So what’s it all about?

Finding a genuine all-rounder walking boot is hard. There are so many boots out there – designed to do so many specific jobs – that it can sometimes be tricky to work out which ones you need for when. During wintertime, you’ll want waterproofing so that your feet stay dry in the depths of the UK’s colder months, while during summer you’ll be after something a little lighter and more forgiving over harder surfaces. So tying these various uses up into one any-occasion boot is a task, to say the least. 

But that’s what Lowa has endeavoured to create with the new Trek Evo GTX Mid. Designed to be lightweight and comfortable, yet while delivering that sturdiness that people are after in an all-purpose boot. Now Lowa is no fresh-faced newcomer in this area – far from it – with the German maker having been producing some of the best boots in the business for nearly 100 years. Despite that heritage, Lowa has packed a range of the most modern features into the Trek Evo GTX Mid, and built them with an eye on reusability, too. 

In a nutshell

The Lowa Trek Evo GTX Mid feels like the ideal all-purpose boot, capable of dealing with casual day hikes just as easily as more committed sessions on the trail. Though the look may not appeal to everyone, they do stand out from the crowd thanks to their zesty lime green accents. Despite costing £210, the Lowa Trek Evo GTX Mid feels like a solid investment and a pair of boots that’ll you’ll be keen to put on every time you head out for an adventure. 

How many stars?

We’ve given the Lowa Trek Evo GTX Mid a full four stars. It’s reliable, well made and you can easily extend its life by replacing the soles. A lack of colourway options just stops it from going for the full five. ]

For

• Comfortable from the get-go
• Ability to resole them means you can breathe new life into them
• Robust hook system gives a solid fit
• Vibram soles provide a good amount of traction on all manner of surfaces

Against

• Quite expensive 
• No other colourways 
• They can feel a bit warm on hotter days

Tech specs 

• Full waterproof Gore-Tex lining
• Toe and heel given added protection with PU film
• Completely resoleable 
• Polyurethane sole gives good levels of comfort and impact absorption 
• X-Lacing system allows for a strong fit
• Vibram outsole features triangular studs for added grip

Kicking off

Fresh out of the box, the colour of the Lowa Trek Evo GTX Mid strikes you as something a little bit different. There’s no aged leather here no brass fitments, replaced instead by zany green accents and an almost Spiderman-suit-like material on the nose cap. You get that green colour in all manner of places across the boots, too, from the lace hooks to the lining of the collar. It might not be traditional, but we definitely appreciated the modern take on the walking boot look. Our only issue was that the dark blue colour applied to the rest of the boot was quite prone to showing up dirt and dust. 

But the build quality is there. These boots chime in at a reasonably hefty £210, so you’re going to want a solidly made shoe for that price. But everything feels superbly well attached, from the elasticated lace eyelets to the polyurethane heel and toe caps – the latter of which gave the boots a pleasingly robust feel. The upper collar and tongue are well padded too, so even before you’ve stepped foot in the Trek Evo GTX Mid you feel like you’re off to a solid start. The lugs on the Vibram sole are chunky, too, and do stand out when you get these boots out from their box. 

Stand-out features

The Trek Evo GTX Mid is absolutely jam-packed with features designed to make it comfortable and versatile. We’ve got the industry-standard Gore-Tex membrane, which is designed to keep water out while maintaining a regular temperature inside the boot. In truth, we found them a little warm at times, but that could’ve been down to the record temperatures we’ve been experiencing recently in the UK. 

But Lowa has really thrown the works at the Trek Evo GTX Mid to ensure that it’s as comfortable as possible, which it’s got a Lowa’s DynaPU+ midsole. Plus, the Trek Evo GTX Mid also features a relatively subtle toe spring, which only elevates your toes above the ground a small amount, which will help when you’re on your feet for many hours at a time. 

Lowa provides a 24-month warranty with each pair of its boots, excluding damages caused by neglect or inappropriate use, of course. 

Okay great. But what are they like to wear?

We stepped out in this new set of Lowas with a little trepidation. After all, the first few miles in a fresh set of boots can be a case of the very good or the very bad. With visions of plaster-riddled walks we took things easy to begin with, but in reality, these are a very comfortable set of boots from the get-go. We found them to fit true to size, with a good amount of wiggle room in the toe box there to allow your feet to adjust. 

That foam midsole provides a really supply underfoot feel, too, but it’s backed by plenty of rigidity from the outsole too. Larger stones and rocks don’t make their presence known when you stand upon them, while there’s the whole boot provides a stable platform. We tested them over loose shingle, rocky outcrops and sections of seaweed-covered stones and the Vibram soles rarely lost traction, with those triangular-shaped lugs doing the job. 

A size 8 pair of Trek Evo GTX Mid boots come in at 1,140g. For comparison, the La Sportiva Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX, which have a look akin to the Lowas tip the scales at 940g for the pair, despite having a similar collar cut and day-hiking focus. Having said that, we didn’t feel the weight of the Lowas to be overly problematic nor a cause of discomfort or fatigue. In fact, they felt quite reassuring solid underfoot. 

How we feel at the end

The Trek Evo GTX Mid from Lowa is a pair of boots that’ll handle shorter day hikes just as easily as it will longer journeys further afield. We’d argue that the ultra-modern look might not be for everyone, but the backbone of these boots is the quality and strong build that they offer. 

We also appreciate the sustainability that these boots offer, with the vegan-friendly construction showing an awareness that many users might not want animal products in their boots. And though we harp on about it, the ability to put new soles on this pair of boots extends their lifetime and makes them an even more worthwhile investment.