The North Face Offtrail Ultra trail running shoes offer high performance functionality in a shoe that's loaded with features.

The North Face Offtrail Ultra

Details

• Upper: Lightweight, seamless dual-wrap upper at forefoot with hydrophobic ripstop at rear quarter
• Bonded internal frame for a supportive lockdown with TPU overlays for increased abrasion resistance in high-wear areas
• High-stretch and high-recovery SCREEGUARD™ gaiter for debris protection
• Includes racing laces and an integrated strap for lace management
• Midsole: Dual-density DREAMBOUND™ nitrogen super-foam midsole has a firmer outer and bottom layer for durability and protection and a softer inner layer for rebound and all-day comfort
• 29 mm heel stack height (midsole + outsole) with a 6 mm heel/toe offset
• Ultralight 5 mm molded-EVA sockliner
• Outsole: Full-length SURFACE CTRL™ with THINWEB technology for high-level grip and reduced outsole weight
• Lug Depth: 5 mm lugs
• Shoe weight: (women's size 9.5)

Fit

My experience with sizing of The North Face Offtrail Ultra trail running shoes has been that their shoes run a little small or feel a little tight in the upper. Because of this, I decided to order a half size larger than my usual size. The Offtrail Ultras are, sadly, a little big on me (just on the edge) and I probably would have been better off ordering my usual size.

The North Face Offtrail Ultra

I need to wear special insoles to accommodate a torn plantar plate. I've found The North Face Offtrail Ultra trail running shoes to easily accommodate my insoles (likely due to the stock insole being 5 mm deep). I have plenty of volume in the upper for my foot have found that the insoles easily fit inside the shoe.

The ankle gaiters are tight but not uncomfortable. The shoes are fairly easy to pull on and off, although I do need to untie the laces to get my foot into the shoe. If you race off road triathlon and want a speedy transition, you might want to consider elastic speed laces with these shoes. Once on, the ankle gaiters fit nicely against my lower shin; they're not too tight and I don't have gaps where debris can get inside the shoe.

Detailed Review

The two standout – and most visibly obvious features – of The North Face Offtrail Ultra trail running shoes is the ankle gaiter and the deep, 5 mm lugs.

I’ve been testing these shoes on weekend runs at my local trail system. These trails have a good variety of terrain, with rolling hills, hardpack dirt, sand over hardpack, loose babyhead rocks, and rugged conglomerate sandstone. I also wore these shoes for a weekend of spectating the UCI World Cup cross country mountain bike races in Soldier Hollow, Utah.

The North Face Offtrail Ultra

I specifically wore The North Face Offtrail Ultra trail running shoes at Solder Hollow because of the hefty lugs and the ankle gaiter. It had rained in the days prior to the event and everything was a muddy mess. Normally grassy areas had been turned into sticky mudflows. As spectators, we knew we’d be bushwhacking across the Soldier Hollow hillside and I wanted a capable shoe to get me around the course. We walked on dense grass, steep dirt, mud, roots, and rocks. Some spots were precarious and slippery, due to the mud and terrain. The The North Face Offtrail Ultra trail running shoes held traction across all of these surfaces. I never had a near slip or trip.

In addition to the great traction, they were also really comfortable to wear across 2 full days of spectating. I am not an ultra runner, but I imaging that spending two x 8-10 hour back to back days in a pair of shoes would come close to replicating the hours of on-feet time for an ultra running event.

The North Face Offtrail Ultra

My running experience in The North Face Offtrail Ultra trail running shoes has also been a positive one. While the shoes have a shorter stack height than most of my running shoes – 29 mm at the heel – the shoes don’t feel minimalist. They have a firmer feel to them but also don’t feel hard, thanks to the dual-density DREAMBOUND™ nitrogen super-foam midsole. They didn’t have as much underfoot trail feel as other shoes with similar stack heights, likely due to the outsole and the firmer outer midsole foam.

Lug depth can be a controversial thing. At 5 mm, the lugs of The North Face Offtrail Ultra trail running shoes are firmly in the “aggressive and chonky” category of lugs. I had excellent traction while testing these shoes, especially in areas where there was a deep layer or sand, mud, or grass over hard ground. I didn’t experience issues with the lugs feeling like they snagged on things.

The North Face Offtrail Ultra

Even on rugged, uneven rock, the stability and landing of The North Face Offtrail Ultra trail running shoes felt even and stable. I didn’t experience any near ankle-twists or trips while running in these shoes and I didn’t have any issues picking my feet up and over things.

Closing Thoughts

The North Face Offtrail Ultra trail running shoes are an excellent option as a non-carbon shoe for those who want rugged traction and foot protection.  These shoes are great for technical and loose terrain, providing stable traction and foot falls across a variety of surfaces. The shoes are available for both men and women in two colorways (papaya/canal blue for both, deep burgundy/lali guran for women and white ash/TNF black for men).  Women's sizing ranges from 5 to 11 (half sizes) and men's sizing ranges from 7 to 14 (half sizes).