Review Date
December 30, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: kenloove(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker

Price Paid:  $200.00 at Orange County Sporti

Summary:
These boots are amazing. Everything about them. I had soles custom made with superfeet and a special fitting service. All in all these puppies are well worth every cent. I'll be using them for a month long NOLS backpacking course this summer. Breaking them in was a breaze and they are comfortable like none other.

Customer Service:
none

Similar Products Used:
none

Review Date
June 1, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: Merost(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Arizona

Price Paid:  $220.00 at Summit Hut

Summary:
I have a very hard time finding boots or shoes in general, that fit my feet well. The exception was these boots. I can't imagine that custom made boots would fit any better. I lace them up and they are like an extension of my foot. They have plenty of support for a heavy pack and on a pretty rough trail. They took very little time for me to break them in. I am so impressed with them that I am considering buy another pair already (my pair are only 5 mos old) for fear that they will stop making them.

Customer Service:
Haven't need it.

Similar Products Used:
Merrel, Technica

Review Date
October 13, 2000

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Reviewed by: Stephen(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Kent, WA

Price Paid:  $220.00 at REI

Summary:
The third time I ever laced up the boots an eyelet pulled out of the leather causing them to be worthless. I feel like it was only for that specific pair. Returned them and deceided to go with a diffrent brand just in case.

Customer Service:
No experience with Lowa but REI took the boots back without any questions.

Similar Products Used:
Asolo 535's-great boots.
Merrel Ranger II's-great boots.
Just wanted to try a Gore-Tex boot this go around.

Review Date
July 26, 2000

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: Brent(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Tucson, Arizona

Summary:
These are the first pair of Lowas I've ever tried, and I'm now a convert. I've always had trouble finding a pair of boots that fit my narrow, low-volume feet (size 12), especially with enough arch support (I have high arches). Asolos are the only other boots that ever really fit my narrow feet well, but they just can't compare as far as arch support goes. These boots just seem like they were made for me. I just finished a 5-day backcountry trip up on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and, aside from a couple of blisters on the underside of each of my big toes, I never even thought of my feet as I lugged a 55+-pound pack up and down a series of 1000-foot switchbacks. This is especially impressive given that I had barely had time to start breaking in these boots before I hit the trail -- just a week of wearing them around the office and the house. In fact, the toe blisters were really more a result of my feet not being properly broken in rather than the boots -- this was my first full-blown backpacking trip in quite some time, and my feet lacked the trail-mileage calluses that they once sported. These Sareks are also the most expensive boots I've ever bought, but they were definitely worth it -- the quality is far higher than any other boot I've other tried, and that's why giving them a 5-star value rating despite their price. Everything about these boots oozes quality, from the really cool, new lace eyelet design to the great ankle support and near-perfect balance between flexibiity, ample stiffness, and underfoot cushioning. After several 15-mile days of rocky switchbacks, these boots are virtually unscathed (thanks largely to the top-notch full rand). I didn't get a chance to really test the Gore-Tex lining since the trail conditions were exceptionally dry, but I'm confident that these boots would keep me dry through the wettest of routes. Now that I own these Sareks, I can't imagine wearing any other boot. The only drawback to these boots is that they're somewhat hard to find (I got mine at Summit Hut, here in Tucson), but they're well worth hunting down.

Similar Products Used:
Many different Asolos, Tecnica Voyagers, Salomons