An honest review of Lowa Renegades

If there’s one thing I can say for certain, it’s this: I’ve put Lowa Renegades to the test—and they always perform.

Picture this. There’s a girl, hoisting a 35-lb backpack up onto her shoulders down at the Amicalola Visitor Center. She thinks she’s average-size but other people call her short. The ranger looks doubtfully at her and the oversized backpack, but doesn’t say much except, “before long, you’ll be looking for things to get rid of.”

And she does. By the time she reaches the other side of the Greyson Highlands, her backpack is substantially lighter. By Vermont, she’s carrying nothing but the absolute necessities.

The only thing she refuses to get rid of is her boots.

Lowa Renegade Evo GTX Mid Hiking Boots – Women’s

For those of you who want the nitty gritty stats, here you are:

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Why I love the Lowa Renegades so much

They’re tough. Any time that I’ve known I needed something to stand up to a rigorous day, I grab my Lowa Renegades. They’ve been my work boots on my family farm, my go-to hiking boots during winter months, the boots I take when we’re going to rocky sections of trail I know I want extra support in. I’ve crewed hot air balloons in these boots, cut down trees in them, and yes, hiked most of the Appalachian Trail in them.

They’re durable. My first pair of hiking boots made it 900 miles (no, for real) before I sent them home and swapped out for a new pair of Lowas Renegades. That pair lasted from the Grayson Highlands in Virginia to the Whites of New Hampshire before the rocks wore the rubber off. Most people have 4-5 pairs of shoes across a thru hike. I had 3.

That first pair, that I sent home from the Grayson Highlands? I still have them and use them. There’s a hole on my right foot where the seam came unstitched that I’ve glued together and they’re rocking a new pair of shoelaces, but I took them out winter camping this year and they did great.

They’re comfortable. One of the reasons I stuck with these boots for so long was because I didn’t find much else that felt so protective, supportive, and comfortable. I hardly got any blisters my entire thru-hike—until I switched to a different pair of boots at the end. (More on that below.)

They’re protective. Maybe you’ve heard of the section of trail called “Rocksylvania.” For those of you who don’t know, it’s the part of the AT known for rough rocks that chew up your shoes, gnaws your feet, and leaves you weary and sore. While my trail-runner friends around me complained about thin soles and feeling rocks with every step, my boots protected me. Sprained or rolled ankles? Not here.

Where they’ve let me down

They don’t dry out quickly. Let’s face it: This is one of the top complaints about hiking boots. Once they’re wet, they’re wet. It’s going to take a rain- and river-free day before they fully dry out and, in some places, that’s just too much to ask for. (Looking at you, Vermont.)

They’re heavy. This is true. At a whopping 2 lbs compared to my Topo Athletic Terraventure trail runners’ 1 lb? That’s why it’s up to you to decide if the protectiveness and durability of the boots are worth the weight to you.

If you’re thru hiking, you will get laughed at. Honestly, I’m lucky my trail name isn’t Boots.

Why I didn’t finish the AT in the Lowa Renegades

In the New Hampshire Whites, I started slipping on the slab rocks more and more frequently. Turning over my beloved Lowas, I realized that the rugged terrain had worn my treads out. We took a zero in North Woodstock to wait out some thunderstorms over Mt. Washington, and I visited the local hiking retailer to get new shoes.

“I’m looking for some Lowa Renegades,” I told the sales associate helping me.

She looked back at me blankly and informed me that they didn’t carry those. However, she handed me another boot that she assured me would be just as comfortable, protective, and good as my Lowas.

Outdoor retailers were getting sparse. There was only two more between us and Katahdin, and I knew that I most likely wasn’t going to get another chance to get boots—and even having them shipped to me at this point was going to be a bit of a logistical challenge.

So I took the other brand—and suffered.

“This is why people hate hiking boots so much,” I realized quickly. My feet frequently blistered or rubbed the remaining 400 miles. A seam started splitting within the first week and the sole never gripped the rocks well.

When I got home, I compared them to the Lowas I sent home in the Grayson Highlands. Though those boots had over 900 miles on them at that point, they still looked and felt better than the other pair that made it 400 miles.

Lesson learned: Stick with the Lowa Renegades.