I've never owned Merrells before, but I bought my normal size and it fits perfect. These are great for hiking and walking the dog, they're chunkier than anything I would choose to wear out & about for shopping, working, or meeting up with friends, but for outdoorsy activities they are comfortable, sturdy, and just overall exactly what I needed! I bought them for a vacation where we were going to a volcanic island and I wanted to be able to hike and climb around, and they were perfect.