Superb while they lasted...
Written: Oct 05 '04
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Pros: Very light, immediately comfortable, versatile, waterproof
Cons: Disappointing durability
The Bottom Line: Worth buying if you value lightness and comfort, and don't mind replacing your boots after four years or so.
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| diki01's Full Review: Lowa Renegade GTX Mid Height Boots Mens 2002 |
My faithful pair of Lowa Renegade GTX boots have just bitten the dust after a little over four years (and many hundreds of kilometers). The tread had been wearing flat for the last few months, and now the upper has separated from the sole. So that's it: I salute and farewell them, and consign them to the great boot pile in the sky.
So, were they good? Yes, very. Wonderfully comfortable straight out of the box, very light, waterproof, and robust enough for just about anything up to 3000 meters. If you're regularly hiking at higher altitudes, or spending a lot of your time in rocky terrain, you'd want something tougher and heavier, but for sheer versatility I've found these just great. Their lightness and comfort make them ideal travelling shoes, whether you're racing through airports or sightseeing in the rain. But they're equally at home on the mountainside, and even pretty good in the snow (surprisingly well-insulated, in fact). I've not had a single blister in them. My wife has the same model boots, and loves them.
But... is four years a reasonable lifetime for a not-exactly-cheap pair of boots? My wife's pair died almost the same time as mine, so I think it's probably the average life for this model. Even if the upper had not separated, the treads were getting so flat that it would have been dangerous to use them for another season. I'm a bit disappointed: I think it would be reasonable to expect at least another two or three years from boots at this price. But perhaps the price of such good comfort and light weight is limited durability.
What will I replace them with? I'm tempted just to get the new model, Renegade GTX II, which has a tougher-looking Vibram sole. It is very difficult to give up that superb Lowa comfort. I'll look at some other brands as well, but with durability, it's a bit of a guessing game.
Overall, I would recommend these boots, provided you buy them with the expectation that they're not going to last more than four or five years.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 170
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Epinions.com ID:
diki01
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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