Merrell All Out Crush Tough Mudder Shoe Review

Merrell All Out Crush Tough Mudder Shoe Review

As regular readers will know, I completed my second Tough Mudder a few weeks ago. A small team of my personal training clients and I did it and had a great time…

It’s a fantastic event and one I’d urge everyone to do at least once. It’s a true test of your mental and physical ability and just doing one Tough Mudder will teach you a lot about yourself!

One of the questions everyone has before their first Tough Mudder is what shoes should I wear?

Most people know about the water and the mud, but they don’t know much about the obstacles and how important the correct footwear is.

Luckily, Merrell have come up with the All Out Crush – the first shoe designed specifically for Tough Mudder!

So I’m going to review a pair of the All Out Crush. They’re designed purely with Tough Mudder in mind and have been put together in consultation with Tough Mudder and veterans of the courses. Don’t be fooled into thinking their only suitable for Tough Mudder though – these things are fantastic for the trail too.

They’re feature-packed, plus they look pretty cool. I love the orange and black to fit with the Tough Mudder branding…

All Out Crush Review…

I’ll start with the grip – oh my word. I’ve never felt a shoe with grip like it. I’ve never really taken any notice of the grip on the sole of a shoe before, but these are incredible. If you’ve ever done Tough Mudder you’ll know just how slippery obstacles such as Everest can get…

You need every bit of grip help you can get when it comes to this bad boy – it’s steep, it’s wet and it’s really, really slippy! The sole of the All Out Crush is perfect for this though. The shoe offers amazing grip yet doesn’t keep hold of the mud in the way other shoes do, thanks to the pinwheel lugs on the sole…

The All Out Crush is a product that has been really thought through and you can tell – the shoe feels light weight, but strong. It drains really, really well which is important for Tough Mudder – your feet will be spending plenty of time underwater during the event and you don’t want a shoe that holds on to water.

I’ve got three pairs of Merrell shoes and they have quite a narrow fit, which I personally really like because it makes your shoes feel secure. Again, this is a feature you want in a Tough Mudder shoe because on deep, muddy obstacles such as Mud Mile, you can easily lose a shoe. For an idea of just how muddy the mud mile is, check out the video below…

I’ve seen a few people lose shoes in there, so a good fit and quality laces are important. The All Out Crush has both of those, so losing them isn’t a concern.

The nature of the grip is that the mud and water drain and away and you aren’t left with a pair of shoes with a tonne of mud stuck to them. It’s the little details like this that make the All Out Crush a great pair of trail shoes.

All Out Crush Features

I’ve nicked this direct from Merrell.com – my logic is they can tell you about the technical features better than I can. I’ll tell you about the user experience…

All Out Crush Features…
• Lock your foot in place through the toughest obstacles with a mesh, TPU and synthetic waterproof upper
• Drainage ports and abrasion-resistant TPU film serve up lightweight protection and prevent puddles
• TrailProtect™ pad offers under foot protection from sticks and rocks on the trail
• UniFly™ integrated EVA footbed absorbs shock from rocks and obstacles
• Pinwheel lugs offer 360 degree traction and release mud for easy cleanup
• Reflective details for increased visibility in low light
• Protective toe cap
• Breathable mesh lining
• 6mm Drop
• 5mm lug height
• Traditional lace closure
• Vegan friendly footwear
• Weight: 8oz (1/2 pair)

If you’re doing a Tough Mudder, I’d seriously recommend you pick up a pair of these All Out Crush shoes. They’re so fit-for-purpose and wash well so you’ll be able to use them again and again!

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