leather and more traditional with a more rigid sole and not so light and flexible as I would like – what a pity.
Extra Waterproofing Treatment
On the advice of Millets I treated the leather of my new boots with Nikwax® recommended for Gore-Tex®, SympaTex® and eVent® footwear sold to me in a 125ml container with a built-in sponge for £6. This is a water soluble waterproofing agent designed to protect boots above and beyond treatments applied in manufacture. It comes as a spray-on or sponge-on product. For the leather boots I was advised to use the sponge-on product. I had used the spray-on product (300ml) on the previous Merrell boots.
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