Lowa Locarno GTX Lo - Women's Review

The Lowa Locarno is a leather hiking shoe that is durable and waterproof with a Gore-Tex membrane and classic styling.

Performance Comparison

A capable shoe for moderate hiking, this shoe has understated styling.

Photo: Laurel Hunter

Comfort

As your means of getting across trails, up mountains, and out into the wild, your feet need to be comfortable or the hike will be a short one. Materials that make up the sole of a shoe have a spectrum from cushioned to durable, and soles that are more durable tend to be less bouncy and responsive. Having some cushion (which EVA soles tend to provide), makes for a lower amount of foot fatigue. The midsole of this pair is constructed from a hybrid PU, making for a very solid feel underfoot. The insole is quite thin and provides very little cushion. After wearing the Locarno for a long day hike with a moderately heavy pack, our feet were tired.

That being said, it is equipped with padding on the collar and tongue and the leather flexes well. In terms of fit, this model is a bit narrow, especially in the toe box, and may not be a good fit if you like to wear a thick sock or need more room for your toes to splay and wiggle.

Padded tongue and collar provided some comfortable features.

Photo: Laurel Hunter

Support

The durable materials that make up the sole may not be the most comfortable, but they do feel quite solid and protective. The laces worked perfectly fine to secure a snug fit. The insole is molded to provide some arch support and overall, this shoe felt adequately supportive.

Traction

Sporting "Lowa Hybrid Trac" rubber on the outsoles, we were not particularly impressed with the traction on the Locarno. While it was adequate on rolling, non-technical terrain, the shoes slipped considerably on loose rock and icy conditions. With relatively shallow lugs, it also did not perform well in muddy conditions. If you hike on predictable tread in mild weather, the traction will suffice, but we would hesitate before taking these into steep and varied terrain.

The shallow lugs were easily defeated by spring mud.

Photo: Laurel Hunter

Weight

Weighing in at 1.56 pounds per pair for a size 7, the Locarno is almost exactly in the middle of the pack in terms of weight. This is surprising, considering the nubuck leather upper, as leather tends to be heavier than other technical materials. It's one of the lightest leather hiking shoes we've ever tested, forging a nice niche for those looking to drop weight without dropping the leather upper.

Water Resistance

Leather hiking boots, even when fitted with a waterproof liner, often absorb water while keeping the foot dry inside the shoe. As part of our bucket test, we weigh shoes before and after a ten-minute dunk to see if they are absorbing water. The Locarno GTXshowed no difference in weight, absorbing no water at all, and visibly beading water really effectively. Even the laces stayed dry, though they look like t-shirt material. Lined with an effective Gore-Tex waterproof membrane, if your feet get wet from this shoe, it is likely splashing in over the top.

Water beaded up on these nubuck uppers, making for no water absorption in our bucket test.

Photo: Laurel Hunter

Durability

As expected from a leather shoe, the Locarno shows little sign of wear after our testing period. The upper is double-stitched around the toe and heel for extra strength. We did notice some snagging in the exposed midsole but overall would anticipate this model to be quite durable over time.

We found a couple of small snags in the exposed area of the midsoles.

Photo: Laurel Hunter

Value

Falling at the top end of the price range of the shoes in our test, while performing only adequately in technical terrain, we feel that this pair is not a great value. However, it goes from trail to street more successfully than some other hiking shoes in our test, and that crossover trait may add additional value for some hikers.

While not inexpensive, this shoe can go from trail to city more easily than some others.

Photo: Laurel Hunter

Conclusion