At a glance
Plusses: Lightweight, comfort, good fit.
Minusses: Designed for trail and urban adventures, durability.

Weight: 950g (m), 750g (w)

Features: These boots are about as light as you can get for a three-season hiker. Lowa has used a nubuck leather upper with a Gore-Tex lining. It also has a full-length nylon stabiliser which provides a decent platform to walk on and allows plenty of forefoot flex but resists twisting. The outsole is Lowa’s own compound and feels overly soft and has a shallow tread. The boot comes in a few different colours, giving it an urban look – and Lowa itself calls it a hybrid for hiking and travel use. 

Fit: I’ve never worn a Lowa boot that didn’t fit me well. The brand does exceptional wide-fit boots – which seems to be the common foot shape of sandal-wearing Kiwis. 

Comfort: Being such a light boot, and with a padded lining, I found the boots to be super comfortable. The nubuck uppers are soft and supple, and conform to the shape of the foot. They required no wearing-in time. 

In use: When not being worn, the boots rest in a slightly collapsed state, which demonstrates the lack of structure around the ankle and is why I used them for light hiking activities where the weight carried was not too great.

The boots have a soft rubber outsole with a shallow tread that collects trail detritus and only reluctantly lets it go again. This never proved to compromise the grip, but I was constantly having to bang out mud and grass at the end of my walk.

I used the boots regularly for a couple of months and now they are beginning to look used and tired. One of the lower eyelets popped out of the fabric when I was lacing the boots, but this was easy to slot back in and it hasn’t come out again. 

Value: You get German-manufactiuring and plenty of comfort for your money, but it does seem a tad expensive especially if your intended use is for hiking. 

Verdict: The boot to choose for day hikes and travel where you might want one item of footwear to take you from the street to the trail.