I'm a sneakerologist, which means I hang around stores where they sell brands like Converse, Puma, Adidas and Nike. It's not often that I visit shoe stores where they sell black and brown shoe brands like Lee Cooper, ID and Red Tape. But just a week back, I casually stepped into a M&B shoe store in a mall, trying to check out ID's latest collection of Converse type canvas sneakers. As I expected, there were just copies of the Chucks which I thought was an attempt by our local guys to cash in on the Converse's high TRP's. I nonchalantly glanced those canvas shoes over, and when I was almost going to step out of the store, something caught my eye and I took a couple of steps backwards. What stopped me was not another collection of Chuck Taylor copycats, but a sizable assortment of Merrell footwear tucked away in a discreet corner of the store.

I have been checking out Merrell footwear every now and then, whenever I traveled overseas. In fact, my second trekking shoe (which I bought around four years ago) was a extra tough and rugged combination of leather, Nylon and rubber which went by the name of Merrell Sawtooth in all its high ankle glory. I still have it in my collection, and there's not even a dent on them. With my first experience with Merrell being so good, I formed a very high opinion of them. India doesn't have many brands which sell good outdoor shoes and sandals. Yes, brands like Nike and Adidas sell them sometimes, but more often than not, they are sad excuses of outdoor products, with little or no performance elements to speak of when compared to niche outdoor brands. Adidas sells a few good outdoor shoes (like the currently available Terrex AM at Rs.6k+) but the rest are just street shoes with a rugged looking upper and outsole. Not so with brands like Merrell, Columbia and North Face. These brands specialize in adventure and outdoor equipment, so they normally do a great job when it comes to delivering quality performance footwear.

Merrell Hydro: Unarguably India's (and world's?) best sports sandal. Read on to know why.

It is the same story with sandals - brands like Adidas, Nike and Reebok are into the sandal game, but for the most part they are just sporty looking sandals which when kept side by side offer no element of differentiation except for the three stripes, swoosh or vector logo on them. The upper, strap and outsole designs differ in some way or the other across these three brands, but rarely have I come across a sandal which has truly surprised or delighted me. This is not to say that those sandals are bad, but none of them elicited a 'Wow' when you saw or wore them. A few years ago, Nike's Air Deshultz came close, but after that continued the same old story of good but not great sandals being offered by the big three brands. But the Merrell Hydro sandal which we review today offers unexpected levels of performance features, comfort and value, and with a radical yet functional design, it is as unconventional as it gets.

New wine in a new bottle in a new flavor: The Merrell Hydro defies tradition and goes full out on performance and radical design.

Traditionally, someone making a sports sandal would say ' Hey, let's design a two strap upper, slap it on a midsole, paste the outsole and ship it out in box'. Looking at the Merrell Hydro, it is obvious that Merrell stayed miles away from such thoughts and instead said, ' Let's make an outdoor sandal. A sandal which will have the best fit, materials, comfort, detailing and grip. Junk all existing designs of sandals available in the market and only focus on design which blends in functionality and performance to a level never seen before.'

Getting started on reviewing the Hydro is so hard; there are so many things to talk about. But I'll start with the fit and comfort, since that is something which floored me in the store when I wore them for the first time. As far as construction is concerned, the sandal takes a road less traveled, and a part of it means that they have not used Velcro straps anywhere on the upper. I quite like sandals with Velcro straps, but after wearing the Hydro, I realized that those sandals with Velcro straps only hold your foot by applying pressure on only two or three points instead of even pressure over the entire foot. Such sandals do a decent job of keeping your foot secured but when you wear the Merrell Hydro, you feel as if the sandal and the foot becomes one. It is because Merrel uses a combination of stretchable Neoprene lining and a synthetic leather piece which pretty much covers your whole foot (except your toes), and this great fitting upper is aided by a elastic cord lacing system which passes through six lace loops on either side. The elastic laces can be tightened or loosened by using a stopper with the trademark Merrell 'M' on it.

Hydro wrap: The upper of the Merrell Hydro. The upper is made of stretchable Neoprene (grey fabric), and the striped elastic cord lacing which provide customizable fit. The cord laces can be adjusted using the stopper with the M on it. The orange footbed is a contoured injection molded EVA (Ethyl Vinyl Acetate) unit with an air cushion in the heel area. Merrell calls this molded EVA unit it's 'Deep Dish' technology. Piece of art, I'd say.

Excuse me, which way is the upper?: The textured EVA exoskeleton (the one which has the straps passing through) is part upper, part midsole and part outsole, blurring lines between territories. This structure also holds the midsole in a cradle like recess, which is another reason why this your foot sits so snugly in the sandal.

Another great thing about the fit is that your foot feels like it's sitting IN the sandal instead of ON it. This is made possible by the single piece footbed made of molded injection EVA and the air cushion unit at the heel area (see top down view) which supports your foot like no other sandal. A lot of side protection comes in the form of the molded EVA foam exoskeleton, which is part outsole, part midsole, part upper. There is no doubt that this sandal was built to let you face the elements in the outdoors - comfortable protection seems to be a great focus here. I haven't tested this sandal in the outdoors yet, but it seems that water drainage is also one of the talking points in the Merrell Hydro. As you can see from the picture, there are strategically placed openings all around the sandal, so that the water can come and go as it pleases.

The two faces of the Hydro: The Neoprene upper does a fantastic job of making your foot feel at home; and the protective cage like structure keeps your foot as safe as home.

But the real icing on the cake lies in its very clever and innovative Vibram outsole. For those of you who don't know what Vibram is, it is a 70 old year Italian company which specializes in making cutting edge rubber outsole for outdoor sports. 75% of Merrell's footwear use Vibram soles, and with good reason. Vibram is the gold standard in the industry when it comes to performance outdoor soles; brands like Nike, K2, North Face and La Sportiva use Vibram in their extreme performance footwear. Vibram soles are said to have greater levels of durability and grip as compared to regular rubber soles. With such a rich history of association with the creme de la creme in the outdoor industry, the mere presence of a Vibram outsole in a sandal takes it up several notches above the rest.

Vibram+Merrell=kickass!: This is how the outsole of the Hydro looks. This is a patented Vibram Hydro design, with its TC5 rubber sole. The orange part in between is the flexible TPU plate which is meant to protect your foot from rocks and uneven surface.

Vibram inside: The assuring yellow Vibram logo on the heel area of the sole. The design of the outsole is patented by Merrell - I checked the patent database and sure enough, there is a description of the sole in the patent application. Click on the link in the next paragraph to see the patent details!

Hidden wonder: The outsole is finely siped, which is only visible when you flex it hard enough. In a normal state, it just looks like a flat rubber surface. The siping is meant for better grip on wet surfaces.

The Vibram outsole is a two piece unit, with the front area having humongous flex grooves which reveal the solid TPU plate beneath. The TPU plate is there to protect your foot from sharp rocks and gravel, while the rubber outsole grips the surface. The Vibram outsole also has micro fine siping, which is only visible when you bend the sandal inwards. This siped structure helps in a better grip on wet and semi-wet surfaces. I would love to test this sandal near a river and see how it fares. But be assured that it will be miles ahead of any other branded 'outdoor sandal' available in India. Merrell has also patented this outsole design in US and Europe; based on the US patent number which is molded on the outsole (D549938), I went and searched in the US patent database. I did find it there, with a sketch, detailed description and all. Here's the link for the search box - just type in the number D549938 there, and you should be able to see the details of the patent.

The Platinum standard: The Merrell Hydro raises the bar for everyone in the outdoor sandal industry.

The Merrell Hydro drips with cutting edge performance features and quality bits all the way, which brings us to the inevitable question: How much does this sandal cost? Well, the retail price for this sandal in the US is $80, which roughly translates into INR 3400. And here's the pleasant and unexpected surprise: it sells at INR 3485 in the local M&B stores. It is a surprise because we see the likes of Adidas, Nike and Reebok charging a 30~60% premium over the US prices, citing duty constraints which I have no reason to disbelieve. So it comes as a breath of fresh air to see M&B pricing this sandal at par with the US prices. In fact, I bought the Hydro for less than the $80 price because there was a 10% discount going on due to the sale season. It is absolutely great value for money, considering what you get in Adidas and Nike for the same money.

I have only one word for this sandal: Superduperfantabulous!

The Lowdown:

Shoe name: Merrell Hydro

Color reviewed: Walnut/Orange

Retail price (India): INR 3485

Estimated US retail: $ 80

Available at: All M&B stores in India

Weight: 338 grams for a half pair of size US 10 / UK 9

Verdict: The best sports sandal on the market. If you are looking to spend around INR 3000 for a sandal, then I would suggest that you stretch your budget by a few hundred rupees, dump Adidas and Nike, and buy the Merrell Hydro - it is worth it.