Running shoe technology meets trail shoe practicality in The North Face's new for 2006 fast movers' foot wear.
The North Face Hedgehog XCR - First Look
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Price:
£70.00
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Weight: 870 grammes (pair size
43)
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Features: Low-cut
Gore-Tex XCR lined trail shoe, exclusive Vibram outsole,
synthetic nubuck upper, gussetted tongue, AgION
anti-microbial footbed, compression moulded EVA mid-sole,
Heel X2O2 air pod, injection-moulded TPU shank plate. Also
available in a women's version.
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Comfortable, relatively light, stable trail shoe.
Gore-Tex liner can be
warm in really hot conditions.
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What's It For? Styled like a running show, the Hedgehog's is
aimed at 'fast-paced outdoor activities', so a bit of running, a bit
of lightpacking, a bit of rapid campsite cookery even.
Mostly though, it's a modern-looking, lightweight trail shoe that
you can also use for a bit of running if you're that way inclined.
The Techy Bits The North Face's footwear seems to get better
and more sophisticated every year and for the Hedgehog, they've
borrowed heavily from specialist running shoe technology. That means
an injection moulded shank, an air-cushioned heel and EVA
mid-sole.
There's also an exclusive Vibram outsole - above - with a whacky
tread pattern, including the little white bits which are flexy enough
to bend over with your finger... The uppers use synthetic,
abrasion-resistant nubuck and there's a Gore-Tex XCR liner for
waterproofing.
How It Works We reckon there are better trail running shoes
out there, including TNF's own excellent Ultra 103, so we've been
using the Hedgehog primarily as a lightweight walking shoe and so
far, we're impressed.
Fit is obviously very personal, but the men's is, if anything, a little on the
loose side. Otherwise it's a medium volume shoe that should go down
well with a lot of UK feet.
The combination of the EVA mid-sole and a heel air bag gives great
cushioning on hard, dry surfaces, but we were also impressed by how
stable the Hedgehog felt underfoot. That's down to a sturdy heel cup,
which keeps your foot firmly in place and lets you know what's going
on, combined with good lateral stability from the injection-moulded
shank. There's lots of comfortable lengthway bend, but relatively
little twist, which is how it should be.
The funky -looking sole is good and grippy on rock, hardpacked
trails and medium terrain though meets its match in really soft mud.
We'd expect the soft-feeling rubber to wear relatively quickly, but
that's part of the price you pay for grip. The same's true of the
cushioned EVA mid-sole.
Anyone who's used running shoes will know that EVA will pack down
with use and lose its cushioning properties and the same's true of
walking shoes, though lower impact means they should last longer than
runners.
The Gore-Tex XCR lining has pros and cons. It's great knowing that
you can splash through paddles without worrying about leakage -
though the low-cut ankle, also great for mobility - means you need to
watch yourself during those 'Singing In The Rain' dance moves if youre to avoid a puddly party for your paws...
The downside is that Gore-Tex can get too warm in really hot
conditions, so if you're off somewhere toasty, we'd probabably look
at an unlined trail shoe as a more comfortable alternative. Your feet
can produce around half a pint of sweat a day each, so it's asking a
lot of any waterproof liner to keep things dry in there.
Anything else? The gussetted tongue is a little narrow, which
means you need to arrange it carefully for optimum comfort, but
that's about it really. The laces glide easily for simple adjustment
and they even look rather nice.
Reasonably light, cushioned and comfy with decent underfoot
grip and excellent stability for a low-cut design, the Hedgehogs make
a classy lightweight trail shoe. We bumped into John Manning of TGO
the other day and he'd just walked the Lakeland 3000ers in a pair and
had no complaints bar the grippy sole which he caught on his other
shoe a few times...
Don't expect the cushioning to last for ever or sweat-free
performance in really hot conditions, but other than that, the
Hedgehog's a good choice provided it fits your foot shape.
Know more or want to?
If you'd like to add your own experiences of this
product check out our user review system and post your opinions to
the world. If you have questions you can mail
us direct, ask
Richard Gear or try a posting to our
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