LOWAMen's Zephyr GTX Mid Hiking Boot

My experiences so far are based on about 20 hours of wearing time, all of which are walking in town. No hiking or trail use yet. Prior to getting these I've been using my Danner 453s for hiking. The Danners are heavy coming in at about 45 oz! When I got my Zephyrs I immediately noticed how light they were! I believe they're weighed in at 20 oz! That's a significant weight difference compared to my Danners! I've been wearing boots for most of my adult life varying from Hi-Tecs to Magnums to Bates and finally to my Danner Strikers for duty work. The one thing I noticed with most boots is that they require break-in. The second I slipped my feet into these Zephyrs, man, it felt like butter going in and even better in it! These boots are soft and very comfortable from the get go!Another thing about my feet is that I have poor arches and I always have to wear custom hard insoles in all my shoes. Well, for the first time in my life, I don't have to wear them! I kid you not! Prior to purchasing these Zephyrs I read on the net that they had very good arch support. Needless to say, I agree. Combine this with their excellent lace system and lightweight you got an almost Superior boot! I say almost because the only complaint I have is that they don't offer these in wide widths.I always wear wide width boots but with these Zephyrs I didn't have a choice. What led me to these boots was my need to replace my Danner 453s for hiking. After hearing the many many positive reviews I went ahead and ordered them knowing full well that they only come in medium width. Not to contradict what I stated earlier, yes, these boots are very comfy from the get go and as a matter of fact I am able to wear them for a couple hours with no problems. It's only after I pass those couple hours that I notice them to start squeezing on the sides. It's not an unbearable squeeze but it is noticeable. I've been wearing them still despite that in hopes of 'stretching' them out a bit. If it wasn't for that these boots would be Perfect!Lastly, for the sizing. I was a bit uncertain about the sizing as I've read conflicting reviews regarding the size. Some would say they're 1/2" too big, others would say they're 1/2" too small. Well, I'm probably not helping out the situation much by throwing this out, but I find that my Zephyrs run true to size. In my almost 20 years of wearing boots, I've maintained a consistency in my adult life as a size 10 wide. This is true across the board from Magnums to Bates to Danners, and I only mention them since Lowas are in the same category of boots. So with the Zephyrs I also wear a size 10 and the fit is perfect with no movement w/in and tight all around. This is coupled with standard thin cotton duty socks (I use Blackhawk and also Under Armour socks for this boot). If you normally wear size medium width shoes I highly recommend these boots to you! I'm at that point where I'm not yet convinced to replace my current Danner duty boots with Lowas only because of the width. Hope this helps any future buyers.

Update #1: Currently deployed and the second these boots came in, I put them on. One day down and there is no break in period needed at all. The boots fit perfectly and are the lightest thing I have ever owned. They are not steel toe or reinforced toe. I would suggest these to anyone who has to be on their feet all day or for extended periods of time.Like walking on clouds.Update #2: 2 Months (Still Deployed) - I wear these boots for 12 hours a day. I am always walking on gravel and dirt. I have noticed some high wear where the front pad of the foot is. This is most likely due to the extreme uneven surface I walk on everyday. They are still extremely comfortable and I have had no problem running in them if I have had too. The tread is still great.Recently, it snowed for two weeks and we received over a foot of snow. Although, my feet were buried and the boots looked wet. My feet were as warm and dry as if I had been sitting on a beach all day. I did however have on synthetic wool socks too. The boots only took a few hours to dry out on the exterior, I only sleep for about four hours a night. When I awoke they were always dry, inside and out.The only downside is the boots do not breath at all. At the end of a day when you take your boots off. You are going to get a nice waft of stinky feet. This is extremely common with almost any type of boot though. Simple solution is to buy some boot powder.After wearing them in 90F and 0F (sub-freezing), I feel I can give these boots a personal hell yeah if you are thinking about purchasing them at all for just about any type of weather. Although, for deep snow traversing I would purchase the high ankle support version in order to prevent high snow levels from entering the boots.From anyone that enjoys casual hiking to extreme hiking or is military support to frontline operator. These are the boots to buy.Simply put second to none-------------------------------------------------Personal Ratings (1-5, 5 being best):Comfortability - 5 (second to absolutely none)Tread Wear - 4 (holding up against extremely uneven surfaces)Breathability - 2 (to be expected with goretex)Weather Conditions - 5 (astounding to keep feet dry in snow and rain, inversely feet are comfortable in extreme heat)

First off, Lowa is a great bootmaker. Great construction and great materials. They seem to fit my feet better than most brands. I have a narrow heel, and Lowa seems to be a closer fit among OTS footwear. As with all other Lowas I’ve owned, this is also a great boot for its purpose, which is moving fast. Great grip on dirt and loose rock on steep inclines, up and down. Good support.That said, I did a very rocky trail today and by the end my feet were wishing for a stiffer sole. These did good, but you’ll be feeling every one of those rocks by the end of the day. That’s not the shoe’s fault; it’s just a better choice for smoother trails. If you expect a lot of stones underfoot, this is a softer sole boot. Sometimes you want to feel the ground.

Wow, a wonderful shoe, durable and comfy :)

These boots look like they're much better made than the ones I've been wearing. If I were able to get these in the right size I think they'd be excellent boots. The medium size in these runs fairly narrow and no one seems to have wide in my size in stock.