Lowa Zephyr GTX Mid TF - WIN A PAIR!

[MrBane]

Lowa Zephyr GTX Mid TF - A look at the Lowa Zephyr lightweight boot - another robust and reliable boot from Lowa

WIN A PAIR!!
To enter, watch the goddamn video you bunch of scroungers.

​

Lowa has been kicking around (aha, see what I did there?) since 1923, and so if the ponies in the National had a pair of Lowa boots on, you'd probably chuck a few quid at it as a good bet. With the release of the Zephyr GTX Mid Task Force boot, it's another addition to a line of robust and reliable boots that...

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Change of tack - previous competitions were held in the Competition thread, because I'm OCD like that, but it was basically duplication. From now on, competitions will be held in the relevant discussion thread for that item, i.e, in here!

To win a pair of the Zephyrs, go read the article, watch the video (you've got nothing else more productive to do, admit it) and then putter back here and chat about them. Whoever has the best chat wins a pair, it's as easy as that!

@Helm you ****

 

[MrBane]

To start the ball rolling, I quite like Lowa although I often found the old black ones quite heavy. I used to wear, hmmm... was it the Elites? This'd be back in 2006 or so, I'm not 100% now, but I do remember that event though I had my size in them, every time I ran in the buggers I'd be guaranteed to lose my right big toenail.

Every.Single.Time.

That slow progression of nail death as it goes all black and 'orrible and you think, "****, I need to pull this off." and then you do, and realise that your toenails serve no ******* purpose and it's actually quite nice not having one. Then it grows back in, and then you go for a run, and then it gets blunt trauma and dies.

I stopped wearing them after the fourth loss!

That's the problem with footwear in general I find, just because it says 10, doesn't mean it's the ten you know and love. That's why I always quite liked Alt-Bergs custom build option, though more the idea as I was never able to get to the factory to do it.

I wonder if Lowa offer that, I'll need to check.

Anyway, I win the boots from my great dit so the rest of you can jog on.

 

[Sixty]

To start the ball rolling, I quite like Lowa although I often found the old black ones quite heavy. I used to wear, hmmm... was it the Elites? This'd be back in 2006 or so, I'm not 100% now, but I do remember that event though I had my size in them, every time I ran in the buggers I'd be guaranteed to lose my right big toenail.

Every.Single.Time.

That slow progression of nail death as it goes all black and 'orrible and you think, "****, I need to pull this off." and then you do, and realise that your toenails serve no ******* purpose and it's actually quite nice not having one. Then it grows back in, and then you go for a run, and then it gets blunt trauma and dies.

I stopped wearing them after the fourth loss!

That's the problem with footwear in general I find, just because it says 10, doesn't mean it's the ten you know and love. That's why I always quite liked Alt-Bergs custom build option, though more the idea as I was never able to get to the factory to do it.

I wonder if Lowa offer that, I'll need to check.

Anyway, I win the boots from my great dit so the rest of you can jog on.

Combine both of your recent threads and make yourself a wooden pair.

Alas, I have no boot dits, amusing or otherwise, but another good review Mr B.

 

[wheelchairwarrier]

If only I had feet,sigh. They do look really good but by different pricing on the colours ?
In this day and age the pricing is reasonable considering the reputation they have for longevity , why didnt we have stuff like this back in the day ? sigh.

Sadly no good for me, wont suit Mrs WW and stuff my Brother so dont consider this as an entry.

 

[MrBane]

If only I had feet,sigh. They do look really good but by different pricing on the colours ?
In this day and age the pricing is reasonable considering the reputation they have for longevity , why didnt we have stuff like this back in the day ? sigh.

Sadly no good for me, wont suit Mrs WW and stuff my Brother so dont consider this as an entry.

I think the colour pricing is probably down to trying to clear stock. The desert boots are a thing of the past now and I imagine there are numerous boot manufacturers with thousands of pairs that they had intended for the UK military private purchase market, but which they're now having to hope either the Walts buy, or re-direct them to somewhere else globally that there might be a market for.

As for the other part, just technology and demand vs supply I guess! We're at stage where we've fallen away from the silly prices of mid 2000's when private purchase was huge, and manufacturers were churning out new and wonderful designs every other day to snaffle squaddies hard earned beer chits. Everything's calmed down a bit and pricing has settled to reflect that I think.

Also, you and your bloody sympathy vote - you won a buff once!

@Sixty Make one up, that's what everyone else does!

 

[Helm]

I won some boots off Bane gen story. You know the address

 

[scalieback]

I’ve used Lowa for years now, going back to buying my first pair in the 90’s, being issued a set and of course the Desert Elite.

They are on issue in some places and of the pairs I have, I like the Lowa Zephyr the best, in desert of course, albeit I would slum it for a Coyote coloured pair

Boot dits? Not really. BCH mucked up my knees on the Nijmegen marches. Proffing waterproof desert Meindl. Got the Lowa Zephyr Mid Desert and have never looked back on my boot choice, preferring them even over Salomon 3D GTX for most treks.

You need an estuary accent to do a review. That bagpipe screeching takes a while to understand

 

[BugsyIV]

I won some boots off Bane gen story. You know the address

You'll never see them, one of his sock accounts that hasn't been active for eleventy years will win it like when he ripped me off for the torch competition.

 

[Sixty]

@Sixty Make one up, that's what everyone else does!

It was a dark and stormy night in rural Lincolnshire. The trip-flares went up. This meant only one thing: Charlie was coming through the wire. I reached for my Lowa Zephyr GTX Mid TFs and my Phased Plasma Rifle (in the 40 watt range) when I had a premonition. A preternatural sense that something was wrong.

I shook the left boot in a vain attempt to shift any detritus. Nothing. I lifted the right boot and the largest camel spider you can imagine dropped to the floor.

Etc. Etc.

Size 11 please.

 

[loofkar]

I recently received a size 44 pair of these from work. Felt too snug so went to the importer to try 44.5. The importer only had 45, which felt a bit big for my liking, so I returned them to the issuer. Much as the Zephyr seems impressive, At 60 and in civvie street I don't really need anything that heavy duty - the Columbia boots issued last year are lightweight and comfortable.
And anyway I can't understand a word MacBane says......

 

[BugsyIV]

I
And anyway I can't understand a word MacBane says......

Drink more Buckie and it all makes sense

 

[theoriginalphantom]

it's time to put on our boots of debate so that after a brief trip on the bus of review we can tramp along the track of discussion on Conversation mountain....

(C)RIchard Hammond possibly

 

[Electromagnetic]

The ARRSE advertising algorithm has a sense of humour today. On this very thread. What have you been up to? Clearly these go Higher rather than Lowa...

 

[mr_spudly]

I got my first pair of these years ago from Germany, a company in Manchester called Amac used to handle the defence disposal contract. Back then they where issue to German Police and came sized in the mondopoint system, they where a great boot comfort wise it was like wearing a training shoe.

 

[takemedrunkimhome]

Used to work in an army surplus shop and they had these in the MOD Brown in stock.
Would always take a cheeky gander at them every few days as they look ally and as we all know it does indeed save lives.
As for the boot from my experience it was super lightweight, tough and comfy (after trying a pair on before they all sold.) Should've bought a pair at the time.

Also as an aside a quick dit about Lowa themselves, as we all know an extremely good boot maker. There customer service is also top notch. There was a lad who had gone out to Batus with a pair and had basically ripped a 2 inch hole in the side whilst jumping out of or into a Warrior. Anyways we hadn't sold him the boots we were just stockists, we contacted the distributor who told us to send them back to them. We sent them back to the distributor who in turn contacted Lowa. Within a week a fresh, new shiny pair were winging their way to the lad. No hassle just get them replaced for the sake of reputation. Now that is service!

 

[mr_spudly]

The ARRSE advertising algorithm has a sense of humour today. On this very thread. What have you been up to? Clearly these go Higher rather than Lowa...

View attachment 388425

Are these the new boots for female recruits doing selection ?

 

[Daxx]

You can poke your Lowa boots. I'm still using a pair of desert Meindls I got issued at Chilwell in 2012.

 

[napier]

On TELIC 4 I was based out of the old Ba'ath Party HQ, moving to Old State Building mid-tour. It was a pretty cheeky tour and I had the pleasure to fight alongside some of the finest troops in the British Army. Occasionally I visited BGHQ at the Shatt Al Arab Hotel for o-groups, always alert for the ever-present risk of ambush by the JAM. At the hotel was a TA lass who, while not that pretty, had the fittest, tanned body I have ever seen. I would perve at her lithe sweaty figure as she did PT, skin glowing in the Mesopotamian sun as she ran around the camp. I would treasure this memory, carrying it back to OSB, where I would go back to my tent and w@nk like a chimp; sometimes I would even keep my Lowas on. (size 8s)

 

[W21A]

Not being the hardest charging soldier in the world I never felt a need for anything other than issue boots. However, I did have a pair of Zephyr GTX in the 90s which took me to the tops of a few Munros in the Highlands. A nice pair now would allow me to 'big-time' it at ACF annual camp. 'Ranger Green'. That will cause some confusion in Glasgow.


Edit. I did try a pair of Hi-Tech Magnums, but they gave almost no foot support, even in urban ops. The only place I found them useful was in camp - where you were not allowed to wear them!

 

[TamH70]

To start the ball rolling, I quite like Lowa although I often found the old black ones quite heavy. I used to wear, hmmm... was it the Elites? This'd be back in 2006 or so, I'm not 100% now, but I do remember that event though I had my size in them, every time I ran in the buggers I'd be guaranteed to lose my right big toenail.

Every.Single.Time.

That slow progression of nail death as it goes all black and 'orrible and you think, "****, I need to pull this off." and then you do, and realise that your toenails serve no ******* purpose and it's actually quite nice not having one. Then it grows back in, and then you go for a run, and then it gets blunt trauma and dies.

I stopped wearing them after the fourth loss!

That's the problem with footwear in general I find, just because it says 10, doesn't mean it's the ten you know and love. That's why I always quite liked Alt-Bergs custom build option, though more the idea as I was never able to get to the factory to do it.

I wonder if Lowa offer that, I'll need to check.

Anyway, I win the boots from my great dit so the rest of you can jog on.

edit.

I got my big toenails surgically removed a few years ago and it made a helluva lot of difference. My big toesie woesies don't hurt anymore. The toenails never fell out, to be fair, just were so ingrown that they nearly met round the back. Did you finally get yours yanked out by a professional?