Customer Reviews

Lowa Men's Trekker Trekking Boot

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have hiked extensively in the Alps over the last 25 years, and I have been in Lowa Trekkers all the way. They are amazing: they give firm support, they are flexible, very comfortable, not too heavy, and they work well in almost all conditions. They are not Goretex boots. I avoid Goretex hiking boots, as your feet get very hot and sore on warmer days. These boots work well in cold conditions, although they are not suitable for really cold conditions.

Lowa Trekkers keep out water well enough, and if your feet get damp, then you just dry them and your boots out overnight in the huts or in your tent. If you take better care of your boots than I do, then they will be really good at keeping out water. I generally carry a 20 lb pack in Europe. Maybe, if you carry a 60 lb pack, you will need even more sturdy boots, but I think these would work for most people.

My feet have only felt sore and fatigued on the very longest hikes, and I have only felt insecure in Trekkers when I have kept a pair too long and the treads have worn away. Generally, you will need a new pair about every 3 to 5 years, if you hike a lot each summer.

By the way, these are far better boots than the Lowa Renegades, which feel great in the store, but are not solid or supportive enough for serious hiking. The Lowa Trekker will feel stiffer in the store, but will fit you like a glove after a week. That said, the boot should feel like it really fits your foot in the store, with no sore or tight spots. I have never found the breaking in period to be tough in any way. I just would not take a long hike in these the day after purchase. In Europe, everyone knows these boots, and a lot of hikers wear them.

When I was in my 20's, an older friend told me that if I was serious about hiking, I should get some Lowa's. He described them as being "like a Cadillac for your feet." Since they're German-made, he probably should have said "like a Mercedes for your feet"! But anyway...at the time, I was more worried about cost, so I'd buy boots that were $100 or less. They seemed to fit the bill, even if I had to replace them after every summer or two.

I finally wised up, and made a great investment. I've been using Lowa boots for over 10 years now, and have never regretted it; they're all I buy now. I started with the entry-level Renegades, but found they were more suited for day hikes (though they held up well in 3-4 day hikes, too) with light packs.

There's a minimal break-in period. I wore mine on short walks around my neighborhood for about a week, with my pack for the last two days. My first outing with them was in the backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park. We hiked/camped for 5 days with 50+ pound packs and covered about 40 miles. I negotiated stream crossings, all the mud and slippery rocks that accompany rain, and did some bouldering once camp was made. They didn't have a lot of flex to them, which is a good thing 95% of the time because they supported my ankles and ensured sure footing.

The Trekkers are the best all-around hiking boots I've ever owned. These are leather boots with a calfskin liner, and should be taken care of accordingly. While they are not Gore-tex lined, my feet have always remained warm and dry, despite stream crossings and hours of activity. In fact, they breathe better than Gore-tex boots and I've NEVER developed blisters with them. The best way I can describe it is that the boot conforms to your feet like memory foam.

I've had them for two years now and have about 200+ miles on them. They still look great, but most importantly, they still FEEL great. I will definitely be buying another pair. Do yourself a favor, and overlook the face value cost. These boots will go anywhere you want to go, and do most anything you want to do. And your feet with thank you!

My outdoor activities range from technical mountaineering, to canyoneering, to multi-day backpack trips to adventure racing. As a result, I have a veritable quiver of shoes that I go to depending on the task; approach shoes, trail runners, mountaineering boots, and, of course, hiking boots. Where other shoes or boots might tear my feet up, I can safely know that my Lowa Trekkers are going to protect my feet and keep them from harm no matter what I am doing. So much so, that when I tore my feet up on a three day Alpine climb, I could put my Lowa hikers on and walk without even noticing the blisters. I have used these boots on week long hiking trips, as well as ascents on class 3 peaks. They work well enough for kicking steps in snow, and work fine with strap-on crampons.

Personally, I think it is the glove leather liner instead of Goretex which makes them fit so well. The liner seems to conform to your foot shape in very short order, something which Goretex does not do as well. Maybe I am old-fashioned, but I think that Goretex, at least for footwear, is over rated, and does not compare to high quality leather boots.

The boot probably sizes a tad large, at least in the size 12. For me this is ideal, since I wear closer to 12-1/2 (a Euro 47..) and Lowa does not sell European sizing (or 12-1/2) in the U.S. It is perhaps a little tight in the toe box on descent at my size, but did not actually do any damage.

I've had my boots for about ten years now and have had them re-soled once. Important to note that you can resole the Trekker, and not many other boots, like the Renegade. They have finally shown signs of wearing out (I can no longer keep the rand adhered to the leather..) They may have one more season in them. Even so, their replacement will be another pair of Lowa Trekkers.

Where to start? Well, back in early 2008 I bought a pair of Lowa Renegade boots at REI. Four years later I am still wearing them. After plenty of hikes, regularly wearing them while riding my motorcycle they have held up great. The Vibram sole still has tread and they still have the original laces! This sold me on Lowa boots. Time came for a new pair. I wanted something a little more substantial and rugged. I ordered a pair of Trekkers (German made). They looked so nice coming out of the box. I put them on and discovered they would require a substantial break in period due the the stiffness of the leather outer. The toe section was also a tad bit narrow. These were things I could deal with. However, after only a scant few weeks of wearing the boots I noticed that the mid sole material was crumbling. What ever the material Lowa used for the cushion part of the sole was not able to handle normal (non hiking) everyday use. Quite disappointing! I exchanged the boots for a replacement pair of Trekkers thinking that it was a simple case of a manufacturing defect. The new boots arrived. I put them on and had the same fit issues - again not a big deal. But with in a month of daily normal wear the mid sole started to crumble again. What I don't get is that I read so many great reviews on these boots. Lowa what gives?

First off let me say that I am a critical reviewer. The only thing receiving a five star rating is perfection or so close that any improvement would not be worthy enough to improve the particular item's usability or appeal.

I'd looked at Lowa after purchasing a pair of Klondike GTX Mid boots back in 2003. That purchase for around USD 150.00 lasted about 100 miles of hiking before the sole of one boot delaminated. If it weren't for the comfort of this first pair, I wouldn't have even considered purchasing a Lowa brand again.

I initially was drawn to the Lowa Elite Desert due to the Achilles tendon relief built into the boot. I watched a video online and the nice British (possibly Australian) gent goes into a similar problem about 27 seconds into the video. Stated it was a silicon contamination problem that was rectified by Lowa. That video was posted in 2009, my problem was in 2003. So for about a half a decade the problem has existed? Cost against Lowa = 1 star.

Now I believe you have enough background on my ranking system. After looking at Lowa's website, I ran across the men's Trekker which offers the same tendon relief as does the Elite Desert. The two boots were nearly priced on Amazon, roughly 50 USD difference. Then Mountain Gear had the boots at USD 190.00, which was about 70 dollars cheaper than most anyone else at the time. I purchased the trekkers through Amazon, fulfilled by Mountain Gear. Didn't get my Amazon Prime two day free shipping but I wasn't held back by that fact. The shoe box from Mountain Gear was dog eared, making me think the item was in a retail outlet for some time. The boots were in good shape.

The fit and finish was EXTREMELY superior to the previous Klondike model I'd purchased. These are not Gore-Tex lined which is a plus to me as most of my hiking is southern US. The glove leather interior does conform to the shape of the foot, as advertised by Lowa. However, on my first 10 mile hike I did wear a sore spot on my left outer pinky toe due to sock selection (would a perfect boot do this... your decision). 10 miles with any standard lo-rise hiking shoe that I've tried would aggravate my tendon problem and leave it sore for a week. It didn't happen with these boots.

These boots are advertised by Lowa as on-trail, lighter duty boots. Hopefully these will hold up as I like bush-whacking and desert off-trail hiking. Time will tell, hence the 3 star rating. If these boots hold up and increase in comfort as they break-in, I can see these easily becoming a four star boot. One could ask, what's stopping a five star rating. For me it would be that a perfect boot wouldn't rub a sore spot on my toe (might be an impractical desire on my part) and they would have closed laces instead of hooks, this is a personal preference. Otherwise, I'd recommend these to a friend with the past performance caveat. Hopefully the longevity problem will go away and I won't need to mention it again.