Merrell Reflex GORE-TEX

The Merrell Reflex Gore-Tex Mid may be a little hard to find because it's made just for Cabela's. One expert reviewer scores the boot as 9.0 out of 10 possible for its high-quality materials. Users agree that the boot is comfortable and waterproof; in fact, it's attracted the most user reviews (more than 400) on Cabela's website of any boot we reviewed. "Excellent boot keeps your feet dry and can hike all day in them without feet getting tired," writes one user. Others report that the shoes are comfortable, with no break-in period, and that the waterproofing can last for years.

Most are fans of the Merrell sole, but we found a few comments that the tread could perform better in mud and snow. We also found a few mentions from 2010 and 2011 of the left boot being shaped differently than the right, along with reports of a sudden downgrade in quality, which leads us to wonder whether there were quality control issues with this boot. A spate of reviews from 2008 to 2010 also complained about the boots not being waterproof, although we didn't see the same complaint in more recent reviews.

These boots stand out for the more than 400 user reviews they receive on Cabelas.com. We also found a limited number of reviews at TheBackpacker.com, plus a professional review from Outdoors With Dave.