The midsole is made from Lowa’s brand new DynaPU+ flexible cushioning. There’s also a Vibram Rock Trac Sense outsole, a versatile sole unit that is designed to cope with multiple terrain thanks to special triangular profile lugs. These provide a good balance of contact grip and traction on looser surfaces. Most importantly from an eco- perspective, however, is that the sole unit is cemented to the rest of the boot. This means that at the end of its life, the sole can be replaced, effectively prolonging the boot’s lifetime and thereby ensuring additional sustainability through longevity.

Construction and Performance

The Trek Evo has all the features we’d expect from a premium three-season boot. In addition to great traction, cushioning and support, you also get a precise fit thanks to independently adjustable lacing zones, one on the forefoot and one on the upper. This allows the wearer to dial in an individualised fit and tweak the different lacing zones as desired for personal comfort and different foot anatomy. This is further augmented by Lowa’s X-Lacing tongue stud, which is designed to hold the tongue in place both vertically and horizontally. This prevents slippage, reducing pressure points and blisters. The X-Lacing also ensures that the pressure of the laces is transferred not just to the hooks but to the tongue as well. It sounds simple, but it’s not a feature that we’ve seen other bootmakers adopt, and it does seem to work.

When it comes to performance, the Trek Evo is a very honest boot that delivers solid stability and grip on a wide range of surfaces. It has a fairly flexible sole unit that encourages a rolling gait, ideal for all-day comfort and high-mileage days. However, there’s still enough stiffness to make this a good three-season performer, even on more technical ground.

“They’ll likely outlast most other boots in this category.”

Despite the marketing blurb, we’d describe it as a welterweight rather than a featherweight. It’s certainly not heavy or cumbersome, but equally there are lighter boots out there from brands like La Sportiva or Inov-8. There are few, however, that feel as sturdy or supportive, and even fewer that are fully resoleable.

Verdict

Lowa are to be commended here for producing a boot that caters to the demand for vegan-friendly footwear, but especially for making a modern synthetic boot that can be resoled, just like the all-leather boots of old. That not only makes them better value, but also increases their overall sustainability, since they’ll likely outlast most other boots in this category. After all, extending the effective lifespan of a product is one of the best ways to minimise its overall environmental impact, by extracting maximum value from the resources and materials consumed in its production