Price: $195
Size: 惭别苍鈥檚 7-14 / 奥辞尘别苍鈥檚 7-11
Weight: 惭别苍鈥檚 16.7 oz / 奥辞尘别苍鈥檚 13.9 oz
I鈥檝e tested winter boots for years now, and over that time I鈥檝e come across many hiking boots that were good at keeping my feet warm and dry鈥攁 prerequisite for winter hiking. But too often, boot makers have focused on solely these aspects of the design while forgetting that they also have to hike well. I鈥檝e seen bulky builds that try to cram in too much insulation and leave the boots feeling clunky; overbuilt boots that walk like I鈥檓 wearing lead weights; and boots that don鈥檛 fit well because the designers were too preoccupied with warmth and water-resistance.
So my testers and I were pleasantly surprised when we came across the Vectiv Fastpack Insulated Futurelight. From the very first wear it was obvious The North Face designed these boots as hikers first, and then went about figuring out how they could smartly make them warm, waterproof, and breathable.
Read more: Check out our complete rankings and reviews of this year鈥檚 winter hiking boots
They perform well as hikers for a couple key reasons. Most importantly, they come with a rockered, high-rebound EVA midsole that doesn鈥檛 stiffen in the cold and yields a propulsive, poppy ride. This design is enhanced by a rockered sole and a high-rebound EVA midsole that鈥檚 designed to boost forward propulsion. It鈥檚 not like the shoes were noticeably shoving us forward, but over time they made us feel faster and more nimble than we normally would after a few miles of hiking. Plus, stability comes from a partial TPU plate in the forefoot.
Meanwhile, The North Face鈥檚 designers didn鈥檛 skimp on warmth or waterproofing, but also didn鈥檛 overdo it. The shoes are packed with a reasonable but toasty 200 grams of eco-friendly insulation across the entire upper, and lined with a waterproof, breathable membrane. One tester wore them in deep, wet snow in Greenland and said her feet were totally dry, even after hours of postholing. Meanwhile, in mild Santa Fe, I found that the waterproof membrane breathed well enough to keep my feet from getting sweaty (and blistered) in above-freezing temperatures. Other key features include a knob on the heel that kept a rear snowshoe strap in place for long walks, and a high cut that manage four to six inches of snow without a gaiter.
Curious about how The North Face managed to design such a well-rounded boot, I called Brett Rivers, the Senior Global Category Manager for Mountain Sports Footwear. His answer was surprisingly simple. 鈥淭o be honest, our design philosophy was based on selfishness,鈥 he said. What he meant is that the designers who conceived of the boot asked themselves what they would want on their own feet鈥攊nstead of asking something like, 鈥渨hat might sell?鈥
If there鈥檚 one key takeaway that we have, it鈥檚 that more brands should pay attention to The North Face鈥檚 approach. Too often we see boots that are only meant to keep you warm, but perform just mediocre on the trail. Rivers and his team prove that with some patience and ingenuity, both parts of that equation can come into play.
聽is a former Gear Editor at 国产吃瓜黑料 and now a columnist for the magazine. A father of four, he鈥檚 a platinum-level weekend warrior, knows how to squeeze in a run or ride between Zoom meetings and kid dropoffs, and has his trip calendar planned out a year in advance. He鈥檚 most happy when backpacking, backcountry skiing, or overlanding with his family.