Our reviews are 100% organic. We do not accept payment for reviews or bundle with advertising budgets. In most cases, the brand is providing the product to our reviewers free of charge. Snow has finally arrived in Salt Lake City and “foothill season” is in full effect. While the upper Wasatch trails get buried in numerous feet of the world’s best powder, local trails from the valley floor have finally gotten a solid dusting. Snowy nights turn to crunchy mornings that devolve into muddy afternoons once the sun comes out. Choosing the right trail footwear during this sloppy season can be challenging, but we’ve been testing some absolute workhorses lately that can handle a lot more than we’ve been able to throw at them. Enter: the Summit Series Offtrail TR from The North Face.
The first word that comes to mind when opening the shoebox is “aggressive.” The colors pop, and our pair was a classic Summit Gold, which is synonymous with The North Face Everest Summit suits. This model has an integrated stretch and sock-like gaiter that covers most of the ankle, along with a BOA Fit System and reinforced toe cap. The lugs on this shoe are 7mm long on the outsole. At 12.5 oz, it’s easy to think this may be too much shoe right out of the box, however, half a mile into our first run in them and we were grateful for this beast.
Our testing consisted mostly of muddy switchbacks or ice and snow-covered trails. Of all the miles we covered throughout our testing, we never lost traction—the grip is maximized. The Offtrail TR was built for trail, and the handful of miles we ran on the road getting to and from dirt were quite uncomfortable. That being said, the Surface CTRL outsole was in great condition after our testing. As a nod to sustainability, The North Face claims that 10% of the rubber is from smallholder farmers committed to regenerative forestry and agriculture principles.
The midsole is high rebound EVA with 18mm at the heel and 12mm at the toe with an integrated skycore rock guard. This adds some stiffness to the overall shoe but is not too bad given the ruggedness and durability aspect. We did find these a bit stiff and narrow for our liking and limited our runs to shorter technical outings, as 20+ mile runs in something so aggressive could be difficult. There is still some ground feel on more rocky surfaces, but this rugged midsole combined with a tough outsole leaves little ground feel on softer surfaces. The upper is a an overlasted MATRYX forefoot with Kevlar reinforcements, and a high-tenacity ripstop rear quarter. After getting down and dirty with these for a few months, they are still in fantastic shape, albeit a bit muddy.
Of all the features of the Offtrail TR, the BOA Fit System shines the brightest. Their Li2 dial is large and multidirectional so the perfect fit can be dialed in on the fly. During our winter testing, we found the dial easy to use while wearing gloves, and the TX6 textile lace feels snug when tightened but hugs the foot nicely without any pressure points. BOA claims added ankle stability with this lacing system, and we did feel quite secure after getting it dialed in. Similar to BOA’s cycling offerings, the quick release is a great feature at the end of the run. Simply pull up on the dial and the system is fully released. One downside is that this did happen unintentionally on a few of our runs and being that it’s a shoe made for rugged terrain, that’s exactly where we tested it. After hitting a couple of obstacles just right, the BOA dial popped out. The good news is that it’s much easier to tighten up the shoe and get back on the trail than it is to stop and re-tie traditional laces.
As a winter trail shoe made for shorter distances and technical terrain, The North Face Summit Series Offtrail TR is built to withstand it all. Available at www.thenorthface.com.
Features & Specs:
- BOA Fit System
- Weight: 12.5 oz
- Drop: 6mm
- Integrated gaiter
- Reinforced toe cap
- Skycore rock guard
- 7mm lugs
- MSRP: $199