Nia Jenkins reviews the Merrell Siren Sport Q2 Ladies Walking Shoes on coastal walks and mini hikes, and here’s what she thought. . .
Designed for wild and women. This hiker is engineered for the way women move, offering support, alignment, and gender-specific stability.
First things first, the shoes look sporty and stylish and are very lightweight, so they instantly caught my eye and I was very excited to test them out. I reviewed the Merrell Siren Sport Q2 Ladies Walking Shoes in ‘Crown Blue’, which suited me perfectly as my favourite colour is blue!
I’m always sceptical about wearing ‘shoes’ rather than boots on long hikes so I mostly tested these on long coastal walks and shorter, less technical hikes on the hills.
The first time I tested them out was on a long walk on the Anglesey Coastal Path, it was approx an 8 hour walk that day so I gave them a good ‘breaking in’!
As soon as I started walking I did feel that the shoes were a wide fit and they felt baggy around the sides. This made me worry slightly, as I didn’t feel like I had much support. I was wearing them in my usual shoe size but maybe I should have ordered half a size smaller as I think that they are a slightly wide shoe.
Anyway, following this long walk I was diagnosed with ‘Plantar Fasciitis’ (basically a horrendous pain underneath the arch and heel of your foot). I cannot say that the shoes caused the injury but I’m pretty sure that because the shoes were slightly loose, the lack of support did not help the case.
But…don’t let that doom and gloom story put you off because that was all down to a poor fit for my (probably) oddly shaped feet!!
The second testing I gave the shoes were on a short hike up to Craig Fach in Snowdonia. With the Plantar Fasciitis injury on my mind I decided to wear thicker socks and tie the laces a lot tighter this time to prevent any further injuries.
I also inserted ‘Sorbothane’ insoles which made the shoes fit a lot better. They worked perfect for this short hike! I usually mix my hikes up with some trail running too and I was really impressed with how lightweight they were whilst running.
One of my favourite features is the M-Select GRIP on the outsoles – I ran up the PYG track to Craig Fach, which is a rocky/slippery path (at the best of times) but the grip on these shoes is amazing and it reassured me whilst I was whizzing up on the slippery rocks!
If you’re looking for trail shoe for long walks and less technical hikes, the Merrell Siren Sport Q2 are extremely lightweight and stylish and definitely fit the bill. Its just unfortunate that they didn’t fit my feet properly, I’ll be sure to order a smaller size next time 😉
Merrell Siren Sport Q2 Ladies Walking Shoes features + specifications
• Nubuck leather and mesh upper
• Metal hook and lacing eyelet for secure lacing
• Bellows tongue keeps debris out
• M Select™ FRESH antimicrobial agents reduces shoe odor
• Merrell M Select™ FIT.TRI blended EVA contoured footbed supports all three arches of the foot
• Q FORM® 2 dual-density midsole with heel-centering technology provides gender-engineered alignment and comfort
• Merrell air cushion in the heel absorbs shock and adds stability
• M Select™ GRIP tunes each outsole with durable traction that grips when and where you need it • 3.5 mm lug depth / Weight: 1lbs 5ozs
• RRP Priced around £90, and can be found on Amazon.
Quality – B
Functionality – B
Durability – B
Lightweight – A
