The arrival of the autumnal nip in the morning air means that the sandals have been retired to the back of the wardrobe as I can’t bear to hike or wander without socks on anymore. Ah socks, my favourite! So with that, today I want to bring to you a review of the new Lowa Locarno hiking shoes that I have been wearing pretty much every day for the last month or so.
Lowa Locarno GTX Low Women’s Hiking Shoes
Lowa say that the Locarno – there is a mid-height boot and a shoe in the range – has been designed as an everyday hiker. That is, as a shoe that can be worn all day as well as for outdoors adventure. This works for me; I am wearing my hiking boots and shoes as everyday footwear more and more these days, because that means I keep comfortable when I’m on my lunchtime walks. They’re not quite smart enough for work, but they are perfectly suitable for wearing with jeans and casual trousers in town as much as they work with whatever walking getup I might choose to don.
The “lifestyle meets outdoor” style is still pretty technical. They have a smart nubuck leather and fabric upper in a mid-grey, which goes with everything, and have a GORE-TEX lining to keep your feet dry whatever the clouds decide to do. They are designed to provide plenty of support for your foot, have good solid midsole, and a hybrid trac sole. Weighing in at approximately 700g for a pair, they feel solid but not too heavy on your feet – I’ve worn these for long days and haven’t found they feel heavy at any point.
The most important thing about a shoe made for walking is that it is comfortable for, er, walking. And I can confirm that these are indeed that. I am not exaggerating when I say that I put my Teva sandals, that I have lived in this summer, away, took these out of the box, and have been wearing them ever since. I’ve walked in excess of 100 miles in them in the last month or so, on a combination of concrete pavements and unmade footpaths, and they are doing the job really well. I am finding them comfortable to wear, with enough support around my foot to make them good for walking up and down hills as well as on the level, and they certainly keep my feet dry which is always useful for autumn! After just a few short weeks I feel confident that I can depend on them to keep my feet happy all day, I can’t say much more than that.
I know there will be some people who see these and say they are boring to look at. But I rather like the plain grey colour (sorry, “graphite”) and simple shape, they are understated, there to do a job and not shout about anything. An introverted shoe for an introverted gal! Function over form for me every day of the week. I should also note that these aren’t a particularly wide shoe; they’re not too noticeably narrow on my long feet, but they are a hiker that surrounds your foot to provide support on the sides and the top as well as underneath, so bear that in mind if you prefer a more roomy shoe.
Need some tips on how to choose hiking shoes? This post might help.
If you are looking for a new everyday walking shoe, the kind of thing that will be happy on concrete as well as mud, then give these a try on. They have certainly become a “do everything” autumn staple for me. The RRP of these shoes is £140, which is pretty on the mark for a technical walking shoe, and in line with other brands offering something similar.
Find out more about the Lowa Locarno shoes on the Lowa website here. You can also buy them from Go Outdoors here. There’s a men’s fit available, too.
Thanks to Lowa for sending me a pair of the Locarno shoes to try out. I love shoes!
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