Boots are important, everyone who needs them should invest in a quality pair that'll look after you and last years. Lowa, a German boot maker, are widely regarded as being one of these high quality manufacturers. I've worn a pair of Lowa mountain boots for years, covering hundreds of miles in them, resoling them several times, but now they're due replacing.
At the weekend i went shopping for a pair of lowa patrols, which are the non-goretex lined version of their mountain boots. These so far seem very good, so i thought i would do a quick review.
The Boots
The Patrols look from the outside identical to the mountains in every way, the only difference on the outside is a "PTB" marking to show which model they are, the rest of the differences are all inside. Pics;
Comparison with the Mountain on the right;
The Fit
This is one of the key differences between these two boots. The Patrol has noticeably more volume to it than the mountain. This is down too the design of the upper compared to the lined boot. The tongue of the boot on the patrol is connected with far more material than the mountain, meaning it can stretch much further to accommodate a higher instep, there is also more padding, presumably to make up for this difference in fit.
Above you can see how the grey goretex lining is sewn directly from the side of the mountain boot across the tongue itself, this removes some volume and padding from the boots to ensure waterproofing. Compares to the arrangement in the patrol the difference is very noticeable;
These boots would suit anyone with a high instep better than the mountain. I'm assuming the same type of attachment is used in all lined Lowa boots. The heel & toe area, as well as width feel the same. Lowas are sized on EU sizing, so tend to come up slightly smaller than UK sizes, I've went half a size up on this pair to use a thicker insole. As always the boots should be tried on first.
The Lining
The Patrol swaps out the Goretex waterproof liner for a full cambrelle lining. This apparently keeps you feet warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The boots are definitely warm but don't feel sweaty like the Goretex ones can. It feels sturdy and well made, so should last well. One thing that's certain is that it'll dry quicker when they eventually get soaked through, which is always a bonus.
The Insole
The boots come with Lowas standard climate control insole, designed to move sweat away from the foot and keep the feet dryer. These are okay, not great, but not bad. I would recommend replacing them with something better.
The Sole
The sole unit used on both boots is the same. Made by Vibram and very grippy. The soles on Lowas seem to wear well compared with some of the softer soles found on hiking boots, meaning a longer life. The trade off for this is that they can be slipper on wet surfaces, such as wet rock, and are poor in the snow and ice. Above the Vibram sole is a softer rubber layer for shock absorption. I can't say if this is really any better than other systems from different manufacturers, but i'm sure it works fine. Pic below of the sole on the new boots, and the now worn down sole of the old;
Durabillity
I've never had a pair of lowa boots break on me. And i haven't heard any stories of them failing either. The mountains have many hundreds of miles put in them with no problems. These boots can be re-soled so long as the uppers are still wearable, meaning you'll get years of use out of these so long as they're cared for.
The Leather Care
Obviously since these boots don't have a waterproof lining, how water resistant they are is down to how you care for them. Lowa sell a variatry of products that are suppose to be the best for the boots. I've only tried their Active Cream product and can say for definite this does nothing to waterproof the leather. I tried this out last year and when the ground got wet the leather got soaked on the old boots. You could wipe this stuff off with a damp cloth after its dried on the boots. Kiwi polish and the like is probably what most people will be using on these boots, many manufacturers say to stay away from this since it can cause the leather to harden and crack. This DID happen to the mountain boots, at the front where the leather bends. A crack developed in the leather and it felt very dry. After this i went out and bought a tin of G-wax to use on the boots, this helped greatly with the leather feeling much more supple after treatment, but the damage had been done. A new product I've been using a lot of lately on the brown issue boots is Leder Gris by Altberg, this works very well at waterproofing the leather and apparently prevents drying. It comes in several types and colors, including black, and costs about £5 a tin. I bought the standard black and the "Extreme" black, supposedly for restoring dry leather;
The leather on the Patrols when they came did feel slightly dry, in a kind of 'sat in a storeroom for a while' way, so i put a good bit of the extreme leder gris on and this stored it right out. A very good product by the looks of it. Altberg warn this this can over-soften the leather so should only be used when needed, with the standard leder gris used as an everyday treatment.
I'll be heading out to the hills this weekend to thoroughly test the boots, but so far they seem excellent for the cost. I bought the black as they are cheaper than the brown version and since they'll be used for general wear and in the field the color doesn't matter too much. I'll add more to the review when I've given them a better testing but hope this is of help to anyone looking for a good pair of boots.
Tonyuk
Tech Specs;
Sturdy water repellent 2.6mm leather.
Cambrelle® lined for outstanding climate control, breathability and wear resistance.
Vibram® "Tsavo" sole unit (repairable).
Asymmetric Walking Position.
Achilles leather flex panel in heel for extreme comfort.
Climate control system and insole.
Climate controlled insole and boot laces available separately
925gm (One boot size 8)
At the weekend i went shopping for a pair of lowa patrols, which are the non-goretex lined version of their mountain boots. These so far seem very good, so i thought i would do a quick review.
The Boots
The Patrols look from the outside identical to the mountains in every way, the only difference on the outside is a "PTB" marking to show which model they are, the rest of the differences are all inside. Pics;
Comparison with the Mountain on the right;
The Fit
This is one of the key differences between these two boots. The Patrol has noticeably more volume to it than the mountain. This is down too the design of the upper compared to the lined boot. The tongue of the boot on the patrol is connected with far more material than the mountain, meaning it can stretch much further to accommodate a higher instep, there is also more padding, presumably to make up for this difference in fit.
Above you can see how the grey goretex lining is sewn directly from the side of the mountain boot across the tongue itself, this removes some volume and padding from the boots to ensure waterproofing. Compares to the arrangement in the patrol the difference is very noticeable;
These boots would suit anyone with a high instep better than the mountain. I'm assuming the same type of attachment is used in all lined Lowa boots. The heel & toe area, as well as width feel the same. Lowas are sized on EU sizing, so tend to come up slightly smaller than UK sizes, I've went half a size up on this pair to use a thicker insole. As always the boots should be tried on first.
The Lining
The Patrol swaps out the Goretex waterproof liner for a full cambrelle lining. This apparently keeps you feet warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The boots are definitely warm but don't feel sweaty like the Goretex ones can. It feels sturdy and well made, so should last well. One thing that's certain is that it'll dry quicker when they eventually get soaked through, which is always a bonus.
The Insole
The boots come with Lowas standard climate control insole, designed to move sweat away from the foot and keep the feet dryer. These are okay, not great, but not bad. I would recommend replacing them with something better.
The Sole
The sole unit used on both boots is the same. Made by Vibram and very grippy. The soles on Lowas seem to wear well compared with some of the softer soles found on hiking boots, meaning a longer life. The trade off for this is that they can be slipper on wet surfaces, such as wet rock, and are poor in the snow and ice. Above the Vibram sole is a softer rubber layer for shock absorption. I can't say if this is really any better than other systems from different manufacturers, but i'm sure it works fine. Pic below of the sole on the new boots, and the now worn down sole of the old;
Durabillity
I've never had a pair of lowa boots break on me. And i haven't heard any stories of them failing either. The mountains have many hundreds of miles put in them with no problems. These boots can be re-soled so long as the uppers are still wearable, meaning you'll get years of use out of these so long as they're cared for.
The Leather Care
Obviously since these boots don't have a waterproof lining, how water resistant they are is down to how you care for them. Lowa sell a variatry of products that are suppose to be the best for the boots. I've only tried their Active Cream product and can say for definite this does nothing to waterproof the leather. I tried this out last year and when the ground got wet the leather got soaked on the old boots. You could wipe this stuff off with a damp cloth after its dried on the boots. Kiwi polish and the like is probably what most people will be using on these boots, many manufacturers say to stay away from this since it can cause the leather to harden and crack. This DID happen to the mountain boots, at the front where the leather bends. A crack developed in the leather and it felt very dry. After this i went out and bought a tin of G-wax to use on the boots, this helped greatly with the leather feeling much more supple after treatment, but the damage had been done. A new product I've been using a lot of lately on the brown issue boots is Leder Gris by Altberg, this works very well at waterproofing the leather and apparently prevents drying. It comes in several types and colors, including black, and costs about £5 a tin. I bought the standard black and the "Extreme" black, supposedly for restoring dry leather;
The leather on the Patrols when they came did feel slightly dry, in a kind of 'sat in a storeroom for a while' way, so i put a good bit of the extreme leder gris on and this stored it right out. A very good product by the looks of it. Altberg warn this this can over-soften the leather so should only be used when needed, with the standard leder gris used as an everyday treatment.
I'll be heading out to the hills this weekend to thoroughly test the boots, but so far they seem excellent for the cost. I bought the black as they are cheaper than the brown version and since they'll be used for general wear and in the field the color doesn't matter too much. I'll add more to the review when I've given them a better testing but hope this is of help to anyone looking for a good pair of boots.
Tonyuk
Tech Specs;
Sturdy water repellent 2.6mm leather.
Cambrelle® lined for outstanding climate control, breathability and wear resistance.
Vibram® "Tsavo" sole unit (repairable).
Asymmetric Walking Position.
Achilles leather flex panel in heel for extreme comfort.
Climate control system and insole.
Climate controlled insole and boot laces available separately
925gm (One boot size 8)
Last edited:
