Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"They did everything I expected of them, from keeping my feet dry in shallow river crossings, stalking in the bush to sidling around the faces."
My first impression: To look at these boots you know straight away that they are quality and have been well researched, designed and engineered as you would expect from a company with a history like Lowa, but you immediately notice some subtle changes.
Putting them on:
Comfort straight away! Fishing is my number one passion, so getting these boots in summer meant that they didn’t see the hills for quite some time. Initially I wore them around the streets walking the dog and around my uncles farm shooting bunnies and magpies, generally trying them out/breaking them in (after I had applied the correct treatments of course!) and they were comfortable right from the moment I first put them on. I really enjoyed the ‘X-Lacing’ system as I have had boots in the past that have had tongue twisting problems, This was a very simple, yet extremely effective solution to this problem. ‘Lowa Flex’, awesome! Having the new lace system going further down the boot and incorporating ball bearings has not only made these boots more comfortable, but also easier to put on and take off.
The Test:
South Westland Roar. I had the opportunity to get down south of Haast for a brief hunt in early April and whilst I didn’t shoot a stag we had a great time, but found the stags were a little smarter than us! I am one who doesn’t like wet feet so I took two pairs of boots thinking that I would rotate them to try and keep my feet dry! First day: new boots, what a pleasure to wear. They did everything I expected of them, from keeping my feet dry in shallow river crossings, stalking in the bush to sidling around the faces. However when we did get out of the bush I ended up getting them soaked on the last river crossing so I wore my ‘other boots’ the next day. I will never speak badly of another product because these boots have served me well and were comfortable when I bought them, but I wished I had just put up with damp feet and wore my LOWA CAMINOs. It wasn’t until I put my old boots on that I realised how much technology had moved forward. Not only were the CAMINOs more comfortable, but they were easier to put on and I seemed steadier on my feet in tricky situations. Needless to say, I wore my damp LOWAs for the next two days, comfort over dryness for me on the remainder of that trip!
It was a pleasure to try these boots and I was most impressed.