The North Face Hedgehogs III (TNF Hedgehogs) GTX Review

A classic shoe, the Hedgehogs have been my 'go-to' shoe ever since I had a pair of Merrell Refuge Pros which decided to give up the ghost within a few months with the uppers splitting from the sides.

Incidentally, regarding the Refuge Pro shoes, a few people seem to had this same trouble with them eg they split and let in water. I tested them by filling them with water in a bath and watched the water pour out of one of them (sending the evidence to the seller who very kindly agreed to a refund).

Back to the Hedgehogs.. we all know (or should know!) that shoe fit is very personal and is one thing that you shouldn't take a risk on. Having said this, my first pair of Hedgehogs were an internet buy, but I had tried on and looked at a number of pairs in a shop beforehand.

It's also important when getting that right fit in a shop to bring a pair of the socks that you would wear if you were out and about, rather than your everyday socks. (So for me that was a pair of Bridgedale socks).

The Hedgehogs are a perenial favourite for many people in the UK and so it was with me, with the shoe being a great fit in size 10 for me. My feet are just over size 9, so the 10 gives me that necessary extra 'toe box width' when using them, as your feet slide forward (eg don't get shoes that are the exact 'right' fit unless climbing shoes, but that's another story for another day...)

So what are the Hedgehogs like in terms of fit? Excellent. They mould to your feet with a very comfy inner sole system which has an impressive sounding name. Needless to say my fit sit in them very well (with one exception which I'll come to and is more about my feet than the shoes).

 There is a good amount of freedom with the laces in terms of lacing styles. I do find the laces can tend to undo gradually, so using locking knots can help. The lacing goes up most of the foot, so if there is a place where your foot slips then they can cope with that well enough.

Coming to the exception, my feet are slightly different sizes with my left foot wider than my right (I have average size / width feet). Therefore I do find my right foot slips forward a bit in the Hedgehogs, whereas my left foot never does (leading to a battered big right toe and even loss of the nail twice). But such is life! So the method I now emply is to use a locking lace down on the second or third eyelet up to help hold my foot in place. Because of the eyelets on the Hedgehogs, you can't pass the lace through the eyelet more than once so I have to use a locking lace.

Onto the grip of the sole. I have found the grip to very sure, even using these to climb up the fairly easy 'V Diff' face of Hound Tor on Dartmoor. However, I wouldn't climb in them regularly for obvious reasons! The shoes have coped with all kinds of terrain from moorland to fells to mountains (even in the snow) and have gripped perfectly.

The one exception as with most durable soles is on wet rock where any non wet-rock-specific sole will struggle (and for good grip on wet rock you always pay a price in durability / longetivty of the sole). I've found the Hedgehogs to be a pretty good balance of this, although the 'lugs' are clearly designed to light hiking more than scrambling. But do watch out on wet rock, as with most shoes.

Durability hasn't been a concern. Often lined shoes (eg ones with Gore Tex liner) don't last long, but these have lasted over 2 years with the shoe only beginning to leak recently. Bear in mind, the shoes have been used very regularly throughout all seasons of the year.

The front 'toe protector' of the shoe has slightly come away from the upper and the upper has also begun to part with the sole unit on both shoes - both on the front out side of each shoe. To 'fix' this I emploed Shoe Goo for £2.99 which has temporarily sealed up the problem...

Do the shoes get hot in the Summer? Yes they do, with times where my socks are a bit damp from sweat rather than moisture getting in. But my feet run a bit cold. But in Summer you can wear an unlined shoe (no waterproofing).

Overall, I would score the Hedgehogs as 8/10 goin on 9/10. I bought mine in a sale for £60, although they commonly retail for over £100. Would I buy them again? Unless I can find something with an even better fit and equal durability, I would buy them again but certainly not at the full retail price which I feel plays on the 'North Face' name a wee bit!