Author Topic: North Face Hedgehog Footwear  (Read 2169 times)

Graham_G

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North Face Hedgehog Footwear
« on: 18:42:51, 12/07/16 »
I wear walking / trail shoes as everyday footwear and for about the past seven years my clogs of choice have been North Face Hedgehog GTX XCRs.


I've owned two identical pairs in a row, but sadly the second pair are now on the verge of falling apart. Considering the hammering they have taken I have no complaints about their lifespan, but what I am disappointed about is that I don't appear to be able to go out and buy another pair.


I've tried the roughly equivalent current Hedgehogs but I have the same problem with all of the new ones - the cushion around the top rim of the shoe at the back is so narrow that it bites me on the upper part of my heel, roughly like having a bulldog clip clipped to me there. I wouldn't be able to wear them for five seconds.


Does anyone have any recommendation for similar 'low' walking shoes from the likes of Merrell, Salomon, etc?


Requirements are:


-Conservative colour essential - ideally slate grey or black, certainly no neon orange, yellow or green or metallic silver. Dark brown would be acceptable at a push. This actually narrows the field down quite a lot because there is an ongoing vogue for bright colours / pairs of contrasting colours (...why?).


-Light. At the moment I'm wearing a pair of mid-priced shoes made by one of the well known budget manufacturers. They feel heavy and inflexible, like a pair of diving boots in comparison to the old Hedgehogs.


-Sole flexible enough to twist quite easily by hand,  with a deeply cushioned heel pad (I have a touch of arthritis in my hip nowadays - walking around in supermarkets with their unyielding hard floors in flat soled shoes aggravates it in just a few minutes, but well cushioned heels help a lot).








Mel

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Re: North Face Hedgehog Footwear
« Reply #1 on: 18:54:14, 12/07/16 »
Can't help with suggestions I'm afraid but I do know what you mean about the day-glo colours that trail runners seem to favour (and agree... why?!!)
 
I'm sure forum member "altirando" will give you the hard sell on innov8 footwear though  ;)
 
You could always buy some more cushioned insoles to assist with the heel cushioning - whatever footwear you do end up plumping for  O0

Graham_G

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Re: North Face Hedgehog Footwear
« Reply #2 on: 00:06:37, 28/07/16 »
Thanks for the response Mel, sorry I didn't get back on it earlier. I've never had any luck with after-market inserts of any sort because they never seem to be an exact fit for the inner dimensions of the shoe, so they are either too narrow and slide around inside the shoe, or too broad and ride up at the edges, creating potential blister hotspots. For that reason, I prefer to choose shoes with integral well-cushioned heels.


The main problem with the Hedgehogs is that the sole on the right hand shoe (both pairs) has started to peel away from the shoe from the front end - I've actually gone so far as to buy a tin of original Evo-Stik contact adhesive (which is flexible even when dry) to try to glue the soles back on for a few more months. I'll just have to see how that goes, and in the meantime try to find some similar shoes from some other manufacturer.

 

altirando

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Re: North Face Hedgehog Footwear
« Reply #3 on: 17:23:44, 28/07/16 »
Well you did suggest .......  But gone through a lot of footwear in my time, Koflach plastic shell boots to fell running shoes, and once had a marketing client very well known for the boots, some of the very early lightweight models.  But basically it is still about finding the brand whose shape fits your feet.  So try on as many different brands as possible.  Certainly there has been a trend over the years towards lighter, more technical models.  I can remember when the de rigeur footwear was huge boots edged with tricouni nails even for mountain trails.

Woody

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Re: North Face Hedgehog Footwear
« Reply #4 on: 21:37:47, 28/07/16 »
Graham Like you, I was always a big fan of hedgehogs but didn't get on with the last pair I bought. After a lot of tryouts I finally settled on a pair of Salomon XA Pro 3D GTX. I've also got a pair of Salomon XT Hornets but prefer the XA.
The XAs are well cushioned and have always found them excellent on the hills and light enough for every day wear too. Well worth a look.

Tempest

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Re: North Face Hedgehog Footwear
« Reply #5 on: 05:17:09, 01/08/16 »
It's been a while since I've owned Headhogs. I'd certainly recommend Salomon X Ultra 2s. I've used mine during several long distance walks - a 46 mile & a 62 mile this year alone.

They're very comfortable but, due to the Gortex lining, they're also pretty waterproof. Despite walking through a lot of mud, puddles etc as well as an hour or so of consistent light/moderate rain they kept my feet dry.

They're available in most good high street walking shops as well as online retailers.

Slogger

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Re: North Face Hedgehog Footwear
« Reply #6 on: 19:51:42, 03/08/16 »
I have many pairs of Hedgehogs and have had for years. In the new range I have the' Hike' and the 'Fastpack', I also do not like close fitting heel tabs but don't have any problems with these latest shoes. The Hike are more robust whilst the fastpack are light with very soft flexible uppers and the heel tabs are especially soft so don't pinch at all.

 

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