In 2022 the highly reputable household outdoor and adventure brand, The North Face, released an extended trail running shoe range which saw their original VECTIV edition grow into 3 new specialised shoes - VECTIV Infinite, VECTIV Enduris II and the Flight VECTIV.
Over the past couple of months I have been fortunate enough to put both the Infinite and Enduris II to the test. It is worth noting that these shoes look incredibly similar with the only noticeable difference you can see with the naked eye is the more cushioned heel cup on the Enduris II.
My first impression when laying eyes on both pairs of shoes was that they looked fast!! You can not miss the obvious midsole rocker. This had me intrigued but it was also clear what The North Face intentions were with these shoes, to create a fast, high performance, durable and comfortable trail running shoe.
Before I jump into my personal experience in these shoes, take a look at some of the comparable technical characteristics of each shoes:
VECTIV Enduris II
Technology Features
Upper| Breathable air-mesh upper for comfort and an adaptive fit
Soft, padded tongue for long-lasting comfort
No-sew TPU overlays at the toe and heel for lightweight protection
Internal heel counter provides support and a precise fit
OrthoLite® X55™ footbed made with 5% recycled rubber content
Sole Unit| VECTIV technology designed to help maximise energy on the trail
Dual-density 3D TPU plate underfoot helps with multi-directional stability and forward propulsion
Rocker midsole geometry engineered to create long-lasting forward propulsion
Super-lightweight and responsive dual-density midsole
Stack 31mm/25mm
6 mm toe-to-heel offset
Surface Control™ rubber outsole optimised for trail running
3.5 mm lugs for a rugged grip across all types of terrain
Weight 309g (M), 275g (W)
Infinite Features
Upper| Abrasion-resistant and super-durable full-length Matryx® upper made with Kevlar® and polyamide yarns
Perforated microfiber tongue for more breathability
3D-moulded heel counter
Perforated microfiber tongue for additional breathability
OrthoLite® X55™ footbed made with 5% recycled rubber content
Sole Unit| VECTIV technology designed to help maximise energy on the trail
Dual-density 3D Pebax® plate underfoot helps with multi-directional stability and forward propulsion
Rocker midsole geometry engineered to create long-lasting forward propulsion
Lightweight and responsive dual-density midsole
Stack 25mm/19mm
6 mm toe-to-heel offset
Surface Control™ rubber outsole optimised for trail running
3.5 mm lugs for a rugged grip across all types of terrain
Weight: 307g
I first tried out the Enduris ii and immediately I felt great comfort and the easy roll of the foot cycle due to the midsole rocker made me want to move quickly. It was an amazing feeling of complementary technologies coming together. I felt a great responsiveness coming off the shoe with each stride I took which gave me a very similar feeling to running with a super shoe on the road. Is it possible? Has The North Face nailed the fine balance between speed, durability and comfortability?
When slipping into the Infinite’s for the first time the most noticeable difference to the Enduris was the comfort. This shoe is a lot harder with less cushioning around the heel cup all for the main purposes of delivering speed and durability. As with the Enduris ii, the Infinite comes with 3.5mm lugs (great for road to trail transition), surface control rubber outsole, super lightweight and responsive dual-density midsole and rocker midsole geometry to create lasting forward propulsion. However, there is a major difference between the two with a much finer upper which I felt created less support for my ankles and cost me a few ankle rolls. What is lost though in support is made up for in speed. I found the Infinite ideal on my shorter and harder runs where there were less technical trails to navigate.
On both shoes I felt the toe box to be quite narrow and therefore over longer distances my feet did begin to hurt so if you have a very wide foot these might not be the shoes for you.
The flat and rather short shoelaces were also not great but an easy fix regardless.
I put the Enduris ii & the Infinite through their paces in a variety of terrain, from the high peaks of the Drakensberg to the technical trails around Table Mountain to the free flow single tracks in the midlands. The Enduris ii became my shoe of choice for the long easy days out while the Infinites were ideal for my shorter, faster and harder running sessions.
My conclusion on these two pairs of innovative trail running shoes is that I would recommend them to either intermediate or experienced trail runners. I say this because in order to get the full potential out of these shoes one needs to be able to go fast and hard.
Even with my over 2000km’s of running so far in 2022 alone, I still found the shoes a bit hard on my feet and tricky to control over technical trails.
There is however no doubt in my mind that these shoes on the right feet will perform incredibly well, just ask Johardt van Heerden who blitzed to another Otter Trail and broke the Drakensberg Ultra Trail 65km in the Infinite’s this year.
I look forward to seeing what The North Face produces next, I hear they are working on something special:)
