Merrell Nova 4 Waterproof Review: Cheap Waterproof Miles

The Merrell Nova 4 Waterproof is what happens when you take a proper cushioned trail runner and seal it against a British winter without letting the price run away. At £130 it sits well under most GORE-TEX competition, and it does not feel like it has cut a corner to get there. This is a low-cut, fast shoe built for wet miles rather than a walking shoe with a membrane bolted on.

I reach for a shoe like this on the Purbeck hills and the Jurassic Coast path when the ground is greasy and I still want to move quickly. It is light, it drains its own soaked upper reasonably well, and the outsole holds on chalk and wet root far better than the price suggests. If you have been eyeing the best waterproof trainers roundup and blanching at £180 price tags, this is the shoe that argues you do not have to spend that much.

Who the Nova 4 is for

This is a trail runner first. The 8mm drop, the FloatPro foam midsole and the sub-300g weight all point at running and fast hiking, not at loaded backpacking. If you want to cover ground quickly on mixed terrain and keep the worst of the wet out, the Nova 4 is aimed squarely at you.

It also makes a strong case as a light, quick day-walking shoe for anyone who finds a stiff boot excessive on the South Downs or in the New Forest. I would happily do 15km of downland and coast path in these. What they are not is a winter mountain shoe or a shoe for deep peat, and I will come to why under waterproofing.

If your priority is grip on the roughest technical fell ground, look at the Arc'teryx Norvan LD 4 GORE-TEX, which costs a good deal more. If it is outright value in a walking-shoe cut you are after, the Merrell Accentor Sport 3 GORE-TEX is the sibling to weigh up. The Nova 4 sits between those two in intent: cheaper and faster than most, more shoe than the budget crowd.

The waterproofing

The Nova 4 Waterproof uses Merrell's own waterproof membrane rather than GORE-TEX. It sits under the breathable engineered mesh and TPU upper, sealing water out while letting some vapour escape. In practice it does the job I ask of it: wet grass, puddle splash, a rain-soaked coast path and standing water on the trail all stay on the outside for the length of a normal outing.

The honest limit here is the same limit every low-cut waterproof shoe has, and it has nothing to do with the membrane quality. The collar sits at the ankle. Step into a bog, a stream or a puddle deeper than the shoe is tall, and water comes in over the top, at which point the membrane keeps that water in as effectively as it kept it out. On the wet British trails I run in autumn and winter, that means the Nova 4 keeps my feet dry through drizzle, splash and shallow crossings, and it does not save me in deep peat. That is not a Merrell fault, it is physics, and it applies to every shoe in this class.

For breathability, a membrane will always run warmer than the same shoe in mesh. The Nova 4 is on the better side of that trade for a waterproof shoe, but if you run hot or you are heading out on a mild day, take that into account.

Grip and outsole

The outsole is where the Nova 4 earns its keep. Merrell's Quantum Grip rubber runs on 4mm lugs, and that combination is the single best reason to buy this shoe over a cheaper rival. On wet chalk, which is the surface that catches most people out on the South Downs and along the Jurassic Coast, the compound holds where harder budget rubber skates. It bites on wet root and greasy stone too.

The 4mm lug depth is a sensible middle ground. It is deep enough to clear soft ground and dig into a muddy climb, without being so aggressive that the shoe clatters and feels vague on hardpack or tarmac. FLEXconnect flex-grooves through the sole keep the shoe reading the ground rather than fighting it, which matters when you are moving at pace over uneven terrain. This is not a mud-specific fell shoe, but for the mixed wet ground most UK trail runners actually meet, the grip is a clear step up on price.

Cushioning and fit

Underfoot the Nova 4 rides on a FloatPro foam midsole with a stack of roughly 29mm at the heel to 21mm at the forefoot, giving that 8mm drop. It is a cushioned, forgiving ride for a trail shoe of this weight, and it holds up over longer efforts better than the thin-soled budget shoes it competes with. At around 280g per shoe it stays light enough to run in all day without feeling like a boot.

Fit runs true to Merrell's usual last, which is to say a touch of room through the midfoot and a rounded toe box. It is not a narrow, race-fit shoe, and that suits its job. If you are between sizes or you have a wider foot, note that Merrell also offers this model in a wide fitting, which is worth chasing down rather than sizing up. I would size these as I do my other Merrell shoes and expect them to settle in within a walk or two.

Colours

Specs at a glance

Pros and cons

• Undercuts most GORE-TEX rivals at £130
• Quantum Grip outsole holds well on wet chalk, root and stone
• Cushioned FloatPro ride that lasts over longer efforts
• Light for a waterproof shoe at around 280g
• True-to-size Merrell fit, wide fitting available

• Low collar lets water in over the top in deep bog or crossings
• Warmer and less airy than a mesh version, as all membranes are
• Not built for the roughest technical fell ground
• Membrane is Merrell's own, not GORE-TEX, if brand matters to you

Verdict

The Merrell Nova 4 Waterproof earns 4.5 out of 5 as the value pick of the waterproof trail runners. It gives you a genuinely capable Quantum Grip outsole, a cushioned FloatPro ride and a working waterproof membrane for £130, which is money you would spend on the upper before you got to the sole on some rivals. It is fast, it is comfortable, and it grips the wet British surfaces that matter.

Buy it if you want to run or walk quickly through the wet half of the year and you do not need mountain-boot protection. Look elsewhere if you spend your time in deep peat, where no low-cut shoe stays dry, or if you want the outright grip of a dedicated fell shoe. For most people reading the waterproof trainers category, this is the sensible-money answer.

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