PREFERS TECHNICAL TRAILS
The mashed-up name says it all: smear + edge = “smedge.” True to the equation, the Smedge is a serious approach shoe that won’t let you down when the trail gets vertical. Plastic overlays fortify the shoe’s mesh, so it won’t tear. And like a rock shoe, it has a sticky rubber sole and a burly rand that frictions well when jamming toes into cracks. Fit is just as precise too, via laces that extend all the way to the toes. But unlike less versatile approach shoes, the Smedge performed equally well during long trail hikes with a 20-pound pack, thanks to a midsole with a stiffening shank and EVA cushioning. 14 oz; thenorthface.com