By: Blonde Two

I do think it is fortuitous when a parcel of gear for you to review arrives in the post just as you are about to embark on exactly the right expedition in which to test it. This is exactly what happened the other day when B1 and I were packing to do a bit of wild camping on Dartmoor. Two pairs of brand new Women’s Lowa Renegade boots were delivered literally as I was deciding which kit to take with me.

I was particularly interested to try something from the Lowa range of outdoor footwear because they also make boots for the Army and the Army does a lot more walking than even Blondes do! We had a grand opening of the box, decided who would have which colour (we have the same size feet so I ordered different to save confusion) and after great initial first impressions decided to take our new Lowa boots with us to our Dartmoor camp.

Dartmoor surely has to be the very best place to try out any pair of boots and we certainly gave these Lowa Renegades a good workout. With their Gore-Tex lining, Vibram rubber Evo outsoles and impressive range of upper and heel stabilisers (parts of the boot that support your foot as you walk) they looked as though they would have been irritated by anything less, so we took them through the whole gamut of Dartmoor boot experiences:

We traipsed our Lowa boots through mud.

We waded our Lowa boots across fords.

We splodged our Lowa boots through peat bogs.

We balanced our Lowa boots on stepping stones.

We gripped our Lowa boots on tors.

We tested our Lowa boots in a river that just lapped over the top of them.

We had dry feet at the end of the day!!

Now there aren’t many new boots that can remain waterproof through all of those experiences. We Blondes should know, we undertake regular boot-bashing expeditions. I felt like apologising to mine by the end of the day but they didn’t look too unhappy, in fact they looked like they had been doing exactly what they were made to do.

After this initial resounding success, we will be taking our Lowa Renegade boots to the wonderful Isles of Scilly with us. There they will have to cope with four days of sand, salt water splashing and looking reasonably smart at the end of the day. They have passed the macho Blonde test, let’s see if they pass the girl-boot Blonde test with such flying colours!