The Lowa Sassa GTX Mid Ws is a category-B shoe and made especially for the women foot. It’s got a half-height shank for mid-mountain hikes with a not too heavy backpack. Read the review or watch the video!
- Price: € 199,95
- Weight: L 492,4 gr R 512,5 gr (size 5.5)
- Sizes: UK 3,5-9
Fit
The fit of the Lowa Sassa GTX Mid Ws in the Normal version is for normal feet. It is also available in an S with less volume at the forefoot and a WXL with more volume at the forefoot. This lady shoe has a last specially adapted to the anatomy of the female foot, which means mostly a narrower heel.
Construction
The Lowa Sassa GTX Mid Ws is mainly made of suede leather with a 3-D stamp pattern on top of it. The tongue and the back of the shank have some synthetic inserts. This provides the necessary flexibility. The shoe does not have a special bumper all around, although the sole and midsole do offer the necessary protection. The nose and heel have rubber reinforcements. The one at the nose is rather long, almost up to half the shoe. Lowa has provided the shoe with a Gore-Tex membrane to make it waterproof and yet breathable. The outsole under the Sassa is a development of Lowa itself: the Elika Grip. The construction of the sole is sturdy and the bending point lies nicely under the forefoot. The shoe is resoleable.
Putting on
Putting on the Lowa Sassa GTX Mid Ws is easy. You can fold the tongue far away, which allows you to fold the shank wide open. The male version – the Ledro – has a draw loop on the heel collar but since the Sassa is a bit lower I don’t miss it. My feet slide in easily in the shaft. The laces run through a loop in the tongue so that it does not sink sideways. The eyelets on the forefoot are suede and nylon loops, some of which are covered with suede. On the shank they are made of metal. The closing of the laces runs smoothly and the laces remain in place.
The Sassa has one lacing hook less on the shaft than the Ledro. Nylon eyelets are as strong as metal ones.
Lowa Sassa GTX Mid Ws Practice
The Lowa Sassa GTX Mid Ws are real mid-high shoes. The sole may be nice and stiff but because of its good banana shape, the slightly rounded heel and the flexpoint that lies nicely under the forefoot they walk very comfortably. The shank is softly padded and that feels good too. However, the shank is slightly less sturdy than you would expect from a B-shoe, which means that the support to the ankles is also slightly less.
When you are well trained, you don’t miss the support though. I made several hikes on these shoes in very different circumstances. In the Italian Valle Maira the mountains were high and quite steep. The nature reserves in Sweden are gentler but I made one hike that was 26 km long in one day. And off course I used them in my back yard, the floodplains along the river Waal. I never had any blisters or extreme tired feet.
It is also striking that the high tongue in combination with the flexible shank at the front slightly opens up making it easy to get grass in your shoe. Of course, only if you wear shorts; with a long pair of trekking pants it won’t bother you. With the recently tested Fjällräven Abisko Trekking Tights grass sticks behind the tongue too…
The protection of the shoes is very decent. The outsole provides good grip on wet and dry. Nice are the lugs at the toes. These provide a lot of grip when climbing. The heel has a good brake; fine when descending. The tread is slightly less deep than average. The Gore-Tex has proven itself to be waterproof. The wading height of the shoes is – despite the Mid-high shank – still 11,5 cm.
The heel has a nice hook that grabs the ground when descending. The Lowa Elika has a nice grippy profile under the toe.
Verdict
The Lowa Sassa GTX Mid Ws are Medium-high Mountain hiking boots. The shank itself is comfortable but rather flexible, giving a little less support to the ankles than you might expect. The outsole, on the other hand, is sturdy and is a solid platform for long days in the middle mountains with a well-stocked backpack. The outsole offers good grip on wet and dry and the lugs under the nose help in the ascent; the heel with brake when descending. The suede upper is very resistant to damage and so is the rubber at the nose and heel. The entry of the shoe is very easy. The Gore-Tex lining makes the shoes waterproof. Sweaty feet won’t bother you when the weather is not too hot. The fact that the shoes can be resoled ensures that the slightly less tread depth is not a problem. The price of € 199.95 is fine. I rate the Lowa Sassa GTX Mid Ws at 9.1 out of 10 points.
- Price: € 199,95
- Weight: L 492,4 gr R 512,5 gr (size 5.5)
- Category: B
- Upper: Suede/Synthetic
- Membrane: Gore-Tex
- Outsole: Lowa Elika
- Resoleable: Yes
- Fit: Normal to wide full feet*
- Sizes: 3,5-9
- Mens model: Lowa Ledro GTX Mid -> Click here for the full review.
Information Europe: www.lowa.de
Information US: www.lowaboots.com
Information The Netherlands: www.lowa.nl