It is kind of strange to discover a shoe like the ‘L.I.M Low’ in the Trekking segment of the Haglöfs website. The swedes promote it as a light, accordingly fast, shoe for walking in the mounts. Developed with the assistance of big Japanese colleagues Asics, the idea of the ‘L.I.M Low’ is to hike fast and cater shield against rocks and hard-hitting territory with protective but slim sole as well as robust upper-materials paired with a proper toe guard.
When I first saw the boot I was intruded. I commonly like Haglöfs modest but characteristic chic. I’ve jogged the most recent copies of the ‘Gram’ series the last couple of years (Check THIS & THAT). I treasured the dense style and the overall light and style towards trail footwear. The up-to-date ‘L.I.M Low’ was somewhat new-fangled and diverse. Once I saw the shoe I wasn’t really thinking about hiking. It was more of a light and reckless trail running shoe for my likes.
So when I got the pair and unboxed it I was not really amazed that the quality and the weight (272 g each) was top notch. I was more astonished what the sole had to offer. In anticipation of a rough and forceful off-road sole I came across a relatively modest attitude towards off-road sole design. In general the shoe looked particularly aggressive and fast. But I wasn’t sure in what topography it would execute the best.
The first parts of my local examination circlet is regularly on cemented streets. Straight from the start I valued the flat style and the low cut. The sensation of the shoe while running is excellent. There is a real road-flat sense towards it. Trail shoes typically give me a hard time on the first parts of my test run but this one felt decent and accustomed to paved ground. After a couple of minutes and some strides later I hit the forest highway in the direction of the first single trail unit of my run. Still amused and confident to run the ‘L.I.M Low’ I ask myself why this shoe is destined to be a hiking model. Running in this kicks just feels right.
It is still a bit wet as it has rained the last couple of nights. So this is a virtuous set-up to exam the grip. I hoover towards a stone segment and the sole comes close to sliding. Still a contented feeling in tough and tricky conditions. As the sole design is not widespread and grippy the fairly soft sole material makes up for respectable tug. As I corner around some trees I feel that the mud ducked in and I feel a little bit unsecure. Nothing special as the shoe and traction is back quickly after an encounter with a puddle cleaned the tires.
There is a drizzly grass hill I have to climb for a bit. I’m a bit astounded when the ‘L.I.M Low’ feels like home. No slipping and sliding there. I grin as the shoe is a fun partner for this quicker run. My run takes me past rocky trails and more mud. Still I’m confused why this should be a hiking shoe. For me it would be wasted during a hike.
During the last couple of weeks where I used this shoe for about 180 kilometres the ‘L.I.M Low’ turned out to be a pretty solid all-day running shoe. It is light but the protection and cushion is still there and more than sufficient for my likes. Once more, Haglöfs offers a shoe that has top notch quality and is produced with attention to detail. I’m certainly looking forward to more miles in this shoe. It’s fun to have such a great all-rounder in the arsenal. This shoe could be easily used for speed-hike sessions as well as non-technical hiking but for me it feels right that this shoe is moved faster!
