I tested the Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo for a month, and now they are my go-to travel hikers

What if there were a pair of shoes that could get you up and down a trail, but also on your daily commute? Cue the Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo, low-profile footwear for any occasion, but with hiking and walking in its DNA.

We’re not talking serious, multi-day treks around the Annapurna Circuit. For that, you’ll need to consider the best hiking boots (and best women’s hiking boots). However, most of us aren’t regularly tackling tricky terrain while wearing a huge backpack. If you’re more likely to go hillwalking and you want footwear that you wouldn’t mind being seen in around town, what you want is a pair of the best walking shoes.

Versatile walking shoes (also called trail shoes) like the Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo are essential if you know you’re going on adventures, but you’re not exactly sure where and when. You might be backpacking in Bali, mostly lying on beaches, until someone suggests sunrise on top of a volcano. Or on a work-travel trip to hilly San Francisco, where a pre-Zoom walking tour is possible before logging on.

Designed for paths and trails, the lightweight and low-rise Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo are designed to keep feet comfortable and dry, with a flexible outsole, a rugged outsole and a Gore-Tex membrane for keeping moisture at bay. Here’s how we found the Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo during our month-long test.

Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo review

Price and availability

The Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo comes in two versions: the traditional laced version we reviewed and the speed lace version. The latter is known as the Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo SL.

In the UK, the Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo are sold in two colour schemes for men (navy/marine blue and black/olive) and three for women (smoke blue/slate blue, black/grey and desert/old rose), with half-sizes available (something that proved essential for this review).

The Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo retails at £170 in the UK and is available directly from Lowa. They’re also on sale at Hillmalaya (£153) and Snowleader (£107.99), though price and availability depend on size and colour. In the US, the Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo is sold on Amazon US for $209.

Specifications

• Fit: Medium
• Upper: Ripstop, GoreTex mesh
• Outsole: LOWA Fast Hiking
• Lining: Textile
• Weight: 790g (average across sizes)
• Available colours: navy/marine blue, black/olive (men), smoke blue/slate blue, black/grey and desert/old rose (women)

Design and materials

Any pair of walking shoes has to be lightweight. The pair we tested was size 10.5 and weighed 496g each, significantly less than most high-sided hiking boots, though not super-lightweight. That’s because they do have a sturdy rubber sole.

They’re built (in Slovakia, if you need to know) on the Lowa Fast Hiking sole, which has an arrow-shaped tread that points in both directions, specifically to cope with mixed terrain. Its all-important midsole is lightweight, but effective.

It’s crafted from DynaPU, a spongy polyurethane foam material that has plenty of give, but always pops back into place, so it’s excellent for cushioning. There’s also a LOWA Monowrap support frame around the outside of the shoe itself, which provides a cradle to keep feet fixed in one place.

As befits a shoe designed for summer hiking and all-weather travel, the Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo uses a full GORE-TEX lining for breathable wet-weather protection.

The choice between traditional laces and speed lacing is a matter of personal preference, which is why Lowa offers two slightly different products. Laces offer fine-tune tightness and are easy to fix/replace, whereas speed laces are fast, convenient, and easy to adjust, but they won’t suit all feet and are harder to repair.

Probably the most annoying thing about the Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo is the lack of colour choices. The olive/black pair we had was attractive, but it does look resolutely like a hiking shoe. What’s wrong with black all over? Mono colour is how you get proper versatility, in my opinion.

Performance and comfort

As someone who travels a lot and is up for any adventure, I’m always looking for products that have a dual use, so the Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo instantly appealed to me. I refuse to take bulky hiking boots on any trip only to use them once, but turning up at the airport in a pair of flip-flops is hardly my style either.

Choosing a shoe size is always a minefield, with every brand offering a slightly different sizing. As with most people, one of my feet is half a size larger than the other, so it’s always about finding a compromise — and trying on a few different sizes.

With that in mind, I ordered the Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo in two sizes, 10.5 and 11, and settled on the former. I also went for the traditional laced version because, although I love speed lacing for some footwear, when you’re hiking, it’s nice to be able to make adjustments to tightness. With speed lacing, there’s also a trade-off between tightness and pinching.

First, we took the Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo out for a walk around a city, with only flat surfaces to combat. It was a comfortable walk, with the shoes feeling nicely cushioned without being overly bouncy. Next was a short hike through country lanes and forests, down farm tracks and slopes, and across some rocks.

The Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo took all this in its stride, with plenty of cushioning, stability and grip when needed. They will feel too low-rise for some; there’s zero ankle support, so care is required, but that’s always the trade-off when choosing walking shoes over hiking boots.

Verdict

The Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo is a lightweight, low-profile walking shoe ideal for casual hikes, urban adventures and long-term travel. Would I take them up and down a big mountain where scrambling and climbing were required?

No – I would miss the ankle support – but for short hikes and long walks, the Lowa Maddox Pro GTX Lo are the ideal all-rounder for anyone looking for footwear that can handle almost anything.