Well, I have about 2 weeks left to go before I leave for Borneo, and I haven't figured out what boots I am going to buy or use.
My Lowa Renegade boots are really not very usable at this point any more, especially for a 3 week trip that involves a lot of walking and trekking in the jungle and mountains. It's unfortunate because the boots aren't very worn out. Only the seams on the upper near the ball of my foot where the shoe bends are all falling apart on both sides of both boots are seeing this On the right boot, the upper is separating from the lower towards the arch because of this as well.. The rest of the boot is fine though, the soles are good and have most of their cushion in them, the rest of the uppers are good. The boots aren't waterproof anymore, probably due to the same issue near the sides of the toes. I would certainly call this a design flaw, because it the rest of the boot is good, but there is an obvious flaw if both sides of both boots are failing in the same way, yet the rest of the boot has (or would have) much more life in them if the seam rips weren't stopping me using them further.
These Lowa Renegades I have only had for 3 years - I figure I have put about 400-500km on them or so. It would be good if they fixed this issue since I bought mine, but the latest ones look the same as mine in the toe area unfortunately. Other than this issue, I love these boots, enough to have had two pairs of them in a row. I use these for my all round boot from day hikes to backpacking. My ankles are soles are tough enough that I don't need a stiffer boot. They fit my feet so well that there is zero break-in time required, both pairs I have had I have felt that way. Although not ideal, I would actually go backpacking with them the day I bought them. Some say these are too heavy for ultralight packing and I do agree that they are heavier than they really need to be. I don't need full upper leather - it isn't doing all that much to me since I am not constantly scraping my boots on rocks. The only minor complaint, other than this seam issue is the heel support needs to be a little more like a cup, contoured to the heel. It puts a bit of a stress point at the roundest part of the heel and doesn't come back in, higher than the roundest part. I don't know if this makes sense, but that's be best way i can describe it.
I would prefer a goretex hybrid type of hiking boot/running shoe. Still mid length, but mesh fabric like a light trail runner for the most part and an aggressive enough tread. So, looking around there are many boots that fit this category, but none that stand out as the one and only. I am leaning towards the Lowa Zephyr, a lighter boot than the Renegade. I can't find anyone that offers these online from Canada - I already know what size I would take from my current Lowas.
Another appealing option is the the Adidas Trek GTX looks like it would be great for my needs. I have been waiting for shopadidas.ca to get some in stock but unfortunately it looks like they won't get stock in early enough this year for me to pick up a pair for my trip. I would have ordered some from a shop in the states, some of which which just got some stock in, but it's too late when all the cross border time is figured in.
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