If you’ve got an appetite for unlimited mileage, technical terrain and unchartered territory, the Innox GTX Mid from LOWA Boots is ready to satisfy your cravings. Spry and flexible as well as waterproof, the the Innox GTX falls is your definitive ticket to covering maximum ground in minimum time.
On Performance and Design…
Hiking means different things to different people, but for a growing number of outdoor enthusiasts, hiking is being redefined as a more athletic endeavor characterized by speed, efficiency and fitness. There are no official rules to “speed hiking” and definitions vary. However, at the end of the day it’s all about tackling the trail at a faster pace with the goal of gobbling up heavy miles and pushing your own personal limits.
Part of the LOWA ‘Speed Hiking’ category, the Innox GTX Mid features all the technical and supportive features of the traditional LOWA outdoor line, but in an impressively lightweight package. So whether you’re jogging downhill to take advantage of momentum, or sprinting across flat stretches of trail, this boot is designed to help conquer your fleet footed adventures.
In designing the Innox GTX, LOWA stripped back the bulky structure of more traditional leather clad hikers. Instead they’ve gone with a highly flexible synthetic upper for those who favor minimalist minded footwear with better freedom of movement than bulkier trail shoes. The Innox immediately won over our trail guru’s with a soft and comfortable fit that easily crushed a quick ten miler right out of the box with no blisters or hot spots.
Innox GTX still offers the technical features for which LOWA is known. Monowrap construction not only helps keep the boot light, but offers a supportive overall fit. The LOWA NXT outsole offers an outdoor-oriented tread profile that ensures dependable grip whether you’re trodding upstream, or sprinting through an isolated meadow in route to the summit.
And lest anyone think the synthetic upper can’t offer quality waterproof protection, the Innox is ready to prove you wrong. The Gore-Tex Performance Comfort membrane keeps you dry when you bushwhack through dew-soaked foliage at first light and then breathes to keep you comfortable when temps rise later in the afternoon.
Notes from the Trail…
The Innox may fall within the Speed Hiking category, but you don’t have to be efforting a speed record on the Pacific Coast Trail to enjoy these hiking boots. Anyone in search of an incredibly lightweight hiker owes it to themselves to give the Innox a try. Our test team likened its comfort level to a mountain ready moccasin with enough technical savvy to satisfy virtually any outdoor enthusiast.
It should be noted that the synthetic material makes the Innox softer than it appears. As such, the mid-cut version doesn’t offer the firmer ankle support some hikers may desire in a boot. Moreover, our wide footed trail junkie would have liked a smidge more room in the toe-box to help avoid some toe banging on downhill runs. That being said, for the occasional time on the trail which required us to break into a sprint; even the mid-cut Innox proved to be more comfortable than some trail running shoes we’ve worn in the past.
Bottom LIne…
Ready to pick up the pace? The Innox GTX Mid from Lowa Boots stays dry, light, and agile, no matter what trail conditions you’re facing.
*Gumption Gear Review received the product samples featured in this review from LOWA. The items featured were provided solely in exchange for testing the products and providing our honest views and opinions. We received no other form of compensation for this or any related review.