The North Face Summit Vectiv Sky Review: A Fast, Protective Trail Shoe With Caveats

Introduction

The North Face Summit Vectiv Sky is a carbon-plated trail running shoe designed to deliver a lightweight ride, balanced cushioning, and a good amount of stability. It costs £180 or $199, weighs 272 grams (9.6 ounces) in the tested size, has a 4 millimeter drop, and 3.5 millimeter lugs. After a first 15K run through a mix of hard-packed trails and mud, here is how it actually performed.

First Run Impressions

The fit is true to size, with no need to go up or down a size. The sock-style upper wraps around the foot and offers a secure lockdown fit, though it can be tricky to pull on at first. Once laced up, there were no hot spots or rubbing across the entire run, and the roomy forefoot adds to the overall comfort.

How It Runs: Speed, Grip and Terrain

The Vectiv Sky sits on a lower stack than the Vectiv Pro and is designed to feel more natural underfoot. The carbon plate inside is subtle, to the point of being easy to miss entirely while running. There was no noticeable propulsive toe-off feel, and the much-talked-about rocker geometry did not stand out either. What the shoe does deliver is a quick, nippy ride: it feels lighter on the foot than its actual weight suggests, and it never feels like a bulky chunk of shoe slowing you down.

On the grip front, the Surface Control rubber outsole with 3.5 millimeter lugs handles harder, compact surfaces very well. Road sections felt great and the shoe felt fast over firm field paths. However, the lugs are not aggressive enough for thick mud. On a muddy downhill stretch they slipped noticeably, so this is not a shoe for winter conditions in wet, muddy terrain. It is best suited to spring and summer trail running on firmer ground.

Protection and Comfort on the Trail

Where the Vectiv Sky earns its keep is underfoot protection. The firm midsole foam combined with the plate shields your feet from sharp rocks on hard, rocky ground, and there were no issues with pointy stones during the run. Uphill, the shoe keeps a good pace and never feels like it is holding you back on climbs.

The upper proved very comfortable even on steep descents, with no rubbing at all. With enough cushioning to consider longer distances, this feels like a shoe that could handle a variety of trail lengths well.

Is It Worth the Price?

At £180 or $199, the price is high, and that raises a fair question: a carbon plate should feel like it delivers real benefits for that money. Here, the plate is so subtle that comparable shoes without any complex technology feel similarly light and fast while costing significantly less.

The Saucony Peregrine range is a very similar all-rounder that handles a variety of distances and terrain. The Asics Fuji Lite 3 is arguably the better pure pick for general terrain: it has no plate, feels wonderfully flexible and natural, and runs like a lightweight road shoe. The trade-off is that neither offers the underfoot protection the Vectiv Sky provides on hard, rocky ground.

If your routes involve lots of firm, rocky compact surfaces, the Vectiv Sky’s protective midsole justifies a closer look. If you mostly run on general terrain and simply want a lightweight, fast-feeling shoe, the alternatives are the smarter spend.

Conclusion

The North Face Summit Vectiv Sky is a solid, enjoyable trail shoe that feels quick, protects your feet on rocky ground, and fits comfortably out of the box. Its weaknesses are the modest lugs that struggle in thick mud and a carbon plate whose benefits are hard to feel at this price point. For dry-season, firmer-terrain runners who value underfoot protection, it is a strong option; everyone else has cheaper shoes that deliver a very similar experience.