Guide to The North Face
The North Face are known for their outdoor clothing, but also offer a wide range of outdoor shoes for walking and hiking. At the time of writing, we can see that Millets are offering big discounts on TNF gear online, so it’s worth checking them out after you’ve read our TNF guide.
When people think of North Face, they think of North Face jackets, fleeces, hats and gloves. As one of the world’s leading performance apparel, equipment and brands, The North Face has an enormous following in the outdoor community from walkers to climbers, mountaineers, extreme skiers, snowboarders and explorers.
Committed to pushing the limits of design, The North Face motto is to “never stop exploring”, so they provide all manner of performance outdoor gear so that you can push your limits. But, they also offer a growing range of North Face shoes, including walking shoes, hiking boots and general purpose outdoor shoes.
The North Face takes their name from the coldest, most unforgiving side of a mountain. Ironically, they started as a small mountaineering retail store in San Francisco’s North Beach neighbourhood some 40 years ago. But it was here that two hiking enthusiasts resolved to follow their passions.
A few years later, The North Face began designing and manufacturing its own brand of technical mountaineering apparel and equipment, growing into the outdoors brand we have today.
The North Face is renowned for their waterproof jackets which use a combination of their own Hyvent breathable fabric and Gore Tex in the high end models, as well as an array of excellent features. The M Venture jacket in particular is particularly good value for money, and when the weather gets really cold the Nuptse Jacket with a Nuptse Vest worn underneath will make sure you’re well insulated and warm.
For an avid walker like myself, North Face walking trousers are lightweight, quick drying and very comfortable. The fitting is loose enough for full freedom of movement, but without becoming baggy. Made from a tough nylon fabric they’re very hard wearing too.
So when it comes to walking, hiking and other forms of endurance exercise, you really can’t go wrong with a North Face jacket, North Face trousers and a pair of North Face shoes.
A lot of outdoor brands not normally associated with footwear (like Berghaus) are now starting to make shoes. After all, they make virtually every other piece of equipment of clothing you could ever need. North Face are no exception and I’d wager that over the years we will all see increasing numbers of North Face boots on the walking and hiking scene.
As you’d expect, the quality of North Face footwear is on par with their jackets, offering all the essential comfort and protection you’d expect as well as the good looks that come with any product from The North Face brand.
The latest North Face outdoors shoe is the North Face Hedgehog, which has received countless rave reviews. Much like Merrell multi-sport footwear, these Hedgehog shoes are designed for speed hiking, trail running and all manner of outdoor pursuits. So when it comes to walking for exercise and enjoyment, they would probably make for a very good walking trainer. Perfect for light strolls, taking the dogs over the fields and general walking, but without being able to offer the full support required from a specialist walking boot.
The Hedgehog XCR ticks all the boxes from offering a waterproof and breathable Gore-Tex XCR membrane to the low-cut Vibram outsole as well as a number of additional features for durability, fit, cushioning and comfort. All for a very reasonable price considering the amount of technology packed into the shoe. I’m sure we’ll have a pair of them to review at walking.org very soon
There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of North Face walking boots other than their Vindicator Mid GTX, which is an equally high performance product with the Gore-Tex membrane. But at this level of performance for this level of price, it becomes a choice between this North Face boot and the huge choice of similar Salomon boots. I think the choice then becomes a rather obvious one until North Face create a wider range of hiking boots for the hardcore walker.
As a brand associated with extreme sports The North Face has street cred, instant recognition and great looks for all of their products. Fortunately The North Face is no slouch when it comes to technical features and sensible prices either, so you most certainly get what you pay for. However, when it comes to walking their jackets and trousers are equally exceptional, as are their multi-purpose outdoor shoes. But when it comes to trekking, hiking and the need for more demanding types of footwear, it’s probably best to trust in more specialist outdoor brands.
Stay tuned for more brand guides over the coming months.
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