Lowa Zephyr Hi TF

Pounding the pavement or hitting the rocky trails? These boots fit the bill. Lightweight leather/fabric build makes breaking them in unnecessary, while providing all day comfort.

If you're looking for a lightweight, do it all boot, you've come to the right place. During an extended test (one year), they have served as my daily work boot in addition to my preferred trail hiker. Over the course of the year, these boots have seen roughly 400 miles of trails and countless miles on the job while the sole still looks relatively unscathed.

As a hiker with plantar fasciitis, these boots have provided me the exceptional comfort and support that I tend to find difficult with other options. They fit true to size and Lowa's Monowrap design keeps your foot locked into place, minimizing chaffing and hot spots. The leather/fabric upper, coupled with the high shaft provides exceptional support and protection from trail debris.

While I have not been able to find anything stating that the boots are "waterproof", they've seen their share of rainy days and muddy trails and have kept my feet dry every time. Lowa's rubber sole provides above average traction on wet, slippery rocks.

Overall, the boots are fantastic for a boot that falls into the mid/high price range ($225). The only "con" I can find for the boots would be the stiffness of the sole. While Lowa considers the boot "moderately stiff", I wish the boot was  a bit stiffer and provided a little more protection to the bottom of your foot. You will feel the elements of the trail.

Background

As a "gear junkie" with over 25 years of backpacking experience, I typically replace boots every 6 months to a year. I've tested everything from cheaper, fully synthetic builds to top of the line all leather boots and these will stay in my "boot rotation". With over 400 trail miles and countless daily-use miles, these have held up better than I could have expected. When I retire them from trail use, they will remain my go-to "misc use" boots.