The North Face Offtrail TR GORE-TEX Review: A Grippy Waterproof Trail Runner for British Slop

The North Face Offtrail TR GORE-TEX is a waterproof trail-running shoe aimed squarely at the kind of ground I spend most of my winter on: churned bridleways, wet chalk on the Purbeck ridges, and the bog that swallows the Brecon Beacons from October onward. It pairs a GORE-TEX membrane with a properly aggressive outsole, which is a combination plenty of "waterproof trainers" promise and few deliver.

The core case is simple. Most waterproof trainers keep your feet dry and then slither about on the first wet slope. This one keeps the water out and actually holds a line on greasy ground. If you run or move fast on soft British trails and you are tired of hosing mud off a smooth-soled shoe that never gripped in the first place, this is the shoe to look at.

Who the Offtrail TR is for

This is a shoe for runners and fast hikers, not for someone after a plush everyday trainer. The 6mm drop and the firm, high-rebound EVA midsole give it a responsive, low-slung feel that rewards a quicker cadence and a mid-to-forefoot strike. If you want a soft, rockered daily-miles shoe, look elsewhere.

Where it earns its keep is on the wet, uneven, low-consequence terrain that makes up so much of UK trail running: coast paths, forest tracks, downland, moor edges. The aggressive lugs are wasted on tarmac and hard-packed gravel, so if your routes are mostly dry and firm you are carrying grip you will never use.

I reach for a shoe like this from roughly October to April. In the dry summer months I switch to something non-waterproof and breathable, which is the logic I set out in the best waterproof trainers roundup: waterproof membranes earn their place in the wet half of the year and cost you in the dry half.

Waterproofing: GORE-TEX that does its job, within limits

The Offtrail TR uses a GORE-TEX membrane, which is the reference standard for waterproof-breathable footwear. Through wet grass, puddles, surface run-off and the endless drizzle of a British winter, it keeps water out while letting a reasonable amount of sweat vapour escape. That is exactly what you want for run-length efforts where a rubber wellington would boil your feet.

The limit is the one every low-cut shoe shares, and I will be straight about it. A trainer collar sits below the ankle bone, so the moment you sink past that line, into a bog, a flooded rut or a river crossing, water pours in over the top and the membrane traps it there. GORE-TEX stops water coming through the fabric, not over the cuff.

So treat this as a shoe for wet ground, not deep water. On saturated Dorset chalk and drizzly forest track it keeps you dry for hours. Ford a stream mid-shin and you are wet, same as any low shoe. If your routes involve regular deep bog, a mid boot such as the Arc'teryx Norvan LD 4 GORE-TEX sibling family or a proper gaiter setup is the honest answer.

Grip and outsole: the reason to buy it

The outsole is where this shoe separates itself from the pack. It runs The North Face's SURFACE CTRL rubber with 5mm lugs, and the layout is thought through: lugs cluster tightly at heel and toe for consistent contact on braking and push-off, and space out across the instep so mud clears instead of packing into a slick. A forefoot rubber wrap adds durability where trail shoes usually scuff through first.

On wet chalk, which is one of the most treacherous surfaces in southern England, this compound holds far better than the smooth soles fitted to most trainers marketed as "waterproof". On soft, greasy climbs the 5mm depth digs in and gives you something to drive against. On descents it brakes predictably rather than washing out from under you.

The trade-off is on hard surfaces. Those same 5mm lugs feel knobbly and a touch unstable on tarmac and on bare rock slabs, and they will wear faster if you spend a lot of miles on road. This is a soft-ground specialist, and it behaves like one.

Cushioning and fit

Underfoot you get a high-rebound EVA midsole with 24mm of stack at the heel and 18mm at the forefoot, giving that 6mm drop. It is a cushioned-but-connected setup: enough foam to take the sting out of a long run on rough ground, firm enough that you still feel the trail and can place your feet with precision on technical sections. It is not a max-cushion marshmallow, and it is better for it.

At roughly 358g per shoe in a men's size, it sits in the light end of the protective-trail-runner class, so it never feels like a boot on the foot. The upper wraps securely with a trail-typical snug midfoot and a toe box that runs on the standard side rather than wide. My advice, as with most performance trail shoes, is to size true to length and try a half size up only if you have a broad forefoot or plan long descents where your toes need room.

For comparison within the same use case, the Merrell Nova 4 Waterproof is a softer, more forgiving ride, while the Offtrail TR trades some of that plushness for a firmer, grippier, more precise platform.

Colours

Buy the The North Face Offtrail TR GORE-TEX (Green) at Tiso

Specs at a glance

Pros and cons

• Aggressive 5mm SURFACE CTRL outsole that genuinely grips wet chalk, mud and soft trail
• GORE-TEX membrane keeps feet dry through drizzle, puddles and wet grass
• Firm, responsive 6mm-drop ride that suits running and fast hiking
• Light for a protective waterproof shoe at around 358g
• Forefoot rubber wrap adds durability where trail shoes usually wear first

• Low cut floods over the collar in deep bog or stream crossings, like any trainer
• Chunky lugs feel unstable and wear faster on tarmac and hard rock
• Firm midsole is less forgiving than max-cushion rivals on long road-heavy days
• Standard-width toe box may feel snug for broad feet

Verdict

The North Face Offtrail TR GORE-TEX earns a 4.7/5. It does the one thing most waterproof trainers fail at: it keeps your feet dry and then actually grips when the ground turns greasy. The SURFACE CTRL outsole is the headline, the GORE-TEX membrane is dependable within the obvious low-cut limits, and the firm 6mm-drop ride makes it a proper trail runner rather than a padded town shoe pretending to be one.

Buy it if you run or move fast on soft, wet British trails through the colder months and you want grip you can trust. Skip it if your miles are mostly on road and hard-pack, or if you want deep-water protection, which no low shoe delivers. For the wider field, the waterproof trainers hub lays out the alternatives.

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