Lowa Urban Boot

I have just completed what has to be one of the toughest boot tests ever carried out in the history of product testing for GunMart, thanks to the most severe weather to of hit Scotland for the last 30 years that even brought snow ploughs to a stop forcing the plough drivers to get out and start digging. The weather was so bad that in a single day there were three car accidents on the stretch of road that passes close to my smallholding. If boots had feelings then the Lowa Urban boots would have been terrified by the prospect that lay ahead of them, that being six solid weeks of non-stop work in snow and ice.

Dry As A Bone

Snow is far more invasive than rain and very few boots - even with the ubiquitous Gore-Tex lining - can hold out for very long when tramping through mile upon mile of deep snow.  But the Lowa Urban is quiet unique in this respect, though being a medium weight boot, much lighter than my normal winter boots, they kept my feet bone dry despite day after day pushing through the deep snow as I cared for the animals on my smallholding. I was so impressed by the waterproof properties of these boots that I can say with honesty that I have never come across a more waterproof boot, and I have worn boots costing three times the price of the Lowa Urban.

There did of course come a point of saturation but unlike the 3 to 4 days I normally experience with a pair of boots in the snow it took 2 weeks of exposure before the Lowa Urban boots could take no more, then they were allowed to dry out in the warm over night and were ready to go again the next day. They are quiet remarkable boots as regards waterproof properties.

Because they are a light weight boot, not actually designed to be used in such cold conditions with the temperatures falling to –12, they are not as warm as heavyweight boots but with thermal socks properly layered these lightweight boys can in fact cope with such temperatures.

Non-Slip

When the snow did at last start to melt it revealed a sheet of ice covering the ground that was like iron which I could only chip tiny pieces of with a pick axe. Of course this ice was that slippery that footing was treacherous and I tried out several different pairs of boot to find the most suitable for the condition.

The ones that provided the best traction and the boot that won through was the Lowa Urban, which enabled me to get about quiet safely on the sheet of ice that took a fortnight to melt, and I did not fall once wearing these boots though I did have one or two unexpected skids.

If you are looking for a boot that is mid weight, extremely comfortable, unbelievably waterproof and has the grip of an octopus, then the Lowa Urban is the chap for you. It is a first class boot.

Urban GTX 2 boots come in men’s sizes 6 to 13 with ½ sizes and weigh 1670gm a pair (in size 8). Ladies sizes versions are also available in 4 to 5 ½.