Update - December 2013: It appears that The North Face no longer makes the Havoc shoe line, and that the next evolution of it is the Wreck GTX.
The North Face Havoc Low GTX XCR shoes are the low cut version of the Mid GTX XCR hiking boots, which makes you ask... can you cram the following boot features into a shoe and without making it clunky?...
[UPPER]
GORE-TEX® Extended Comfort Range waterproof, breathable membrane
Full-grain leather toe and mudguard
Welded-synthetic, breathable midfoot
Protective rubber toe cap
Northotic™ Pro upgraded EVA footbed with Poron® Resource Heel and forefoot cushioning pads and ESS CRADLE™ support
[BOTTOM]
TPU and EVA CRADLE™ heel cushioning and stability technology
Combination compression-molded EVA and injected PU midsole
TPU Snake Plate™ forefoot protection
Exclusive Vibram® rubber outsole
So what does all that mean? Well when putting on the shoe, one thing is for certain, my feet felt snug and safe. So safe in fact that I needed a place to bash them around a bit.
I felt there the best place to test the "hiking boot" capabilities was the variable temperatures and landscape of Spring in Algonquin Park... and variable it was. Daytime temperatures climbed to 14, while at night it went down to -11. This meant that while hiking the trails such as the Hardwood Lookout Trail and others, that you came across anything from hard packed dirt, wet marsh, to snow. I would be contending with footing issues such as slippery rocks, ice and water, sweating during the afternoon hikes and regular issues such as bumbling around the campsite at night.
The shoes handled anything I could throw at them like a champ. The Vibram soles didn't slip once, and the TPU that protects your heel could take a beating, but none of the impact was felt by my heels. I felt that the TPU kept my foot secure and the EVA Cradle was surprisingly cushy. To me, the shoe reminded me of a cross between a hiker and a trail running shoe which means if you are doing long distance backpacking with a heavy load, it might be worth the investment for the Mid-sized GTX boots instead to prevent heel roll-over. The soles are composed with strategically located TPU to stiffen the sole in sports to help you climb rocky terrain, while the cushioning kept my feet from fatiguing (and was quite springy!).
It was kind of odd to ignore where you are walking, because the normal puddles that you would avoid were off no concern to the shoe. The Gore-tex kept the water and mud out, while letting my feet breath during all temperatures.
This shoe really impressed me and is now my mainstay when going hiking. The North Face really have a perfect combination of technology here in this footwear and it exceeded my expectations when wearing it. I fully recommend it!
The North Face Havoc Low GTX XCR shoes weigh 850 g and come in Men's Black/Red, Athens Blue/Q-Silver Grey, and Demitasse Brown/Yellow. The suggested retail price is $160.
Reviewed: May 2012
July 2012, the testing continues...
At Trail Swag we continue testing gear, well after we write the review. We still think that The North Face Havoc Low GTX XCR shoes are top notch.
Here's a shot of us using them for more of an Urban Adventurer type task such as gardening.
One small thing I wanted to mention is that while wearing jeans, the cuff sometimes catches on the pull loop at the back of the shoe during your stride resulting in the occasional tug.
It is funny when after years of walking to work or nearby stores in the rain, I would avoid stepping in puddles. With these shoes you almost have to retrain yourself that it is "ok" to walk through them unimpeded. You get to feel like a duck and splash through them without that annoying soggy sock feeling afterwards.