Friday, 02 May 2014 11:01

The North Face Men's Hedgehog GTX XCR Shoe Reviewed

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Overall View
Comfort and support in a lightweight shoe ideal for orienteering, adventure racing and anyone needing to move fast over a variety of terrains.
Real World Test
We always struggle a little with the combination of lightweight and breathable, waterproof, linings, as they seem almost contradictory. The balance between weight and comfort is notoriously difficult to acheive, but with modern fabrics and billions of dollars of research, innovation and evolution weights are continuously reducing....some footwear brands emerging are almost barefoot!


With the TNF Hedgehog GTX XCR you get lots of protection at a relatively lightweight, but comfort seems to be the top priority. Although slightly on the narrow side compared to the MyOutdoots test foot aclimatised to the more generous Merrell, the Hedgehog GTX XCR proved surprisingly comfortable. The Mikeno sole took a little practice to get the most out of with its variable grip rubber but once accustomed to it the extra grip on heel and forefoot made scrambling over rocks easy. The footbed was soft but cushioning whilst the heel cup held the heel firmly in place. The innovative longitudinal arch wedge proved its value of steep descents, stopping the foot from sliding forwards, making the shoe ideal for moving fast just when you need to.

 

Price: £85.00

Weight: 926g

Colours: Black/Foil Grey, New Taupe Green/Nickel, Grey, Deep Water Blue/Foil Grey, Charcoal Grey/Sage Green, Dark Shadow Grey/Lantern Green, Coffee Brown/Algae Yellow

Features: Exclusive lightweight Vibram rubber outsole
Heel X-2 O2 air pod
Injection-molded TPU shank plate
Lightweight, compression-molded EVA midsole
Abrasion-resistant, bomber synthetic nubuck and breathable sandwich-mesh upper
Gusseted tongue
Northotic ergonomic footbed
Waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex Extended Comfort Range membrane

 

Pros: Good grip on variable terrain's once you got used to how to use it. Done up tight it can suffer from overheating even with the breathable lining.

 

Cons: Price, some boots are now approaching these light weights



Note: This article was restored from the archives. It's published creation date is inaccurate.