The North Face Vectiv Enduris 3 Trail Runner Review

The North Face Vectiv Enduris 3 is a maximum cushion trail runner with a highly rockered (curved) sole that is designed to channel your momentum forward and make walking or running easier. They have a wide toe box that provides plenty of room for your toes to spread and splay out, resulting in a more natural stride. The uppers of the Enduris 3 are made with a porous nylon mesh with a fine weave for drainage with printed overlays that help reduce abrasion. The upfront toe protection is adequate for walking or hiking on easy trails, but not really tough enough for more challenging terrain.

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• Best Use: Walking, hiking, trail running
• Gender: men’s (women’s available)
• Trail-Running Shoe Type: Light-Trail
• Cushioning: Maximum Cushioning
• Heel-to-Toe Drop (mm): 6
• Heel Stack Height (mm): 31
• Forefoot Stack Height (mm): 25
• Footwear height: Ankle
• Closure: Lace-up
• Upper: Textile
• Dual-density 3D TPU plate
• Outsole: Surface CTRL rubber
• Rock Plate: No
• Weight: (pair): 1 lb. 5.7 oz.
• Sizing: I found them true to size

I decided to try these Vectiv Enduris 3 Trail Runners after using The North Face (200g) Vectiv Fastpack 200g Insulated Mids last shoulder season, which are also highly cushioned and have a rockered sole. Those are very lightweight insulated winter boots that feel more like trail runners and share the same rockered sole design as the Enduris 3.

Cushioning

The North Face Enduris 3 is a heavily cushioned trail runner that provides even more comfort and shock absorption than the maximally cushioned Altra Timp that we reviewed recently. In comparison, the Enduris 3 trail runners feel like you’re walking on air and the rockered sole puts a little extra spring in your step, particularly on pavement or well-manicured trails where you can open up the throttle and hike fast.

While the cushioning, which I consider fairly extreme, is a little disconcerting on more rugged trails, because it masks the irregularities of more challenging terrain filled with roots and rocks, something I find helps my balance because I’m getting more feedback through my feet. But I can see how that would be advantageous if you predominantly walk in an urban environment or on pavement. I prefer more trail feel and a slightly lower stack height so I’m closer to the ground.

Toe Box

The Enduris 3 Trail Runners have a wide toe box that lets your toes splay out so you have a more stable and balanced gait. The toe box width isn’t exaggerated like the wide toes box on the Altra’s Lone Peak Trail Runners, but it is quite roomy and doesn’t impart the same clownish profile that you find on many Altra models. Narrow toe boxes can exacerbate long-term foot health and, over time, contribute to painful or annoying foot trauma such as Morton’s neuroma, metatarsal pain, hammer toe, and even thickened toenails. Using a hiking shoe with a wide-toe box pays dividends in avoiding such maladies as you get older.

Stability

The Enduris 3 is a stable trail runner, particularly after you adjust to its stack height of 31 mm. Its cushioning extends out along the sides of the toe box and heel giving the shoe a much wider profile that resists rolling. The North Face has included a separate rigid layer, a 3D TPU plate, between the upper and the midsole, which stiffens up the heel and mid-foot to counterbalance the cushioning. This works well even though the heel cup is very soft and malleable with limited rigidity,

Protection

As a hiker or runner, it is important to have a shoe that is going to protect the bottoms of your feet. You also want a breathable upper that allows your feet to ventilate while keeping out particles of mud, sand, and grit that will wreak havoc on your socks.

The thick cushioning in the Enduris 3 sole provides great shock absorption even though the shoes do not have a rock plate. But there isn’t a substantial toe kick at the front of the shoe, only overlays, which protect the upper from abrasion rather than providing much protection for your toes and toenails. This relegates the Enduris to easier trail conditions and urban walking.

The finely pored breathable mesh of the upper does a good job of preventing coarse sand and grit from entering the shoe. The mesh fairly well but dries less quickly, particularly at the front of the shoe where the toe box is entirely covered by an extra overlay, ostensibly to prevent abrasion in the front of the shoe. That’s good for durability, but bad for ventilation and dry time. If you need trail runners that dry overnight, look elsewhere.

Sole and Lugs

The Enduris 3 soles are heavily rockered meaning that they curve upwards and get thinner in the front. This is a nice feature that makes walking on more uniform surfaces easier and lets you harvest the momentum of forward motion. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s a nice feature on a fast walker or shoe that can be used for actual running.

The Enduris 3 lugs are 3.5 mm in length which is on the shorter side of the spectrum and more appropriate for easier and drier trails where heavy-duty traction is not required. The lugs are bi-directional including ones with a reverse orientation on the heel for braking while the rubber is fairly soft. Given the thinness of the outsole, you can expect these shoes to provide 300-400 miles of use before they need replacement,

Recommendation

The North Face Enduris 3 is a maximum cushion trail runner that is best used on easy trails and pavement in dry conditions. Walking in the shoe feels like you’re walking on air (or in your bedroom slippers) which is great if you need to reduce impacts on your knees on hard surfaces. The shoes are quite stable despite the cushion, with a flared heel and wide toe box which is good if ankle rolls are a concern. But I wouldn’t recommend the Enduris 3 for more challenging trails because they don’t have much upfront toe box protection, they dry relatively slowly when wet, and their stack height and cushioning mask the trail feel that is desirable in more rugged terrain.

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