Do geeks have a uniform? Not that tired Hollywood cliche consisting of taped glasses and oily hair. I’ve found geeks to be a pretty homogenous group and part of this goes into how they dress. I’ve often wondered if watching too many episodes of Star Trek has convinced techies that dressing alike is more efficient or protective.

If there was an official geek shoe, I think I’ve found it. The Merrell Chameleon II is probably the geekiest shoe that I’ve ever owned. It caters to all that matters to those who spend their nights looking at fragmented code on LCDs and their days trying to avoid direct sunlight. Even though these are marketed as outdoor/hiking shoes, they work perfect for

The laceless show features a stretchy cord that weaves over the top of the foot and can be pulled tight very easily. This makes slipping the shoe on and off quickly very easy without any fear of stretching out the laces. The soul of the shoe could easily compete with Mickey Thompson’s roughest off-road treads. This much rubber between your foot and linoleum offers plentiful traction and comfort.

The look of the shoe could be described as traditional-hiker-goes-hiking-on-Mars. Futuristic without being campy and obnoxious, these shoes go perfect with my faded jeans and any of my solid earth tone t-shirts.

I bought these shoes on a whim. A local department store was selling them for 50% off and they just happened to be in my size. I tried them on and was immediately impressed by the amount of comfort and support offered by the neoprene moccasin inner-layer. I hesitated on the color since I usually wear black or dark brown shoes, but I figured for the price I wouldn’t be out much if they didn’t work out. Almost a year later it’s become a daily routine to reach for my Merrells if my day consists of anything more then sitting in my home office all day.

These shoes go well with Think Geek’s titanium spork.

Tags: merrell, shoes, geek