Lowa Zypher
I was approached by Kirk Rovinsky, Principal Merchant, Tactical Gear Now, Inc. / AFMO.com at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City, Utah, and asked to attend a meeting he had scheduled with Peter Sachs, head of Lowa USA. Naturally, I jumped at the chance. I have been wearing Lowa Task Force boots for years and have been a fan of the folks at AFMO for a long time. AFMO has always brought a unique perspective to this market and Kirk and I had discussed gear at great length on many occasions.
The goal of the meeting was to persuade Lowa to produce a new, lightweight, hiker-style boot for the US tactical market. This is very significant because up to this point, all of the Task Force footwear brought into the US market had been developed specifically for the European market and select styles were imported to America. At the time, the AL-X 88 was receiving a lot of interest in the Private Security Contractor community but it was really too light of a shoe for guys on their feet all day on concrete and wearing armor. However, Tudor Dragomir who was on hand as a representative from the factory in Germany, pulled out the new Zephyr which shared the AL-X 88’s unique styling but boasted a more robust mid-sole. The Monowrap construction makes the shoe feel as if the sole is hugging your foot and allows for increased stability at a lighter weight while the bi-injection Poly Urethane mid-sole further supports the foot and cushions it for those long days standing watch or patrolling.
After some rather lengthy discussions on what the market was missing and how Lowa could best fill such a requirement it was concluded that a Lo version of the Zephyr would be offered in Black for the LE, First Responder, and tactical training markets. Additionally, Lowa would offer Mid versions in Tan and Black which would come both with and without Gore-tex linings.
By SHOT Show in January of 2009 prototypes were available and began to start a buzz on the internet message boards. In this photo taken at the OR Summer Market in 2009, sits the civilian version of the Zephyr next to the Task Force model. Other than the color scheme they are virtually indistinguishable. Feedback from Lowa is that the civilian market is very interested in the Tan on Tan version of the boot. Additionally, Lowa has produced prototypes of a High version and plans to launch it in 1st Quarter 2010.
By now, we all know that the meeting was a success. Here we are a year later and several retailers are accepting delivery of the first Lowa Task Force footwear designed specifically for the US market. However, none of this would have happened if Kirk Rovinsky at AFMO had not listened to his customers and had a vision to provide a quality product to meet their needs. We are all now benefiting from his vision.
