Lowa - Ranger III GTX - Chaussures de randonnée en test

For the last over 25 years I used only Lowa boots and I never felt the urge to search for other brands, for me they were perfect. I used to wear them around 100 day/year and found them supremely comfortable, sturdy, good grip and last forever. Each time when I discarded my old Lowa boots I felt like I lost a small part of myself, it was a connection that I never felt for any other shoes.
I bought the Lowa Ranger III GTX three months ago and I expected to fall in love again. If those are your first pair of Lowa boots, you can give them 5 stars and I cannot blame you. Amazing design made by people who know a thing or two about mountains, impeccable finish and seams, comfortable, light.
Probably the marketing department discovered that the "Most Valuable Client" are corporate people who use them on weekends, mostly on good weather, on maintained hiking trails etc. and they adapted them accordingly.
The leather is thinner compared with older models which affects the protection on impact, the insulation from cold, humidity regulation. Laces are thinner, the sole grip does not give me the same feel of confidence like my older boots. The general feeling is that it is a pretentious Chinese copy of Lowa rather than a sturdy quality German product and I doubt they will last even half that of my previous pairs.
It is time to search for small companies that do things that last, "old school" quality that assure sustainability, like Lowa used to do years ago.