Details
Brand
The North Face
Heel To Toe Drop
8mm
Breathability
6.8/10
Latest Version
Yes
Terrain
Trail
Type
Neutral
Upper
The upper of the North Face Ultra Endurance is pretty tough, it is build of synthetic leather and mesh material so your foot could bread. The great feature of the upper is that will protect your feet very well. You could even hit a smaller stone and upper would protect your foot from any kind of bruising or bleeding, yes, you will feel the pain, but nothing more.
Midsole
The midsole of the North Face Ultra Endurance is neither soft or firm, it falls somewhere in between, It features EVA cushioning. Also, it features the Snake Plate technology which should protect your forefoot from sharp stones or roots. But in the case of North Face Ultra Endurance it somewhat worked, if you run over sharp rock or roots you will still feel them. But it is better than having nothing, it will still provide you with enough comfort if you step on rounder stones or roots. Another problem with the midsole is that is very slippery, your foot will slide up and down when you run uphill or downhill, which can be a serious problem.
Outsole
The outsole of the North Face Ultra Endurance is made of Vibram MegaGrip and has arrow-shaped lugs. They are put in multiple directions for better traction while going uphill or downhill. Great thing is that whole outsole is one whole piece, some other running shoes build their outsoles with multiple places, that can cause faster deterioration of the material. But outsole on the North Face Ultra Endurance will last you for a long time, and the best thing is that grip that they provide is one of the best for running on tracks.
Breathability
North Face Ultra Endurance are not running shoes that will provide you with good breathability. Sure, the upper has built-in mesh, but because of the amount of the materials that are put in upper, there is little to no space for air to go through the shoe.
Comfort
North Face Ultra Endurance will provide you with is amazing, but with a catch. When you first time put them on you will feel amazing comfort, there won`t be a thing that would create discomfort while running. But after some time of running, you will feel discomfort, and the main reason for this is the sheer bulk and weight of the shoes.
Style
North Face Ultra Endurance is not pretty running shoes, one of the reasons is unimaginative design, and the second one is the bulky look of the shoes. If the look of the running shoes is something that means a lot to you, then North Face Ultra Endurance is definitely not the running shoes for you, and you should look somewhere else.
Durability
And this is the part where the North Face Ultra Endurance nails it out of the park. For some negatives that they have, this is best positive that you could find on any running shoe. They are so durable, if you want to break them down, you would probably have to run for thousands of miles. The materials are great quality and they will last, and there are so many materials on them, I really mean so many. They are a “tank“ for your feet.
Protection
This is another part where North Face Ultra Endurance knocks it out of the park. They provide you with the best protection that you could find in any running shoe. The impressively bulky upper will protect your feet from small to medium impacts, the outsole is also very durable and it will protect your feet very well, while midsole is not perfect, but it does the job better than most of the other midsoles on other running shoes. All in all a great package in protection part.
Responsiveness
North Face Ultra Endurance is very responsive considering the weight and bulk. They will provide you with enough responsiveness while running on trail uphill or downhill. Considering the sheer size and weight, they really do perform well in this part.
Support
North Face Ultra Endurance will provide you with great support. They will grasp your feet just enough to keep them in place. The one gripe is somewhat slippery midsole that will allow your feet to slip up and down when you run uphill or downhill. This is a major problem, but it can be fixed with some gel inserts which could improve traction inside the shoe. But that is only real gripe in support part.
Terrain
North Face Ultra Endurance are meant for the rough and challenging terrain, you will be able to run pretty much anywhere in nature, they provide enough grip and protection to let you run pretty much on any kind of trails, just don`t use them on the concrete trails, believe me.
Price
You can find North Face Ultra Endurance for the very affordable price. They won`t break your bank, they definitely fall in the best buy category because of their sheer quality and low price. It is really hard to find the running shoe that provides you with so much quality for such a low price. You should definitely keep your eye on them if you want a durable and long lasting running shoe.
Drop
A drop of the North Face Ultra Endurance is 8mm, which is close to standard drop, because of that you probably won`t feel the difference.
Stability
On the other hand, they provide you with amazing stability, there is pretty much no chance that you will lose the balance while you are running, they are just wide enough to provide you with great stability, and great outsole only helps to keep you even more stable while you are running. We all know how stability is important while running, no one wants to run and fall every few minutes because of unstable running shoes. But with North Face Ultra Endurance that won`t be a problem.
Flexibility
North Face Ultra Endurance is not very flexible, but that is for a reason. They were never meant to be very flexible because of their intended use. Sure, they feature some flexibility that will allow you to run uphill or downhill without any discomfort, but the flexibility is nothing special. But for this kind of running shoe flexibility is not the main feature, and as such, it takes the backseat of importance.
Traction
North Face Ultra Endurance provide you with great traction. The outsole is made of Vibram mega grip that features the arrow-like lugs that provide amazing traction. There is almost no chance that you would lose your footing while you running in them. Which is a very important thing, especially if you run uphill or downhill on a dirt trail.
Bottom Line
North Face Ultra Endurance are great running shoes with some bad choices in their design. They will provide you with amazing protection that will keep your feet safe on pretty much any terrain that you run on. Also, they provide the amazing traction and stability while running. But the weight could be a big problem for many people, also slippery midsole could cause some problems while you are running.;Comfort is great for short distances, but if you run for miles and miles, then you will feel fatigue in your feet because of their weight. Don`t get me wrong, they are great running shoes, but they are not definitely of everyone. They are for people who need a robust, long lasting and protective running shoe. Everyone else should look somewhere else. There is some greatness in the North Face Ultra Endurance running shoes, but for that, you need to forget for some shortcoming that it has. But if you looking for protective and durable running shoe that this one is definitely for you.
