Customer Reviews Lowa Banff

Lowa Banff 11B - I initially ordered an 11 1/2B since I am a hiker and thought I may need more toe room, but found the boot is true to size and reordered in my usual 11B which fits well. The width and length are fine, the heel box is a bit wide for me and I need to get it out on the trail to really test it.

Too Narrow - I can only rate the fit. I wear a 4E in New Balance sneakers and the regular width in Birkenstocks. My foot did not fit comfortably in the wide version of this boot. I'd look elsewhere if you have a really wide foot.

1st time worn on a hike, no blisters - I wear a 9D in most shoes and found the 9 1/2 regular width to fit fine. No need to go to a wider width. The leather lining was surprisingly cool.

Steady performer - It's hard to find narrow (B) width boots for serious hiking and backpacking. These boots are a solid performer without a lot of gimmicky stuff on them. They were a little difficult to fit with my hybrid crampons. I would make the rubber rand go a little farther up on the toe for added protection. A good boot though, worth the investment.

Great boot for backpacking, wide width is not truly "wide" First of all, Zappos service is great. I don't think you can go wrong with these folks and they've always been courteous and prompt. I got my boots in two days. I'm an avid backpacker. New Mexico terrain is diverse but mostly rugged. Walking on barely maintained trails with baseball size rocks, tree roots, and boulder strewn trail slopes can punish your feet. I have never owned anything other than leather-lined midweight hikers but they are getting hard to find. Lowa's Banff is a nice hiking boot, equivalent to what used to be readily available years ago (Raichle). Lowa should let folks know that their wide widths for the Banff mean that the volume of the boot is "wider" but not the actual foot bed. A side-by-side comparison (I ordered the M and W) reveals that the insert and sole of the medium and Wide are identical. They have merely made the toe area "boxier". For folks like me who are marginally wide (2E), I'm better fitted for medium. I think 4E folks who do have a wide footprint might have a tougher time. Otherwise, it is a very nice boot and one of the few leather-lined.

Good for narrow feet- Previously, I owned a pair of Montrails, which never fit right. I liked the way that the Montrail's looked, and convinced myself that they would fit. Wrong! I tried different beds, double socks, etc., but I always got blisters on hikes of more than a few miles. I haven't taken these Lowa's hiking yet, because it's still winter, but I'm fairly convinced that they will not blister my narrow feet. I've been wearing them almost daily and they feel great. They are rugged boots, good for backpacking over granite, etc.

Backpacking Boots, Not Hiking Boots - "Wear them around town", like some people have said. Not. These boots are designed for backpacking - they have NO shock absorption and you can feel this on gravel trails let alone paved city streets. You'll likely need to buy some insoles and you will want some with shock absorption - NOT the highly-touted SOLE products which have good support but too little shock absorption for these boots. These boots also have almost no sole flex. Don't buy them for short day hikes with no pack weight: these are for backpacking with some weight! (Get what I am saying?) They are very good boots for their purpose but some people get that purpose confused. They also have quite large heel pockets in their "narrow" size. You'll spend lots of time customizing your fit if you have really narrow feet. But still, they are among the best candidates out there for narrow feet.

Good Backpacking Boot - First I want to thank Lowa and Zappos for having a heavy duty backpacking/mountaineering boot in size 13, narrow width. I cannot use a medium width boot and have support and comfort. The Lowa Banff give me excellent off the trail support with a heavy backpack. I use them with my hard orthodics so I can't comment on arch support.

Not for the wide of foot - As you see in the image of these boots there is a band of rubber running around the entire boot. This rubber does not seem friendly to the idea of stretching so far. I have had these boots for a month and I have worn them every day to break them in for the spring. If you have a wide foot, or foot break, so far I'd say check out something else. My understanding from other reviews is that there is no difference in foot bed width from the Reg to the Wide and that's where the trouble is- where the rubber won't give.