“This shoe is lethal on pavements which are wet and mossy or on wet metal surfaces The vibran sole is too slippy on these surfaces. I bought my pair for walking in New Zealand. We had a stopover in Singapore . The warm tropical rain, invisible layer of algae on the pavement and the Vibram sole resulted in me walking around the city like a newborn deer on ice, I fell in the botanic garden and the huge graze blighted the rest of my tour. They are not antislip - in fact the complete opposite.”
“I don't normally leave reviews. However, I will make an exception for my much loved Lowa Renegade Lo (the previous model of the Renegade Evo GTX) in the hope that Lowa will take on board why the previous model was so good and where they should have gone with the replacement.
First, the previous model did a leather-lined version. Leather is far more absorbent and environmentally friendly than goretex, which has become ubiquitous in hiking shoes and boots. Leather-lined is noticeably lighter and cooler, which makes it ideal for dry weather hikes or wearing all day around town. Obviously waterproofing then becomes an issue. Admittedly I found that when I waxed my renegades, I wouldn't get all-day waterproofness (unlike GTX) and the heat/sweatiness was comparable to GTX shoes. However, the waterproofness was sufficient for most scenarios and for really wet weather I'd wear my GTX hiking boots (no-one would wear shoes in seriously wet weather, so why do they all need to be GTX lined? The leather-lined version gave you the option of waxing in the winter for waterproofing and warmth, and leaving unwaxed in summer to maximise breathability. Also, wax can always be reapplied when it fails, unlike a GTX lining.
Secondly, the previous version came with hooks instead of eyelets at the top of the laces. This was a fantastic feature. The first part to fail is frequently the heal, when feet are rammed into shoes without the laces being adequately loosened. This never happened with my Renegades as the hooks meant the top laces were always open before tightening up. This has definitely prolonged their life.
The old Renegades did have one major flaw - they couldn't be re-soled once the rubber had worn through.
My issue here is, because of the hook fastener and the quality of the leather (the need for regular waxing means it lasts far longer than with GTX versions that don't see nearly as much maintenance) I am about to throw away shoes that have the best preserved leather uppers of any shoe I've ever disposed of, and only because the soles are literally falling off them.
This isn't a criticism of Lowa - these shoes are quality and comfortable. I just wish they'd kept the best parts of the old Renegade (leather lined and hooks instead of eyelets) and just made them re-solable.”
