Lowa Irox GTX (w’s Lyxa GTX)

Our take Sometimes, you want a light boot for trail feel. Other times, you want an armored car for your feet to bash through whatever comes. File the Irox in the latter category. These boots are truly all-mountain winners—our testers loved them when they were scrambling over loose rock and kick-stepping up snowfields. Credit the board-lasted construction, which uses a stabilizer the full length of the boot, instead of a shank under the arch. Our female testers were particularly impressed. “I carried 45 pounds up Utah’s 11,132-foot Mt. Superior’s unmarked climbers’ trails to scout some photo spots, and felt very sure-footed,” one says. “They are heavier than I typically like, but the support was amazing for big loads.” Note: Expect a short break-in period for these all-synthetic hikers.

The details Testers liked the locking eyelets, which let us dial in fit across different areas of the foot. The women’s Lyxa is designed to hold narrower heels more snugly.

Trail cred “On the twisty, class 3 scramble to The Riviera in Boulder Canyon, I felt steady and balanced in these,” one tester says. “I had control on the downclimb, too, even when it turned to loose gravel.”