Merrell Hydro Moc Review: Great Shoes for Water Adventures

Have you been on the search for some water shoes that you can use for hiking and around the house too? These Hydro Moc Shoes might just be what you have been searching for.

Let’s face it, Crocs were great as they took sandals and added a more durable and foot-protecting world, and you could wear socks with them without looking silly. But Crocs fall short when you start wanting to be adventurous in them!

The Merrell Hydro Mocs are a little different. They are built for use in and around water, hiking, and are comfy enough for casual home use too.

Don’t believe me? Let’s take a closer look at this Merrell Hydro Mocs Review. We will dive into all the details about these minimal sandals that can do it all looking at materials, durability, versatility, grip, and more!

Materials & Durability

When something claims to be a water shoe, it had better come to play and be able to survive constantly getting wet, dry, and wet again. Let’s take a look under the hood of the Merrell Hydro Mocs and see how long they might last.

Materials

The Merrell Hydro Moc Water Shoes are built from 100% EVA in a few different forms. The midsole and outsole are made from solid EVA while the upper is made from injected EVA foam.

This makes this a 100% waterproof water shoe so they will never absorb water and will dry off quickly too! The injected EVA foam upper is also soft and provides cushioning, so overall an excellent choice of materials for a water shoe.

Durability

The Merrell Hydro Mocs are exceptionally durable. The solid EVA foam material makes them close to indestructible. Even when walking across sharp rocks in tide pools or sharp gravel, these will come back without a single scrape or puncture wound!

The construction techniques used to make these water shoes also aid their durability and they are labeled one of the most durable shoes of their kind.

Overall, the materials and durability of the Merrell Hydro Moc are pretty fantastic. They are built tough and designed to last through all your watery adventures.

Comfort

Let’s face it, if the Merrell Hydro Mocs aren’t comfortable, you aren’t going to wear them, no matter how good they are in other regards.

Luckily, the Merrell Hydro Mocs are super comfortable. The soft footbed is delightful and it molds to your feet to provide some arch support. The articulated heel ensures your heels sit solidly in the shoes and the straps secure them nicely to your foot.

They are quite wide fitting overall which is great if you have wide feet, but if you have narrow feet they can slide around a little and feel a bit big. Also, your toes may push up against the end when walking down hills, but it doesn’t happen very often!

When it comes to support, these shoes offer enough support for comfort but nothing in comparison to wearing a true hiking shoe, or similar shoes like sneakers for outdoor activities.

Sizing

The Merrell Hydro Moc Shoes are designed to be quite large to make them easy to slip on and off. This means they are big shoes and Merrell actually suggests you order a whole or half size smaller, especially if you have narrower feet than most people.

If you want to wear socks with these sandals, you can do so, but then it might be best to order the same size shoe as you normally wear so you have some extra space for them.

But, let’s be clear, these are not designed to be worn with socks, especially when you are using them in water. But, wearing socks with them in the colder months around the house would be quite a nice addition.

Overall, when it comes to size, be sure to go down a size for bare feet and maybe a half size down if you plan to wear them with socks.

Practicality & Usage

When it comes to practicality and usage, the Merrell Hydro Moc Shoes are pretty fantastic. They are as versatile as these types of shoes can be.

The Hydro Mocs are easy to slip on and off and they stay put once on your feet.

They are great for casual use such as going to the shops, walking around the house, gardening, shopping, dog walking, and strolls across the sand by the seashore.

Where the Hydro Mocs come into their own is in the water. The 2mm lugs along the bottom provide solid grip and traction on wet surfaces such as slippery rocks, but it could be a little better in our opinion, that is not to say it is bad though.

The Hydro Mocs are pretty good in the outdoors overall. You can hike along mellow trails with ease as the shoes ensure comfort and enough support.

But, they are not built for intense activities such as running as they don’t offer enough support and you may slip and slide around a bit.

Performance

The Merrell Hydro Mocs are not performance shoes, and they have never been labeled as them either.

The Hydro Mocs come into their own in casual and watery situations. Think wading out on a rocky bottom to get your boat, walking across streams, wading in rivers to catch the odd fish as well as going on relaxed walks, and heading to the shops.

The Hydro Mocs will not do you any favors when it comes to intense hiking or running. They are not made to provide enough support on rugged and steep trails, plus their loose-fitting nature will have you sliding around a bit too.

Value For Money

The Merrell Hydro Mocs retail for $55 which is very affordable for the quality of the shoe you are getting.

Being close to indestructible, waterproof, comfortable, grippy, and extremely versatile you can use the Hydro Mocs every day and they will last for years too! All of this for $55, we think that is a pretty great value!

Rating

The Merrell Hydro Moc Shoes have done very well on our rating system with a score of 82/100.

They did well in all the categories and only lost points on the performance side of things. The Merrell Hydro Moc shoes are great for most occasions and can handle some light hiking, but are not made for hiking up mountains or trail running.

If you want some everyday water shoes that can be used for everything from shopping to wading in rivers, these are great, but they won’t go the extra mile and get you up to intense trails.

Merrell Hydro Moc vs Crocs Clogs

There is no denying that the Merrell Hydro Moc is Merrell’s version of Crocs Clogs, but are the Hydro Mocs better or worse?

The Hydro Mocs are built a little differently from Crocs Clogs. They come with a full heel, bigger traction lugs, more support, comfort, drainage, and breathability. The Hydro Mocs are built for all-day comfort across a range of conditions and environments from gentle hikes to wading through rivers.

Crocs Clogs on the other hand, are not as versatile as a Hydro Moc. They do not offer as much arch support, nor do they secure as well on the ankle, which makes using them for more active things like hiking or wading less of a good idea.

Crocs Clogs do not drain as well as the Hydro Moc either and their holes are closer to the ground which allows stones and gravel to get inside more easily.

But, Crocs Clogs are a lot better looking than a Hydro Moc, despite still being ugly. They are also lighter than Hydro Moc. If you want some shoes for running errands, wearing around the house, and in the garden.

If you want some shoes that you can use outdoors and in the water that provide support and comfort, the Hydro Moc is the way to go!

Should You Buy Merrell Hydro Moc?

If you can handle their rather odd looks and you are looking for a versatile and comfortable water shoe that is durable as can be, then the Merrell Hydro Moc Shoes are a great shout.

You can wear your Hydro Mocs shoes everywhere from at home to in the garden, wading out into the ocean, kayaking, paddle boarding, hiking, and more.

They drain quickly, dry quickly, provide comfort, support, and a lot of breathability too!

All of this for just $55 makes the Hydro Moc a shoe worth owning in our eyes!