Comments on: The North Face Ultra Trail Shoe Review

By: David Henry

David Henry — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 21:09:15 +0000

In reply to Jeremy.

Thanks the comment Jeremy! Definitely a faulty upper on the original version of these. I have since tried version 2 here: http://www.runningwarehouse.com/The_North_Face_Ultra_TR_II/descpage-NFUT2M1.html and they are a big improvement and I can’t imagine getting holes in the material they use. They are a full ounce lighter with no change to the midsole or outsole, just a lighter upper. Pretty nice light trail shoe. -David

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 19:31:08 +0000

In reply to Scott.

I know this is an old article but I thought Id comment. I purchased these shoes in late July. The fit and comfort are fantastic…love them for that! However, I developed holes in the mesh as well. I wore them around town and also for a week on a trip to Disney World….no trail running at all. You would think think trail running shoes would be more durable. I have since my back and am hoping for a warranty replacement.

By: David Henry

David Henry — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 18:00:53 +0000

In reply to Kostis.

Well, as I said at the start of the article, I haven’t found “The Shoe” yet, but the best all around shoes I’ve run in for trails are probably, inov-8 F-Lite 240 (standard fit), Nike Kiger 2, and inov-8 Trailroc 245. Each has their own drawbacks currently so they don’t fully meet all of my expectations for that perfect all around shoe, but they are the best I’ve run in so far.
inov-8 has a new shoe coming out in a few months called the Race Ultra 270 (which is a lower/lighter version of the Race Ultra 290 which I really like, but is just a tad heavy some of the time). Stay tuned on Runblogger for a review on the Kiger 2 and hopefully an article in which I detail some of my favorite shoes of the year. Happy running.

By: Kostis

Kostis — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 16:30:12 +0000

Hello! Very nice review. By your experience, which brand/model covers better the term “The Shoe” as you describe it? Thanks you very much!

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 12:32:14 +0000

Hey there, I bought these shoes before I went on honeymoon in Europe just walking mainly on the street, and the little hole you found in your shoe? Well after two weeks in Eurpoe (wearing them right out of the box at the beginning of the trip) the upper mesh material on mine are FULL of holes. I honestly stopped counting them and now I’m afraid the mesh is just going to completely fall apart. I should have kept the receipt (I stupidly didn’t). $110+ tax and two weeks…and they look awful now. Just wondering if yours developed any more holes?

By: David Henry

David Henry — Fri, 23 May 2014 02:52:50 +0000

In reply to Austin Bonds. Thanks for the response Austin. Looks like you've got a good review on your blog and I would generally concur with your thoughts on it. Like I said in the review, the shoe is a little chunky in the heel for me and a hair under protected in the forefoot, but it has a lot going for it. Your right about the trail market becoming more crowded with decent options. It definitely raises the bar for future models and allows us shoe geeks to nit pick much more on shoes that 3-4 years ago would have been best in their class. Hope your running is going well.

By: David Henry

David Henry — Fri, 23 May 2014 02:49:12 +0000

In reply to Carsten. Thanks! Also, thanks for the info on the carbon black. I'm sure you know more than myself on that and all I know is simply from my and others' experience.

By: Austin Bonds

Austin Bonds — Fri, 23 May 2014 01:17:06 +0000

Thanks for the review David. Having just seen your review of The North Face Ultra shoe today, I found that you seemed to write about what I thought of the shoe as well. I recently got this shoe and ran 15 on a local park trail a few weeks ago – it felt great under foot. I’d be curious to see what your thoughts are on my take of this shoe on my blog post about it. All the best in your upcoming races this year.

By: Carsten

Carsten — Thu, 22 May 2014 07:36:22 +0000

Nice review David! You might be onto something with the durability of black vs. other coloured outsoles. For tires a substance called carbon black has traditionally been used as a measure to increase wear resistance and durability. As the name implies it also gives the tires their color. Carbon black has also been used in other rubber products to achieve the same gains. While carbon black in tires is more and more replaced by other substances with even better properties it might be fair to assume that these might be dark in color as well as thats what the customer is used to. Or Vibram really still uses carbon black.