The trail-sneaker arms race has been one of the more entertaining footwear stories of the past few years, and Merrell’s been quietly carving out real estate alongside the Salomons and Hokas of the world.
Snow Peak, for its part, has been the steady hand on the dial, taking technical silhouettes and sanding off whatever’s loud or branded into oblivion. The two first linked up in April 2025 on the Moab Speed 2, ran it back that July, and now they’re three for three with the SpeedARC Matis GORE-TEX SP.
Why the Matis Matters
The SpeedARC Matis is Merrell’s most aggressive crack at the chunky, sculpted trail-sneaker silhouette that’s been eating sneaker culture for the last couple of years. Look at it from the side and the resemblance to a Salomon XT-6 or a Hoka Tor Ultra is impossible to miss, but Merrell’s version has its own personality — a deeply cutout midsole that almost looks suspended, sweeping TPU overlays that wrap the upper like topographic lines, and a stance that’s a touch more grounded than the trail-runner crowd.
Branding minimalism is Snow Peak’s whole thing, and they didn’t disappoint when it came to applying that treatment here. The standard SpeedARC Matis runs a bit louder, while this one runs a head-to-toe falcon-and-black colorway pulled from forest-and-dusk references. There are few branding changes as well, with the Merrell wordmark being relocated to the heel and a small Snow Peak asterisk tucked on the inner.
The Tech Stack
Underfoot is Merrell’s SpeedARC midsole system: dual FloatPro foam layers wrapped around a nylon FlexPlate for torsional stability, sitting on a Vibram Megagrip outsole. So while it certainly skews Gorpcore, it is actually built for the trails. The GORE-TEX membrane handles the wet stuff, and the synthetic mesh upper keeps things breathable enough that you won’t cook your feet on a city commute.
The fit hardware is where the technical-sneaker heads will perk up. Toggle-style speed laces with reflective weave, a webbing pull tab on the heel, and a clean elastic keeper to tuck the lace ends.
Spec Sheet
Brand: Merrell x Snow Peak
Model: SpeedARC Matis GORE-TEX SP
Colorway: Falcon
Upper: Synthetic mesh with TPU overlays
Membrane: GORE-TEX
Midsole: Dual FloatPro foam with nylon FlexPlate (SpeedARC system)
Outsole: Vibram Megagrip
Lacing: Reflective toggle speed laces
Limited Edition: Yes
Pricing & Availability
The SpeedARC Matis GORE-TEX SP launches April 27 at Merrell.com, Snowpeak.com, and select Snow Peak retail locations for $238.
Recap
Merrell x Snow Peak SpeedARC Matis GORE-TEX SP
Snow Peak’s third Merrell collab dresses the chunky, technical SpeedARC Matis in a forest-and-dusk falcon palette with FloatPro/FlexPlate guts, Vibram Megagrip, and GORE-TEX waterproofing — dropping April 27 for $238.
