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Olivia Greenway, travel journalist and copywriter

Merrell Kahuna women’s sport sandals

August 6, 2012
By olivia

Merrell Kahuna lll Women’s sport sandal

 

UK price:  £75

 

Pros:  Sturdy, light, easy to clean

 

Cons:  Not available in half sizes

 

Verdict:  A good sandal for walking and hiking in the heat

 

Rating:  4 stars

 

Available:  Merrell stores and online

 

Product review:

 

 

For most of the time, I can wear trainers or stout walking boots to tramp around cities.  But come fine weather and sunshine, one definitely needs a pair of sandals.

 

There are two types of sandals.  Firstly, the ones you wear to walk a few feet from the car to the restaurant you are visiting.  These are flimsy, albeit pretty affairs, totally impractical but extremely attractive.  The second types are the ugly, thick, heavy boys’ sandals/Greenham Common variety that I resisted for years.  But having more blisters on my feet than freckles on my face on a particularly memorable jaunt around Washington DC, I decided I really should get myself a decent pair of sensible footwear for hot weather.

 

Cue Merrell Footwear. Two things surprised me about the sandals.  Firstly, they were really light.  And secondly, they were not that ugly.  In fact, they looked quite OK.  I had chosen a neutral grey and painting my toenails to match, they almost looked attractive.

 

So far so good.  I have never had a comfortable pair of sandals in my life, so as you can imagine, I was not optimistic.  I broke them in a bit around the house for a few hours and then jumped in at the deep end by wearing them on my next trip – to Milan, in a heat wave – on a day I planned to do some serious clothes shopping, walking several miles over about seven hours.

 

The sandals are cleverly designed so that there is nothing to chafe.  The toes protrude at the front, the heel is held firmly with a cushioned support and a Velcro strap holds down the top of the foot.

 

To begin with, I had the strap too tight, so after a bit the top of my foot hurt, but once I had adjusted this, the sandal felt very comfortable.

 

I also took them with me to India.  It was monsoon season, so as well as the humid, intolerable heat of Delhi, my sandals also had to deal with occasional heavy rain.  They coped very well in both instances.  Footing is secure, even in the wet (except on wet marble, but I doubt anything is secure on that surface).

 

The sandals are easy to clean with a quick wipe of the insole with a damp cloth, so always feel fresh.

 

Needless to say, I have a new respect for these ‘hiking’ sandals and they will be accompanying me on my trip to Buenos Aires and I suspect, all my jaunts to hot weather locations.

 

Categories : Reviews, Travel Gear Reviews
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Trips 2018/2019

2019

January: Zanzibar

March: Cape Town & Pretoria

May: Slovenia

October: South Africa (tbc)

November: Kenya (tbc)

 

Trips 2018

March:  New York, including Frick Gallery

May:  Vietnam including Halong Bay

June:  Giverny and Monet’s garden

June:  Majorca

December: Hyderabad and Chandigarh, India

Trips 2017

January: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe
February: Bangalore
April: Lake District
May: Malaga
September: Mexico, Cancun
November: Delhi, Agra, Shimla
December: Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Venice

Trips 2016 (not clickable)

January: Oxford, Tenerife
February: Hampshire
March: Manchester
April: Sicily, Germany
October: Bangalore, New Delhi
November: Bangalore, New Delhi
December: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

List of trips 2015 (not clickable)

January: European ski resorts; Milan
February: Germany, Austria, Switzerland
March: Istanbul, Jersey, Vienna, Prague, Budapest
April: Road trip Ireland
May: Road trip France, Germany, Benelux and Copenhagen
June: UK luxury hotels
December: Cannes

List of trips 2014 (not clickable)

January Weimar, Vienna
February - Berlin, London
April - Chicago, Toronto, Montreal
May/June - Driving trip, Spain
July – Majorca
July - Paris
August - Southern UK
September – Northern Italy including Venice
October - South of France
October/November - Germany, Austria and Switzerland
December - Cape Town, Durban, driving along Garden Route South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda

List of trips 2013 (not clickable)

  • January - Tenerife
  • March - Istanbul
  • April - Italy luxury hotels - mid and southern Italy including Sicily
  • June - Las Vegas
  • June - Massive west coast road trip - Vancouver, BC
  • June - Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Napa Valley, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, San Diego
  • September - Washington DC, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia
  • September - Carolinas, Georgia, northern Florida (Talahassee area)
  • September - New Orleans, Orlando, Miami; Vancouver
  • October - Puglia, Italy and Milan

List of trips 2012

  • January - Hawaii, USA
  • February - France - Le Touquet, Lens, Lille
  • March - Nelamangala, India
  • July - Milan, Italy
  • August - Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • August - Iguazu Falls, Brazil
  • August - Montevideo, Uruguay
  • September - Delhi, India
  • November - Dubai, UAE

List of trips 2011

  • January - Madeira, Portugal
  • February - Bangalore, India
  • April - British Virgin Islands, Caribbean
  • May - Sicily, Italy
  • May - San Francisco, USA
  • June - Bangalore and New Delhi, India
  • July - Prague, Czech Republic
  • July - Munich, Germany
  • July - Washington DC, USA
  • August - Lake District, UK
  • September - La Grande-Motte, France
  • Annapolis, USA
  • October - Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • December - Helsinki, Finland
  • December - St Petersburg, Russia

List of trips 2010

  • February - India - Kerala & Chennai
  • March - Manchester & the North West
  • March - Austria
  • April - Czech Republic
  • May - Lake District
  • June - Cologne
  • July - India - Bangalore and Delhi
  • August - Eastern Cape & KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
  • September - Grasse, south of France
  • September - Wick, Scotland
  • October - Utah, USA
  • December - Montreal, Canada
  • December - Madeira, Portugal
Olivia Greenway, travel journalist and copywriter
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