Lowa boots

[climbingone]

Does anyone have experience with Lowa boots. I am thinking about the Boltoro as it is without the gortex lining and comes in a wide fitting
climbingone

[wayno]

I"ve got th trekkers with the tapered shank, similar boot,
it's heavy, I dont use them anymore. i prefer lighter boots, I think unless you are on rough rocky terrain o that is going to scrape the upper or you're carrying a very heavy pack or you're going through snow, it's overkill. if they get wet they will weigh a tonne.
they are very supportive though, very stable and stiff with some flex at the toe.
you can get some pretty supportive lightweight boots with some rigidity on the soles now.
the boots i currently use are 300 grams lighter each.

[climbingone]

Thanks for the insight, what kind of boots do you wear

[andre35]

I've used Lowa Desert Elite boots for quite a while now. Very comfy and very robust but do take a bit to break them in, quite stiff when new. I wear them when carrying big loads for extended time or on steep mountains, they offer great ankle support. Not a very agile boot if that makes sense. Wouldn't recommend them in wet weather either, hence the desert in the name. Overall a great boot for certain tasks.

[wayno]

i tend to wear salomons, have the cosmics at the moment, i got a deal on them after a lace hook rivet popped on my explorers and salomon couldnt find a replacement lace hook since it was a proprietary part with the rivet shaft all in one.

watch the mid height boots, salomon use thin tread on their mid heights, they dont last long on hard ground

again it depends on the terrain and type fo walking you're going to do for your choice of boot.
i had lowa renegades, strictly a day walking boot, the sole of the boot was very flexible and not supportive enough for wearing a pack for overnight tramps, i did a four day trip in them and my feet were killing me there was so much strain on the front of my feet from the lack of stiffness in the boots.
i find the salomons comfortable, dont need wearing in and they make reasonably stiff soles for multi day tramps.
Scarpa boots have a good reputation, i've heard people rave about boots like the kailash, but i've never seen them sold in nz and i'm not so familiar with how their sizing fits my feet.
look for design features like a decent reinforcing around the toe, usually with a thick piece of rubber. helps if it has heavier material around the base of the uppers.
if you want an overnight boot, grab it in your hands one hand at the front one at the back and twist, and make sure you can't corkscrew the sole easily, ideally there should be a bit of stiffness around the middle of the sole. you dont really need it stiff the whole length unless you're packing a heavy load for like trips that are over a week long. especially on very rough terrain.
some people dont like light boots because they simply dont last as long as heavier boots. lighter nylon and softer thin nubuck leather dont last as long scraping against rocks compared to full grain leather, one piece upper leather boots suffer less failure since there isnt the stitching there to fail...
some people swear by trail running shoes, very light and can go fast, but if you are on rough tracks you're more at risk of spraining an ankle than with mid or full height boots. personally i only wear runners for day tramps unless i'm in a rock river bed or something particularly rough,
high top boots keep grit, dirt and mud out better.
i usually dump the insole that comes with the boots and get an aftermarket insole, something not to thick like sofsol's all sport but i'll try the boot on first with the insole to make sure my feet arent too crammed in... the thicker insoles can cause a problem like this.

[climbingone]

Thanks wayno and other, after your thoughts and experinces I may just keep looking.
cheers
Jb

[wayno]

dont blame you, i'm seriously over heavy boots, i'd rather fork out for new light boots more regularly than wear heavyweights, when you take into account how much extra you can pay for heavy boots anyway it evens out a bit with the lightweights, i've usually got a couple of pieces of footwear to choose from, an older pair for doing smaller stuff and a newer pair i save more for the bigger walks