If you are
into outdoor sports, you probably recognize the name The North Face. I have been using their gear for over 20
years. Founded in 1966 in San
Francisco’s North Beach area, two hiking enthusiasts decided to follow their
passions and founded a small mountaineering retail store. The little shop became known as The North Face, a retailer of
high-performance climbing and backpacking equipment. The
North Face gets its name from the coldest, most
unforgiving side of a mountain. It moved
across the bay to Berkley in 1968 and began designing and manufacturing its own
brands gear. The rest is history. After over 40 years, The North Face has grown to deliver an
extensive line of performance apparel, equipment, and footwear. Their motto is “Never Stop Exploring.”
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| Flight Series™ Warp Knit Dual Shorts in action at the Gold Rush 50k in May 2017 |
Men’s Endurus TR Trail Shoe
I reviewed
the Ultra
Endurance trail shoes in the fall of last year and was really impressed (click
here for my review).
The Endurus
TR is another great trail shoe that I’ve recently been testing. It has a seamless welded TPU and suede quarter
panel that adds support and increases breathability. There is a molded TPU toe cap that provides awesome
protection from rocks and other hazards.
The Endurus
TR also uses CRADLE™ heel-stability technology to add extra stability on
technical trails as well as providing a great fitting heel. I had no issues with my heel slipping or
lifting in these shoes, which is great.
There is a midfoot-to-forefoot
ESS Snake Plate™ that will protect the bottom of your foot from sharp rocks
that could leave you in pain. Anybody
that has experienced a bone bruise can attest to how much they suck. The Snake Plate™ also provides torsional
rigidity to help stabilize your foot.
The collar
lining has FlashDry, which is a fabric technology that was designed to feel
like a second skin against your body. It
accelerates the removal of moisture and speed up the evaporating process and
keeps moisture away from the surface of the fabric so you stay drier and more
comfortable. This protects against both
sweat and water. It worked great when
running though creeks and during wet runs.
The Endurus
TR uses an XtraFoam™ midsole that offers a softer foam under your foot for
superior comfort, but has a firmer density EVA material around the edges of the
shoe to provide stability. It was super
comfortable and even though it provided cushion, I found that the midsole didn’t
make the shoe any less responsive. This
would be a good shoe for shorter trail runs as well as ultra races.
The outsole
has the Vibram™ XS Trek sole which is durable and sticky so you can run on all
sorts of terrain in any condition. Vibram™
is one of the leaders in outsoles for trail and hiking shoes and you can see
why when you run in the Endurus
TR. The sole has 3.5mm
multi-directional lugs that do an awesome job of finding traction even when
other shoes might have issues. The Endurus
TR weighs in at 11.2 ounces for a men’s size 9, which is decent for a shoe
built this well. It has a 6mm heel drop
and has enough cushion to make your feet happy all day without losing any
ground feel that can be so important. I
normally run in a size 10 (for most shoes), and it did fit true to size. The Endurus
TR retails for $130 on The North
Face website.
Pros:
The Vibram™ outsole
is durable and grippy on any surfaces.
Breathable
and moisture wicking fabric
Great price
at $130
Fits true to
size
Great midsole
provides cushion but is responsive
Protective
TPU toe-cap and snake plate.
Better Than Naked™ Singlet
The Better
Than Naked Singlet is an extremely light weight tank/singlet that feels so
good, you barely even know it’s there, hence the Better Than Naked™ name. Not only is it extremely light weight, but it
is one of the most breathable tops that I have.
The Better
Than Naked Singlet uses The North
Face’s FlashDry™ fibers to move moisture
away from your skin so you feel cooler and more comfortable. Here in Northern California, We’ve seen a few
100 degree days, which means that I was doing my lunch runs in 85-90 degree
heat. The Better
Than Naked Singlet worked flawlessly even though I was a sweaty mess.
The singlet
has an athletic fit and uses stitch-free constriction on critical seems to
prevent chafing, which is always a plus.
It has a reflective logo to increase visibility on those early morning
and late night runs. The Better
Than Naked Singlet retails for $45 on The North Face website.
Pros:
Decent price
for an awesome singlet at $45
Extremely breathable
and moisture wicking fabric
Feels great
and moves with your body
Helps
Regulate body temperature
Stitch-free construction
to prevent chafing
Flight Series™ Warp Long-Sleeve
Even though
the weather is heating up, it can still be chilly on those early morning runs
or during night runs for those ultra-runners or Ragnar peeps out there. The Flight
Series™ Warp Long-Sleeve is a minimalist approach to the long-sleeve
running shirt. It has an athletic fit
that is fairly form fitting without being a compression top. It also offers 360-degree reflectivity for
increased visibility as well.
The Flight
Series™ Warp Long-Sleeve uses The
North Face’s Warp-knit fabrication to provide
minimal seams, which prevents chafing. One
thing I really thought was cool was the engineered venting, which are a bunch
of small holes that are strategically placed to help keep you cool. This is the most comfortable long sleeve
shirt that I own by far. I really like
this shirt and tend to gravitate toward it when it is a little chilly out. The Flight
Series™ Warp Long-Sleeve retails for $130 on The North Face website.
Pros:
Breathable
and moisture wicking fabric
Next-to-skin
fit that moves with your body
Warp-knit fabrication
prevents chafing
Extremely
comfortable
360-degree
reflectivity
Flight Series™ Warp Knit Dual Shorts
The Flight
Series™ Warp Knit Dual Shorts may very well be the shorts you have
always been looking for. I know that is
the case for me. It’s a 10-inch compression short that has a woven 5.5-inch
running short over the top of it. This
two-in-one short has a low-profile waistband with a drawcord. My one complaint, which is really minor, is
that it’s hard to tie the shorts tight, although it provides a secure fit
anyway.
These shorts
were inspired by The North Face’s ultrarunner athletes and as part of their Flight
Series™, it’s performance running gear that is race-day ready. I definitely found that was the case. It is my go-to shorts for all long runs,
trail runs, and races.
The Flight
Series™ Warp Knit Dual Shorts uses The
North Face’s FlashDry™ fibers to move
moisture away from your skin so you feel cooler and more comfortable. The compression shorts have ventilation holes
like the Flight
Series™ Warp Long-Sleeve shirt to aid in breathability and is stitch-free
to prevent chafing. Something that I
have not heard of before is that the compression liner can be cut to whatever
length you prefer without the material unraveling. I really like the length of the liner, but it’s
nice to know that it can be shortened.
On the back
of the shorts, there is a zippered pocket and two stretchy pockets for
gels. This is truly an amazing short and
if I could have a whole drawer full of these, they would be my only shorts I
own. I have run a 50k race in these and
not only did they keep my legs fresh, but I had no chafing issues at all. You have to follow the washing instructions
and lay them flat to dry, but that is not a big deal and they dry quickly. You can get the Flight
Series™ Warp Knit Dual Shorts for $150 on The North Face website. While it is pricy for a pair of shorts, I
would not hesitate to recommend them because they are so awesome.
Pros:
Breathable
and moisture wicking fabric
Best shorts
I’ve worn, ever!
Zippered
pocket and 2 stretch pockets in the back
2-in-1
shorts with compression liner
Liner can be
cut to size without material unraveling
Cons:
At $150,
these are pricey, but more than worth it.
The North Face’s Social Media Links:
The North Face makes exceptional gear
and while it may cost a little more than some of the running gear out there,
the quality and feel makes them well worth the price. Every time I test gear from The North Face , I am more impressed
than the last time. I don’t know how
they keep putting out better stuff than before, but they do. The
North Face offers a lifetime warranty against any manufacturing defects in
materials and workmanship. They will
repair or replace the product at no cost to you. All you pay is for is the shipping to The North Face. You can pick up all of your gear from The North Face website or find a
retail location near you (click here for
locations). Take a chance on some
gear from The North Face and you
won’t be disappointed. Be sure to let me
know what you think.
Note:
I received this product in exchange for a review. The review is my
personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular
opinion of it. I am not a doctor, so
please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.
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