Lowa Boots

they are crazy heavy, all leather old school boots. their stiff, but if that is what your really looking for there are a lot of other boots out there that weight a lot less. most people here are going to recommend trail runners to you.

I have a pair, beautiful, high quality, super durable, comfortable! Heavy! They feel nimble but size+weight makes them a little clumsy. Can be a bit hot in 25-30C weather too (leather lined).
I really like my pair and will have them for decades, what to wear them for is another question though..

I have a pair of Lowa Renegade GTX

3 pounds for a pair os size 12 – pretty heavy

They've been waterproof, no blisters, very stiff soles for walking on rocky terrain

Best boots I ever owned is a pair of Lowa Banffs. And they they haven't seen a trail or daylight in several years. Trail runners have replaced them for good.

I bought a pair on sale at Sierra Trading Post a year or so ago. Good boots, but I find them to be really stiff. I use them basically for snow/winter. Too darned stiff otherwise. Note: I'm not a trail runner UL purist. The Banffs really are stiff.

HJ

Lowas are a top of the line boot. Very well made and will handle anything you throw at them. I really like the full rand for the rocky parts of the Northern California. I wear the Lowa Tibet Pros and have yet to experience a better boot. They fit like a glove on me. I have a wide foot and their wide fits perfectly. Paired with some Darn Tough merino socks and a custom insole I never get sore feet or blisters. They provide the stability I need when carrying out a heavy load and I feel like a goat in the rocky stuff.

I hunt with a pair of Lowa Tibet GTXs. They are awesome boots. Heavy? Yes. But when bushwacking, sidehilling, carrying super heavy loads, etc…nothing is better (IMO).

I wore out a pair of Lowas over 8 years and absolutely loved them. I put a lot of miles on those boots. I now own Tempest lows, Renegade GTX highs, and a pair of Ventos.

I like the stiffness of the boots, as there soles tend to protect your feet from rocky rooty trails, which we have a lot of in the PNW, and they fit my feet perfectly. I bought them originally becuase they make a very comfortable size 14 (IMO). They are heavy, but they will not fall apart. They are made in Eastern Europe, which I think gives them a different fit than Asian imports.

You should look on 6pm.com (its Zappos closeout store) as they have had some great deals on Lowas in the past. I will not buy any other hiking boot.

i wear boots. meindl's and such. i do not recommend boots to anybody, they are a source of misery and slowness. boots have caused me almost as much suffering as women, but not as much as film pictures. boots can, and will, ruin a trek.
try very hard to get away from the boot mindset. it's one of the reasons you are here at this forum.

should you fail, you might take a look at LL Bean cresta hikers in the half-fabric model. no under the sole padding to raise up the foot and break your ankle. reasonable price. very reliable (i've had 14 pr, no failures). acceptable grip. won;t scuff black on your floors at home (too much). avail in Wides. nice fit. quite comfortable day after day. i yo-yo'd the canol in a set. will edge better than any trail runner. not so stiff you can't make miles, but enough guts to make working on a ladder sort of fun.if you wear them, and they suck, you can send them back !

all that, and you should really really take a longer look at trial runners. boots can give you blisters.

take care,
peter v,

Travis, When i moved to Colorado from the plains the first thing I did was buy a pair of heavy duty hiking boots and had a summer of miserable foot problems, tried all sorts of things (inserts, different socks, different brands). I am on my feet on dirt all day in steel toed work boots so they used to that environment. After reading the book "fixing your feet" I started using trail runners and don't worry about blisters or sore feet anymore while hiking.

The sole protection in trail runners ranges quite drastically bt the most important thing is fit, not brand (I really wanted Inov8's to work but just too narrow). Go to the store and try on lots shoes, do it after a long day so your feet are swelled and tried. If you don't have a good outdoor shoe store, order a bunch and send the ones back that do not work.

IMO your feet and shoes are the most critical part of the outdoor experience, when your feet stop, your trip stops. If you want to ease in slowly go with a multi sport shoe with a stiffer hiking boot type sole but low and breathable.

I recently tried on a huge variety of boots and in the end, the Lowas were the winners for me. I was looking for a mid with enough arch support that I could try and 'not' wear additional inserts and the Lowa Zephyr GTXs fit the bill from the start. They've about 25 miles on them and they still feel good.