There is always this possibility that I’ll find the perfect shoes!
With this mantra I went into shoe shopping again and I had some conditions in advance: I was at the research for light (yeah, not ultralight) boots because I had this not so good experience last year in the mountains with my trail runners and I wanted leather boots because it’s comfy and I’m still convinced that leather is giving me the best foot climate. And I don’t want to look on my feet all the time and be over-careful. That’s my reason for boots.

I have a two-weeks through-hike in spain ahead of me and I want to be sure to choose wisely.

The Lowa Wendelstein are …

• … very light for a leather boot (1031g/pair/41)
• … rather narrow and with that they should have been perfect for my narrow foot
• … beautiful. With their proportions, the brown leather and the red shoelaces they look just like my imagination of classic hiking boots grandpa style.
• … made in Germany
• … a wonderful piece of craftsmanship

• The sole is rather stiff and the cushioning is less than average.
• The sole has an excellent grip.
• My size is 40 and I chose the 41. I put my orthopedic insoles inside and they are slightly thicker than the original soft leather surfaced insoles. My toes have enough space on the top and in the front.
• The break-in is very long.

Finally I decided to go with my La Sportiva Core Highs (and get to know the Lowas better when I come back) because of trust issues:

• I’m not sure how long the break-in will take. Until this moment I have the problem of a very aching little toe after 15 kms. But I think this will be better when the leather gets smoother with time.  I don’t want to risk Cinderella-like foot pain.
• and because of better cushioning

 

Data Lowa Wendelstein:

kind of shoe	mid-height leather hiking boot
top	full leather, interior leather
sole	Vibram
price	210 €
drop	?
break-in	Very long, haven’t finished yet
weight/pair (size 41)	1031 g
waterproof	If you grease them well
marketing promises	Perfect mix between traditional craftsmanship and Innovation

Evaluation Lowa Wendelstein:

tested for	50 km
foot climate	*****
grip	*****
stability (sole)	*****
stability (top)	*****
protection	*****
comfort	*****
cushioning	*****
durability	***** (seams great, but I did not test it long enough)
toebox	normal to narrow width

• I wore them in the mountains and they were perfect for the rather rough and stony terrain. The grip is perfect and the climbing zone integrated in the soles are really functional. I didn’t have any difficulties with them on an 6km climb + 4km decent
• I wore them again on flat forest terrain and again my little toe hurt and was very red after only 10 kms, despite of my narrow foot. Will this ever stop? I don’t know.