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Sole & Summit

03 Wide Feet & Foot Shape Head to head

KEEN Targhee IV vs Merrell Moab 3: Which Fits Wide Feet Better?

Both are sold in Wide for men and women, so the real differences are in membrane, weight and construction.

By
Mike M.
Updated
Method
How we choose
Legs and shoes on a muddy forest path
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The verdict

Pick one in ten seconds

Specs Side by Side

SpecKEEN Targhee IV Mid WaterproofMerrell Moab 3 Mid Waterproof
WidthsMen's standard, Wide; Women's standard, WideMen's Medium, Wide (sizes 7-15); Women's Medium, Wide (sizes 5-12)
Weight20.11 oz / 570 g (men's); 16.58 oz / 470 g (women's); shoe or pair not stated495 g (men's, half pair); 410 g (women's, half pair)
MembraneKEEN.DRY (in-house)Merrell waterproof membrane (in-house, unnamed)
Drop12 mm11.5 mm
OutsoleKEEN.RUGGED (KEEN says "twice as abrasion-resistant as rubber")Vibram TC5+
Figures as published by each brand (or the named retailer); each value links to its source. "Not published" means the figure isn't in our cited sources.

Fit and Width for Wide Feet

This is the core reason these two get compared: both are sold in Wide for men and women, which most waterproof hikers on the market don't offer on the women's side. KEEN lists "Men's standard, Wide; Women's standard, Wide," while Merrell lists "Men's Medium, Wide; Women's Medium, Wide" with an explicit size range of men's 7-15 and women's 5-12. Neither brand publishes exact toe-box measurements, so the width label is the most reliable signal either offers; per OrthoInfo (AAOS), a properly fitting shoe should still leave room to "wiggle your toes" regardless of the width letter on the box. For the full field of wide-available boots beyond these two, see the best hiking boots for wide feet, and for how each brand's width lettering compares more broadly, see hiking boot widths explained.

Water Protection and Weight

KEEN uses its own in-house KEEN.DRY membrane; Merrell uses an unnamed in-house waterproof membrane on this model (its GORE-TEX version, the Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX, is a separate product). Neither brand publishes a third-party waterproof rating for its in-house membrane. On weight, KEEN lists 20.11 oz / 570 g for men's and 16.58 oz / 470 g for women's (basis not stated), while Merrell lists 495 g and 410 g per half pair for men's and women's. Merrell is the lighter boot by roughly 75 g per side either way.

Construction and Durability

KEEN's Targhee IV uses KEEN.FUSION bonded, glue-free construction and is built PFAS-free, with a KEEN.RUGGED outsole the brand says is "twice as abrasion-resistant as rubber." Merrell's Moab 3 names a molded nylon arch shank in its midsole and pairs a Vibram TC5+ outsole with 5 mm lugs. Neither brand publishes a shoe warranty length for these models in the pages we checked, so warranty isn't a differentiator we can compare here.

Who Should Skip Both

If you specifically want a GORE-TEX membrane rather than either brand's in-house waterproofing, compare the Merrell Moab 3 against the Salomon X Ultra 5, which runs on GORE-TEX. And if you're choosing between the breathable and waterproof versions of the Moab 3 itself rather than KEEN at all, see Merrell Moab 3 waterproof vs non-waterproof.

In detail

Both contenders, in full

Stock photo: hiking boots walking through a muddy puddleStock photo

Pick if you want glue-free, PFAS-free construction

KEEN Targhee IV Mid Waterproof

7.4 / 10

Built for

KEEN.FUSION bonded construction and a PFAS-free build, in exchange for roughly 75 g more per boot than the Moab 3.

Widths sold: Men's standard, Wide; Women's standard, Wide

Published specs (tap for source)

Membrane:KEEN.DRY (in-house)Weight:20.11 oz / 570 g (men's); 16.58 oz / 470 g (women's); shoe or pair not statedDrop:12 mmStack height:28 mm (men's); 24 mm (women's)Midsole:LuftcellOutsole:KEEN.RUGGED (KEEN says "twice as abrasion-resistant as rubber")Widths:Men's standard, Wide; Women's standard, Wide
Problem fit (30%)
8
Fit range (40%)
8
Support & protection (10%)
6
Durability & warranty (15%)
6
Weight (5%)
6

What it gets right

  • Wide versions for both men and women
  • KEEN.FUSION bonded (glue-free) construction; PFAS-free
  • KEEN says its KEEN.RUGGED outsole is twice as abrasion-resistant as rubber

What it doesn't

  • Upper material not stated on the checked KEEN pages
  • Check the Amazon listing: it may not stock every width
  • KEEN doesn't say whether its weights are per shoe or per pair

Skip it if…

…you want a GORE-TEX membrane: KEEN.DRY is KEEN's own in-house membrane.

Check price on Amazon

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Stock photo: hiking boots walking through a muddy puddleStock photo

Pick if you want the lighter boot with a named arch shank

Merrell Moab 3 Mid Waterproof

7.7 / 10

Built for

A molded nylon arch shank and a clearly published size range (men's 7-15, women's 5-12), at a lower published weight.

Widths sold: Men's Medium, Wide; Women's Medium, Wide

Published specs (tap for source)

Membrane:Merrell waterproof membrane (in-house, unnamed)Weight:495 g (men's, half pair); 410 g (women's, half pair)Drop:11.5 mmLug depth:5 mmOutsole:Vibram TC5+Widths:Men's Medium, Wide (sizes 7-15); Women's Medium, Wide (sizes 5-12)Midsole:Super Rebound Compound with Merrell Air Cushion heel; molded nylon arch shank
Problem fit (30%)
8
Fit range (40%)
8
Support & protection (10%)
7
Durability & warranty (15%)
7
Weight (5%)
6

What it gets right

  • Sold in Wide for both men and women
  • Vibram TC5+ outsole with 5 mm lugs
  • Pig suede leather and mesh upper over a molded nylon arch shank

What it doesn't

  • Membrane is unnamed, so there's no third-party waterproof rating to check
  • Check the Amazon listing: it may not stock every width
  • Stack height not published

Skip it if…

…you hike mostly in hot, dry weather: a membrane slows drying and adds heat, and the breathable Moab 3 Mid does the same job cooler.

Check price on Amazon

#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Merrell Moab 3 Mid Waterproof

How we chose

Units we claim to have tested: 0

Everyone in this category says they tested it. We didn't, and we say so. Every pick is scored from the brand's published specs, width and size charts, warranty terms and cited research, against the problem this page is about. The sources are listed at the bottom of the page.

Scores are editorial judgments from that published data, not lab results. Nobody pays for placement, and a missing spec is scored neutral, never guessed. The full rubric is on How We Choose.

Problem fit
30%
Fit range
40%
Support & protection
10%
Durability & warranty
15%
Weight
5%

The weights this page used for its scores.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Is the KEEN Targhee IV or Merrell Moab 3 better for wide feet?
Both are genuinely sold in Wide for men and women, which is unusual for this price tier. The Moab 3 is the lighter boot with a named arch shank; the Targhee IV trades that weight for glue-free, PFAS-free construction. Neither is objectively "wider" on the specs we could verify.
Do the Targhee IV and Moab 3 run true to size?
Neither brand's page we checked states a runs-small or runs-large note for these models. Check how hiking boots should fit for the at-home checks to do with either boot before committing to a size.
Which is more waterproof, KEEN.DRY or Merrell's membrane?
Both are in-house membranes without a published third-party waterproof rating, so we can't verify one out- performs the other from the pages we checked. If you want a named, third-party membrane instead, the Merrell Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX is Merrell's GORE-TEX version of this same boot.
Are both available in women's wide?
Yes. KEEN lists women's standard and Wide, and Merrell lists women's Medium and Wide, for these exact models.

Keep going

Related fixes and picks

Update log

What changed

  • First published.

Receipts

Sources

  1. 01KEEN: men's Targhee IV Mid Waterproof product page (accessed Sep 2026)
  2. 02Merrell: men's Moab 3 Mid Waterproof product page (accessed Sep 2026)
  3. 03AAOS OrthoInfo: Athletic Shoes (accessed Sep 2026)

We don't test boots, shoes or gear, and we don't pretend to. Specs, widths and materials come from the brand's own pages (or a named retailer's listing where the brand doesn't publish them); health information comes from the research and professional bodies linked above. Prices are set by Amazon and change often, so we don't print them. Where a figure isn't published, we say so. Read the full method.