The North Face Rucky Chucky GTX XCR

What Are They For?

The Rucky Chucky GTX XCR is TNF's Gore-Tex lined version of the standard Rucky Chucky trail-running shoe designed to be able to cope more effectively with off road running in a wide range of conditions and temperatures.

It's not a full-on fell shoe, more designed to be used on rough paths and offer a reasonable level of cushioning combined with decent stability on uneven ground. It's aimed at the majority  of runners who overpronate slightly and will benefit from some stability devices built in to the shoe.

The Techy Bits

The Rucky Chucky gets the full arsenal of The Nort Face's running shoe features. We won't go into exhaustive detail, but they include the X-Frame welding reinforcements for support from the upper - the X-shaped TPU bits you can see on the shoe.

Underneath there's an EVA mid-sole with different densities of foam to give selective cushioning, the forefoot has a Snake Plate internal plate to improve stability and protect from stone bruising and the Thrust Chassis has a medial post to help reduce over-pronation on foot strike. And then there's a waterproof and breathable Gore-Tex membrane.

In practice, what you actually need to know is that there's a lot of quite advanced technology in this shoe designed to increase stability and minimise any biomechanical problems.

How They Performed

We've been using the standard Rucky Chucky for a while now and find it a really capable off-road running shoe that you can also walk in. The Gore-Tex lined version is just as effective, but far better at dealing with wet ground, wind and snow.

We find the medium-volume last is snug enough to stop our medium British foot from swimming around inside the shoe on the trail and generally comfortable. There's enough cushioning for harder surfaces, but the shoe is still low enough and stable enough to work well on uneven terrain.

Underfoot grip has been good too with the Tenacious 'sticky rubber' of the outsole coping with pretty much every surface we've encountered including the recent snow, when the Gore-Tex lining was invaluable for keeping feet dry and comfortable compared to standard, mesh-uppered shoes. In really wet conditions water will generally still find its way in over the top of the shoe, but that's the case with all trail shoes.

Does all the technology work? We're pretty much the target market and the shoe was fit and forget. No issues, no problems, just a comfortable, stable and reasonably cushioned ride across all the trails we've run, even in the snow.

We'd also happily use them for a spot of lightweight walking, the synthetic nubuck reinforcements so far have coped well.

Verdict

So far we've found the Rucky Chucky GTX XCR to be a really capable all-weather, off-road trail shoe. It's not a fell shoe, but it still offers good stability on rough trails - it's not too tall - coupled with enough cushioning and underfoot protection for rockier terrain.

Buy if they fit your foot and you're after a capable, all-weather, trail-running and occasionally walking shoe with a decent blend of stability off road and cushioning.