Lowa Renegade II GTX Mid Review

The Renegade is one of our favorite light hiking boots. It stands out for having a rare combination of support and durability in a lightweight package. It also has a really cool look if, like us, you favor simple design without much flash. Check back in a few months to see how the Renegade compared to other boots in our review.

Testing it while wingsuit BASE jumping
I first used the Renegade on a BASE jumping trip in Switzerland. I was wingsuit flying off the North Face of The Eiger and wanted to become the first person to hike and jump it three times in a day. On the third jump, I saw that the last train of the day was already heading up the mountain. I changed my flight plan to land in front of the train. All went according to plan until, on landing, I badly sprained my ankle. I crawled up a slope from my landing spot to the train tracks and was able to get the train to stop, thus saving myself a VERY cold night at 8,000 feet with nothing for warmth but a parachute.

With a very badly sprained ankle, I decided it was time to upgrade from trail running shoes to hiking boots. A few other BASE jumpers with ankle sprains had recommended the Renegade because of its great support considering how light it is. I was able to wear large ankle braces inside the boots and continue jumping after a few days. The boots and braces salvaged my trip.

The Renegade then became my go-to BASE jumping footwear. Rather than wearing giant heavy boots that are a pain to hike in, I began hiking up in the Renegade, inserting ankle braces at the summit, then jumping. That way I got a light boot and good support.

I was the impressed the with the Renegade's durability. The test of any boot is if you can wear out the tread before you blow out the stitching. The Renegade passed the test.

Here is the video showing Swiss BASE and the three Eigers in a day