The North Face Hedgehog XCR

A prickly little number that has been designed to repel rough terrain, allowing you to pick your way across scree slopes, around boulder fields and over terminal moraine.

Site	Price	Postage	Total
	£66.49	FREE	£66.49
	£65.00	£4.50	£69.5
	£69.99	£4.95	£74.94
	£74.99	FREE	£74.99
	£73.40	£5.00	£78.4

   User Reviews

General comments: Bought the hedgehogs after finding them at a reduced price of £50, however after owning them for a while I would probably pay the RRP. I use the shoes for trail and road running as well as general leisure. The gore-tex lining comes in to its own when running in the rain, or more commonly through wet grass. The shoes are some of the lightest trail shoes available and are constructed very well. Haven’t had any rubber coming apart yet and have owned them for 6 months, wearing them pretty much everyday. The grip pattern is very aggressive and is obviously tailored towards trails, however handle roads excellently. The innersole is very comfortable and has. Have recently being using the shoes for descending steeply off of rock climbing routes, it is here where I was very impressed with the purchase of the vibram soles on the rock. I was able to descend very steep ramps and rock features with ease. The only downside I have found is that your feet are prone to getting hot very quickly when conditions are remotely warm, this is due to the XCR lining. All in all a great all round shoe, worth the RRP.

Pros: Lightweight, very well constructed, waterproof, Aggressive tread pattern

Cons: Feet get hot quickly

General comments: I bought these a few months ago primarily for cycling to work in the rain so I wouldnt have to bring another pair of shoes to wear round work all day. They were pretty comfortable straight out of the box, but I wasn't totally convinced by tsupport provided by the 'Northotic' insole and have replaced them with Superfeet (although I do this with all shoes). What you notice immediately when wearing the Hedgehogs is the sole. You can really tell that you have a good Vibram sole on these and it has performed well in all the situations I have used these in, both wet and dry. In my opinion, they would be a little stiff to run in but I'm sure it would be possible. The XCR performs well but as with all waterproof shoes, can leave your feet a bit hot during everyday use. The only problem I have discovered is that the laces seem to loosen up a bit during the day - i think it's because they are round laces and dont seem to have enough friction to keep them in place. As with all North face shoes, you have the added advantage of the availability of 1/2 sizes to find the perfect fit.

Pros: Sole, fit, comfort, looks

Cons: Lacing system

General comments: Purchased these shoes recently in the USA which due to the strength of the pound only cost approximately £50.00. You are first struck by the weight - they are extremely light and wearing them all day hiking on either a trail or around a city is effortless. The vibram sole which appears more agressive than most similarly priced competitors provides excellent grip on rock or grass, however, as with any vibram footwear care must be taken when stepping on wet metal (eg. drain covers and gratings) as it is comparable to walking on ice! The waterproof lining works extremely well and protects feet when walking in showers or through wet grass. If you do experience wet feet, it is probably due to the water getting through the show opening or from dripping off trousers - they are fairly low cut. The shoes can get quite warm (due to the lining) but there is an anti-bacterial footbed which has so far prevnted any odours). Longevity has so far not been a problem. After some fairly hard wear they look as good as new. As regards problems, there would only appear to be the one so far. The tongue whilst well padded needs careful placement when lacing up shoes. If not, it can easily slip to one side causing the lacing to dig into the foot. Overall, I consider the shoes an excellent buy (even at the UK RRP) and I would recommend them to anyone looking for a lightweight waterproof approach shoe.

Pros: Extremely lightweight. Good quality vibram sole Antibacterial footbed.

Cons: Tongue needs careful placement

General comments: I have had these appproach shoes for over two years now and its hard to fault them; in fact recently I have been wearing them almost every day to work. The vibram soles have a variety of deep cleats and 'aggressive' lugs and they certainly do the job, providing buckets of grip on steep scrambles, slippy mud and wet wood alike. The goretex liner in the upper seems to work fairly well though after prolonged usages the inside can get a little damp but this is likely to be due to condensation. also I have never experienced over hot feet- something many people cite as one of goretex liners main faults. The heel cup is very supportive and I have never suffered injury due to lack of support or misalignment such as a sprain while wearing these shoes. The materials used seem fairly durable especially the reinforced rand around the toe. Despite this i did have to return my first pair due to excess wear at the ankle after their very first usage but I reckon this was most likely a rogue pair rather than a standard fault. Overall these are a very comfortable and practical shoe that are a great option for day hikes and general outdoors wear and i wouldn't be afraid to try them on gentle backpacking either.

Pros: Tough, great sole flexible but grippy, gtx liner keeps your feet dry

Cons: expensive, some find gtx makes your feet too warm

General comments: These shoes are NOT made for walking or running. Initially very satisfied with the comfort but after about 8 months of use the synthetic material started to crack and the lining around the ankle started to wear. Emailed North Face using their website but received no reply. After a further 3 months I tried again, as by this time the defects were getting really bad. More serious was the rubber moulding, connecting the sole and the upper, was coming away and my feet were getting soaked. Eventually took them back to retailer who sent them off for ‘investigation. Seven weeks later I have been told that the ‘faults’ are normal wear and tear. Fortunately there are enough suppliers of quality footwear out there so I won’t have to buy from North face again.

Pros: Comfort

Cons: Materials and quality of manufacture

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