Best of The North Face Trail Shoes For 2023: What We Know

Intro

We started out Day 1 at The North Face, and talked to Brett Rivers about the upcoming models in 2023. In the past, TNF hasn’t exactly been known for their stellar footwear offerings; they were first to market with a carbon plated trail shoe, but it was a bit of a flop altogether.

But after grabbing former Hoka designer Matt Head, who was the tip of the spear on the Tecton X (and earlier at Inov-8), it appears that TNF has really upped its game going into 2023. Our lead trail reviewer, Taylor, has been running in the Vectiv Pro over the last month or so, and said it would’ve won trail racing shoe of the year had it come out in 2023. Luckily, it comes out in January, so you can get your hands on that pretty soon.

So yes, TNF is launching a quadrant of Vectiv shoes to kick off 2023: the Summit Vectiv Pro, Summit Vectiv Sky, Vectiv Infinite 2, and the Vectiv Enduris 3, a standard trail running shoe with a TPU plate, which also comes out in January.

Upcoming The North Face trail shoes

Let’s talk about the good stuff. The Summit Vectiv Pro is a race day shoe with a full-length carbon-fiber plate that forks for more lateral displacement. You can actually see the wings of the carbon fiber extending on the outside of the forefoot, a design we haven’t seen before. The idea is that it offers more stability, but also– it kinda looks cool seeing those carbon fiber rectangles on the shoe.

The upper is hydrophobic, so it’ll shed water with ease, while the midsole features a proprietary blend of Pebax and EVA. It also has more room in the toe box this go around. Can we also give a shout-out to the Alphafly-like serrated laces? Always our favorite lace design, so we’re happy to see it on the trails. As I said, Taylor has been running in this shoe, and he thinks it’s a gem. It’s hard to disagree, considering TNF athletes Katie Schide and Kaytlyn Gerbin took the first and third spots on the women’s side at the 2022 Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc in prototypes of the Vectiv Pro and Vectiv Sky.

Our thoughts? The North Face looks to be truly taking their footwear segment seriously, which is a welcome relief after years of mediocrity. It’s exciting to see Matt Head at the helm of the design team, as he has a great track record of putting work into some exemplary shoes on the Hoka trail side. If our experience in the Vectiv Pro is indicative of the rest of The North Face range, then we can pencil them in as a legitimate contender for 2023.

The North Face Summit Vectiv Pro

STACK/DROP: 32mm in heel, 6mm drop
WEIGHT: 285 grams
RELEASE DATE: January 2023
PRICE: $220
NOTABLE FEATURES: Hydrophobic, integrated tongue, opened up the fit for more room in the toebox, update to vectiv tech. Full length 3D carbon fiber plate (forked with forefoot wings). Midsole is a proprietary blend of Pebax and EVA for maximum energy return and comfort. Serrated laces.

The North Face Summit Vectiv Sky

STACK/DROP: 23mm in heel, 4mm drop
WEIGHT: 265 grams
RELEASE DATE: January 2023
PRICE: $199
NOTABLE FEATURES: Mid-stack height with carbon-fiber plate and high-rebound EVA. Section of Pebax foam in forefoot. Integrated mesh upper. Ideal for Vertical K’s to ultras, with enough shoe to handle both.

The North Face Vectiv Infinite 2

The North Face Vectiv Infinite (top left)

STACK/DROP: 24mm heel, 18mm forefoot (6mm drop)
WEIGHT: 305 grams / 10.1 oz
RELEASE DATE: January 2023
PRICE: $169
NOTABLE FEATURES: High-rebound EVA foam. Deeper 5mm lugs on outsole. Built for rugged performance, appearing to a broader consumer base. Tongue wings ensure good lockdown.

The North Face Vectiv Enduris 3

STACK/DROP: 30mm heel stack
WEIGHT: 305 grams / 10.1 oz
RELEASE DATE: January 2023
PRICE: $149
NOTABLE FEATURES: Training day shoe with the most open fit. Built with 3D TPU plate. Built for light-to-moderate trails with 3mm outsole lugs. Tongue wings and 3D printed upper for good lockdown and security.

Watch the full walkthrough with Brett Rivers of The North Face on our YouTube channel!

Want to learn more about how our review process works? Check out this guide.