The North Face VECTIV Enduris 4 Shoes

Review by Erin Trail

The VECTIV™ Enduris 4 trail shoes  are the latest version of The North Face’s  flagship trail shoe, delivering long-distance comfort when you’re training or racing.

Shoe Details

The VECTIV™ Enduris 4 utilizes the VECTIVE 3.0 high-performance 3D TPU plate.  This aids with forward propulsion, giving this training shoe a bit of a race feel. The cushioning is courtesy of DREAM nitrogen-TPU midsoles for increased propulsion and stability.  The shoe has a generous rocker, which also aids with forward propulsion. To give the shoe footing stability, The North Face has used the VECTIVE 3D forefoot wings, which gives a generous footprint to the shoe to provide secure footing. Finally, the VECTIVE Enduris 4 uses a SURFACE CTRL™ rubber outsole.  This outsole is optimized for weight and versatility and is made with 20% rubber from smallholder farmers committed to agroforestry principles and regenerative agricultural practices. The lugs of the sole are 4 mm, the overall heel stack height is 32 mm with an offset of 6 mm.

The Enduris 4 has upgraded a few things from the previous release.  The heel fit is improved, using integrated tongue wings to encourage more heel and foot lockdown.  The midsole offers 2 mm more cushion for a better, more supportive ride.

Run Performance

I’ve been running in The North Face VECTIV™ Enduris 4 shoes over the past 6 weeks on a variety of local trails, ranging from packed dirt, to roots, to chunky conglomerate sandstone. I’m still in my base-building phase of training and most of my runs have been in the 60-90 minute range.

My overall impression of The North Face VECTIV™ Enduris 4 shoes is that they’re a solid trainer-plus shoe.  They have just the right amount of cushion and the exact kind of feel that I prefer for my easier cruisey training runs. The shoes were also able to accommodate my special insoles (I have a torn plantar plate and need insoles with a metatarsal bump).  I usually run in a women’s size 9 and got this size for testing.  They fit fine, but I do think that a half size larger might feel a bit better, especially since I need insoles. I did find that I had some pressure on the top part of my foot and had to let out my laces a LOT to get the right amount of space in the upper.

I have very narrow heels and I often find that my heels move around a fair amount in running shoes.  I really liked the heel fit of the The North Face VECTIV™ Enduris 4 shoes.  The back of the shoe does extend fairly high in the heel/achilles area.  I was glad to see that, while being a structural component of the shoe, this feature didn’t rub or create issues.  Instead, I think this design helped in keeping my heel locked into the shoe better.

The VECTIV 3D forefoot wings did give the Enduris 4’s reliable footing when on tricky terrain.  I’m not the best technical runner and have my share of near ankle twists and superman-style falls.  Part of my gear testing includes me running a ~2 mile loop, where I stop and swap shoes out every lap.  What really stood out with the VECTIV™ Enduris 4 was the incredibly stable footing, no matter the terrain underfoot.

The VECTIV™ Enduris 4 shoes come in at approximately 9 oz per shoe. I found my foot turnover to be easy, due to the rocker and high performance TPU feet.  I didn’t have any issues with tripping or picking my foot up as I ran.

Closing Thoughts

The North Face VECTIV™ Enduris 4 are a great daily runner shoe that’s also capable for some fast racing.  The shoe has a generous footprint, making for steady and secure footing.  The shoe has great cushion while encouraging a fast turnover, thanks to a high-performance 3D TPU plate and DREAM nitrogen-TPU midsoles.  I found the ride in these shoes to be exactly what I want in long cruiser training runs.

Erin Trail