Lowa or LOWA as it’s branded has been around since 1923 and it has earned a reputation for producing high quality footwear for professionals in military and beyond. That’s right, this German company has been in business for over 88 years so they know a thing or two about footwear. It is commonly regarded as a top choice for law enforcement and military personnel as the boot of choice. That’s why today I’m reviewing the Lowa Urban Desert boots which were originally designed with stealth operations in a desert environment in mind.
Right out of the box you will appreciate that the Lowa Urban Desert boots do not require any break in period unlike some other boots on the market. They have a great weight to them and the material makes them feel durable. As soon as I slipped them on, it felt like I had been wearing them for years.
The Lowa Urban Desert boot has a nice amount of padding, which I found somewhat odd for a “desert” boot. This padding will help to protect your foot from jagged edges that you might find in a desert mountainous area like you’d find in Afghanistan or Iraq. I figured this would make them way too hot in a desert environment. I obviously did not test these in the deserts of Iraq, but in the hot humid summer weather here my feet were very comfortable. They weren’t overheating at all, in spite of the padding. This is largely in thanks to some key features of the Lowa Urban Desert boot which are:
- Synthetic shank which won’t heat up like a steel shank, and is lighter weight
- Mesh lining to keep the feet cool from the inside
- A 3D mesh upper material along with the sand split leather helps moisture to escape the boot
The “Anaconda” sole on these boots is pretty durable, being a Vibram® sole it’s proven to be a good sole. Not only is it a quality sole, but it’s designed to be silent. I’ve walked on linoleum and tiled floor with these boots both dry and wet and they really are silent. Not a single hint of a squeak. The traction on dry and wet surfaces as well as snowy terrain has been excellent. On top of the sole is a sand colored Polyurethane sole with a full length and width synthetic trekking shank. This is much more than most other boots which may only have a narrow shank down a portion of the sole. This really helps with the stability of the foot.
One small detail that shows that the company is dedicated to making boots specific to their intended use is the fact that the outer materials of the boot have a reduced IR signature. I know from my days in the military that you could always spot fellow troops at night by looking for the black boots through your NVGs. The boots stuck out among the natural vegetation around them. Attention to detail!!
Earlier in the review I said that these boots can perform in several environments. First off I wore these boots for casual wear as well as for hiking, climbing and for force-on-force military style training.
During force-on-force training I didn’t baby these boots at all. They got muddy, wet, grass stained and just plain old beat up. They were very comfortable the whole time. My feet never overheated and running up and down inclines didn’t cause any discomfort at all. I have a narrower heel and have always had a problem with getting boots that don’t cause blisters or raw spots on my heels. This was never a problem with these boots. I used these boots for several force-on-force exercises so far and after I return home I clean the boots off if they’re dirty and unlike traditional “rough side out” suede leather desert boots these boots cleaned up well. Mud, dirt, and grass stain easily came out with a small scrub brush and only a minute or so of scrubbing. This is important to help with the longevity of the boots, and if using these for military purposes you want to be able to clean them up so that they look good the next time you wear them in a formation. These boots clean up well.
I also used these boots while hiking trails and through a gully that was flooding with water. In this gully there is also a lot of climbing on wet rocks. I have to say I was super impressed by the traction of the outsole on the wet rocks. I have worn quality Vibram® soled boots before in this environment, but they didn’t grip like the soles on these boots. I believe it’s the material that they’re made of that makes them silent that also gives them good traction on the wet rocks. The fact that these boots got completely water logged and haven’t shown any breakdown is good. The typical GI desert boots tend to break down faster when they get wet due to the suede material they’re made of. These boots don’t seem to have that problem. They also went with me on a hike to the top of Whiteface Mountain.
In the last couple of weeks I was able to use these boots for some tactical training in the snow. Again, the boots performed flawlessly. The fact that they allow your feet to breath and wick moisture from the feet kept my feet warm and the padding helps with warmth as well. I wouldn’t use these in extreme cold environments where something like a mickey mouse boot or other extreme cold weather boot is required, but for your typical winter weather you should be good to go. Overall I have been extremely impressed with these boots. The quality is way above average and the durability so far has met the companies claims. I plan on continuing to use these boots until they need to be replaced, so expect updates to this post for quite some time. 9/10.
Smooth