If you are looking for a great piece of footwear that can just about do it all, look no further than the LOWA Fortux GTX QC. This shoe, commonly called a speed hiker, is a mid-height waterproof trail runner and provides excellent ankle protection while remaining light and flexible. The rocker type sole really helps runners with that forward speed while the aggressive rubber outsole gives you great traction on any terrain. Waterproofness comes from the GORE-TEX™ Invisible Fit liner while the synthetic upper is woven microfiber. LOWA recommends the Fortux for trail running, ultra-marathons and speed hiking while emphasizing its comfort, traction and ankle support.
I was excited to try out the Fortux and put them to the test. I first wore them around town running errands and found them super comfortable. Next, I took them to the woods and spent some time doing some light hiking and fishing farm ponds. The large lugs on the outsole were perfect for keeping me from sliding down the slick banks of the lake and were equally at home climbing rocks and steep hillsides.
I next wore it to a shooting competition. But not just any shooting competition. I took it to the Annual Hornady Zombies in the Heartland 3-Gun Competition in Grand Island, Nebraska. I have shot this event many times and true to the Midwest in May, the weather can be nice, hot, cold, wet, humid or a combination of everything. The range takes place at the Heartland Public Shooting Park which is a great facility and extremely large with many different ranges. Depending on the weather, you will have to walk through dirt, mud, gravel and wet grass. When shooting the competition, you will have to run, maneuver over/around obstacles and shoot from unconventional positions.
This year the weather was wet and the conditions a bit muddy but not as bad as past years. The Heartland crew did a great job prepping the range, so the surface was actually pretty nice. We had to negotiate a variety of conditions from grass to dirt to gravel and the LOWA Fortux performed great. I had no traction issues running around the range and my feet stayed dry even when the shoes got really wet. I wish I shot as well as these babies performed!
I continued to wear them throughout the summer and still love them. I’m looking forward to getting them into the snow this winter! Lowa makes top notch footwear and the Fortux GTX lives up to their reputation.