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.”
Ultra Endurance II Trail Shoe
I tested the
Ultra Endurance shoe in the Fall of 2016 (click
here for my review). I was really
impressed with the shoe. It was
cushioned, but responsive. It also was
jam-packed with features from FlashDry fabric in the heel collar to a super
grippy Vibram® Megagrip outsole. I was
excited to test out the second version of the shoe. Let’s first look at the things that I liked
so much that remained the same.
The outsole
is still made with the Vibram® Megagrip material. This material is amazing. It will grip to rocks, fallen trees, wet and
dry surfaces alike. It has never let me
down, even in some really muddy sections of the trails.
The heel
drop is still 8mm which feels great and provides a natural gait. The heel collar still has FlashDry material
to wick moisture away and help keep your feet dry. A feature that is helpful in hot summer
running. The ESS Snake Plate™ protects
your feet from sharp rocks and really did a great job in my testing. I was running on some volcanic rock that was
rather sharp and my feet felt great.
Other items
that remained the same include the gusseted tongue which helps to keep the
debris out of your shoes, a Molded-TPU toe cap that protects your toes from
those dreaded tree stumps. I hate when I
stub my toe and a shoe doesn’t have enough protection. Not an issue here though. The OrthoLite® footbed is comfortable and is
the same as the previous version.
I took the Ultra
Endurance II out for several trail runs and was really excited. It is my favorite shoe from The North Face to date. The fit and comfort were great and there was
plenty of grip in different conditions.
I went on a bunch of shorter runs and a longer, technical run that would
usually beat up my feet. The Ultra
Endurance II kept my feet feeling happy and I never had to worry about my
footing, which can be the difference between a good and great shoe.
The shoes
did gain a little weight, which would be my biggest complaint. It went from 11 ounces per shoe in the
original Ultra Endurance to 11.5 ounces per shoe in the Ultra
Endurance II. The Ultra
Endurance II retails for $120 on The
North Face website, which is a decent price for a shoe this nice.
Pros:
Durable
Materials
Breathable
and moisture wicking materials
Plenty of
traction on all surfaces
Cushion to
make your feet happy mile-after-mile
Good price
at $120 (on the TNF website)
Cons:
A little on
the hefty side (gaining 0.5 ounces from the previous version).
Beyond The Wall Tank
The Beyond
The Wall Tank is a durable and breathable tank that was originally designed
for climbers. It is made from a light
weight blend of technical polyester and TENCEL lycell fabrics that help to
regulate body temperature when working out indoors. The fabric feels very soft and a little
thicker than some of the other running tops I‘ve tried from TNF.
The BTW
Tank is a standard fit, meaning that it is a little looser than an athletic
fit, but not baggy. It is durable and
breathable, but was shaped to provide extra fabric to act as a barrier between
your skin and climbing harness. The
extra fabric would be good at the gym when doing lunges where the bar would be
resting on your shoulders (behind your head).
For a
running top, the breathability and fit worked well. It is fairly cold right now though. I would be curious how this top would work in
the 90+ degree heat that I see here in Sacramento. It was a comfortable tank that I definitely
could see myself wearing during cross training or treadmill training. I will have to see how the shirt holds up in
hotter weather. I really did appreciate that
the material was very comfortable and it really did keep me dry throughout my
whole run. The Beyond
The Wall Tank retails for $50 on The
North Face website. While this may
seem a little pricey for a tank top, the quality is great, as I would expect
from The North Face.
Pros:
Durable
Materials
Breathable
and moisture wicking fabric
Feels great
and moves with your body
Helps
Regulate body temperature
Perfect for
climbers who need a little more protection when using a harness.
Cons:
$50 is a
little steep for a tank (but well worth it)
Not sure how
the shirt will hold up in hot weather
Better Than Naked Short Sleeve Shirt
The Better
Than Naked Short -Sleeve shirt is an extremely light weight shirt. Like the name would suggest, it is so light
that you almost forget it’s there. Made
with FlashDry material, the BTN
shirt is great at wicking moisture away from your skin and dries extremely
fast. One of my favorite features is
that it doesn’t stick to your skin when it does get wet, which is not typical
in most running tops. The stich free
construction reduces chafing. The North
Face uses body-mapped ventilation to specifically place ventilation where it is
needed the most to keep you cooler and there is reflective material all around
the shirt to keep you safe in the dark. The
Better
Than Naked shirt is an athletic fit shirt, meaning that it is not baggy,
but also is not super tight.
I was really
comfortable in this shirt, even when doing long trail runs or tempo workouts. I stayed relatively cool and dry. The shirt fits well and after looking at
reviews, both on TNF’s website as well as other websites, I couldn’t find a bad
review. If you give it a try, I think
you will love it too. The Better
Than Naked Short Sleeve Shirt retails for $50 on The North Face website, but you may be
able to find last year’s shirt for cheaper if you look around. It is worth the $50 though. This is one of my favorite running tops and I
keep gravitating toward it.
Pros:
360-degree
reflective material
Breathable
and moisture wicking fabric
Feels great
and moves with your body
Helps
Regulate body temperature
Body-mapped
ventilation
Flight Series Better Than Naked Long
Haul Shorts
The Better
Than Naked Long Haul Short is something I tested in the past and is one of
my favorite shorts to run in. The BTN
Long Haul shorts have an inner compression short instead of the brief and
it is great. I haven’t used any anti
chafe products when wearing these shorts and have never had an issue. The version that I tested were a few years
old and the newer version feels better and the materials have been
updated.
The shorts
are made with FlashFry material, which is breathable and moisture wicking. The BTN
Long Haul shorts have 360- reflectivity and have a 7” inseam. The really cool thing about this short is
that the zippered pocket is a little bigger than many other shorts, which still
fits smaller smartphones. It also has a
wide waistband with a draw cord.
The cool
think is that all around the waistband are pockets sewn in. They are great for storing gels, electrolyte
pills, an ID, or your car keys. This is
one of the most innovative features I have ever seen in a pair of running
shorts. Other companies are starting to
add these pockets to their shorts too. Even
loaded with gear, the shorts feel great and move well with your body. The inner compression liner also has pockets
where you could store an ID, a house key, or some cash without it being
visible.
I absolutely
love these shorts. They not only feel amazing
to run in, but they will keep you stocked with gear for a training run or a
race. You can now leave your running
belt at home. I can’t tell you how
awesome these shorts are. Add the
lightweight FlashDry material for reduced chafing and you have yourself a
winner. The BTN
Long Haul shorts retails for $65 on The
North Face website, which is absolutely worth the money. These shorts are worth the price and I still
have not found anything that I didn’t like about them, and I was looking really
hard.
Pros:
360-degree
reflectivity
Breathable
and moisture wicking fabric
Feels great
and moves with your body
Zippered
back pocket and pockets all around the waistband
Attached
compression shorts
Feel
awesome!!!
The North Face’s Social Media Links:
The North Face makes exceptional gear
and while it may be a little more than some of the running gear out there, the
quality and feel makes them well worth the price, especially if you can find
them on sale. 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.
Great products for running lover, and for belly fat people as well. no excuses from now''!
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