LOWAMen's Zephyr GTX Mid Hiking Boot

Update #1: Currently deployed and the second these boots came in, I put them on. One day down and there is no break in period needed at all. The boots fit perfectly and are the lightest thing I have ever owned. They are not steel toe or reinforced toe. I would suggest these to anyone who has to be on their feet all day or for extended periods of time.Like walking on clouds.Update #2: 2 Months (Still Deployed) - I wear these boots for 12 hours a day. I am always walking on gravel and dirt. I have noticed some high wear where the front pad of the foot is. This is most likely due to the extreme uneven surface I walk on everyday. They are still extremely comfortable and I have had no problem running in them if I have had too. The tread is still great.Recently, it snowed for two weeks and we received over a foot of snow. Although, my feet were buried and the boots looked wet. My feet were as warm and dry as if I had been sitting on a beach all day. I did however have on synthetic wool socks too. The boots only took a few hours to dry out on the exterior, I only sleep for about four hours a night. When I awoke they were always dry, inside and out.The only downside is the boots do not breath at all. At the end of a day when you take your boots off. You are going to get a nice waft of stinky feet. This is extremely common with almost any type of boot though. Simple solution is to buy some boot powder.After wearing them in 90F and 0F (sub-freezing), I feel I can give these boots a personal hell yeah if you are thinking about purchasing them at all for just about any type of weather. Although, for deep snow traversing I would purchase the high ankle support version in order to prevent high snow levels from entering the boots.From anyone that enjoys casual hiking to extreme hiking or is military support to frontline operator. These are the boots to buy.Simply put second to none-------------------------------------------------Personal Ratings (1-5, 5 being best):Comfortability - 5 (second to absolutely none)Tread Wear - 4 (holding up against extremely uneven surfaces)Breathability - 2 (to be expected with goretex)Weather Conditions - 5 (astounding to keep feet dry in snow and rain, inversely feet are comfortable in extreme heat)

First off, Lowa is a great bootmaker. Great construction and great materials. They seem to fit my feet better than most brands. I have a narrow heel, and Lowa seems to be a closer fit among OTS footwear. As with all other Lowas I’ve owned, this is also a great boot for its purpose, which is moving fast. Great grip on dirt and loose rock on steep inclines, up and down. Good support.That said, I did a very rocky trail today and by the end my feet were wishing for a stiffer sole. These did good, but you’ll be feeling every one of those rocks by the end of the day. That’s not the shoe’s fault; it’s just a better choice for smoother trails. If you expect a lot of stones underfoot, this is a softer sole boot. Sometimes you want to feel the ground.

These boots look like they're much better made than the ones I've been wearing. If I were able to get these in the right size I think they'd be excellent boots. The medium size in these runs fairly narrow and no one seems to have wide in my size in stock.

If you only read one sentence of this review, let me make it count: Perfect boot. Good for wet environments, good for everyday wear, will do ok in the snow. I am a military guy that has worn boots for the last 20 years. I have never found a boot as light and capable as this one. I have a small, wide foot that doesn't fit into boots very well. This boot has been perfect right out of the box. It is comfortable enough to wear everyday and tough enough to put a full gaiter on and wear in the snow. I have submerged it fully into slushy ice water and stayed dry.I also took this boot to the mountains in early spring in Washington state. It was about 35 degrees. I walked in knee deep snow for about four hours. No gaiter so I was completely soaked after the first hour. I wore Smartwool socks with the Zephyr and my feet, although completely soaked, stayed warm the entire time. I got back to the car, wrung out the socks and wore the boots, still wet, to dinner in town. To be honest, I am thinking about wearing this boot to run the Tough Mudder in October in Washington state. This boot cleans easily, dries out quickly and is super light for the support that it provides. It is the only boot I have ever thought of purchasing two pairs just in case I can't find them in the future.