The North Face Activist Futurelight Mens Walking Trainers

Product Information

We’re yet to take these things out on a proper adventure but so far, so good. We’re looking forward to getting out there, with them on our feet, and seeing what they’re really made of. Buy the North Face Activist FutureLight here You May Also Like The Activist’s Mid’s main draw is FUTURELIGHT, an electrospun, air-permeable waterproof/breathable membrane. During a rainy trip in Arizona’s Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness, the tech kept our feet dry but ensured they never got too sweaty with temps in the 80s. An extra-soft collar and cushier-than-average EVA midsole sweeten the deal even more. In short, I put FUTURELIGHT through its paces for 2 days. It performed better than anything similar I’ve worn in this kind of scenario. Getting ready for a steep descent off Hayden, via the Northwest Couloir

The lacing system allows you to tighten the ankle of the boot to give fairly good support. These are mid-height boots so they will not be suitable for very rough terrain and winter wear.Beyond the membrane, other components make FUTURELIGHT unique, Mellin said. First is a new kind of seam tape that is smaller, thinner, and more stretchy. The North Face also developed its own yarn and weaving processes, as well as new lamination and finishing techniques. I asked Mellin to compare FUTURELIGHT with Polartec’s NeoShell or Outdoor Research’s AscentShell. He had no comment. Mellin said TNF would release more test data this fall, at which point some of the lab-generated specs can be compared for anyone interested in the membrane wars. These boots are comfortable straight out of the box. These days, if a shoe or boot is not immediately comfortable I would reject it so the North Face The North Face Activist Futurelight mid walking boot passes the first test.

Ever since we first became aware of FutureLight’s shift into footwear, we’ve been intrigued to see how the technology would be implemented in the world of walking boots. FUTURELIGHT allows air to move through at a rate of about 1.5 ft³/minute — very permeable for a waterproof fabric. Again, for context, eVent’s most breathable fabric has a permeability of 0.2 ft³/minute, and many waterproof-breathable fabrics are lower, in the range of 0.07 to 0.09 ft³/minute. But You’ll Probably Still Sweat The comfort of the boot extends to the cushioned sole and in-sole, the ankle cuff and the tongue. It’s rather like a slipper boot in terms of comfort levels. The width is standard fit, in my opinion.

It’s a boot that is best suited to tarmac and trails, rather than mountains. I know that the brand believes it will cope with a wide range of terrain but unless you were heading into the mountains in summer on a high quality path that is not too steep, I can’t recommend the boots for high altitude wear. In Scotland, these boots would not be suitable for anything more than easy hill walking on defined trails and paths. We wondered: Why couldn’t we wear a shell all day, never taking it off?” Mellin recalled. “Andres pushed me to think outside the current paradigm, and I then challenged our internal teams with the same theme.” Is Nanospinning Really New?