The North Face
Summit Vectiv Sky 2
A light, low and fast mountain racer with a flexible, forked carbon plate and deep 5 mm lugs. It's at its best on rocky, twisty singletrack and climbs up to around 50 km.
What's new: Lugs grow from 3.5 to 5 mm, it's about 28 g lighter with an all-Dream-foam midsole, the carbon plate flexes more up front, and the drop rises from 4 to 6 mm.
About the Summit Vectiv Sky 2
Light and fast is how The North Face sums up the Summit VECTIV Sky 2, which it calls the lightest trail racing shoe in the VECTIV line. The brand pitches it at short-distance racing on moderately technical terrain, a different job from the Summit Vectiv Pro 3, its ultra-distance racer with a dual-stacked plate system and two layers of DREAM foam.
Underfoot, an all-DREAM foam midsole sits on a forked carbon plate that flexes more in the forefoot than on the first Summit VECTIV Sky, over a 28 mm heel. Lugs grow to 5 mm from 3.5 mm on the original, and the drop rises from 4 mm to 6 mm. For more cushioning on rough mountain ground, the Vectiv Infinite 3 is the brand's highly cushioned option, which The North Face describes as built for extremely technical terrain.
Specs and features from thenorthface.com and our own spec data. A factual overview, not a review.
Video reviews
What the critics say
92/100 review score
- Road Trail Run 9.5/10
The reviews in briefRoad Trail Run's Reed Breuer, Sam Winebaum, Jen Schmidt, Renee Krusemark and Mike Postaski rated The North Face Summit Vectiv Sky 2 a light, fast and well-controlled racer, praising its protective midsole, flexible plate and secure midfoot. Most felt it too firm for ultras, and several found the stiff ankle collar uncomfortable.
- Positive: Very light, yet protective for such a low shoe
- Positive: Flexible forefoot and a propulsive, stable plate
- Positive: Secure, locked-in midfoot
- Mixed: Stiff, high ankle collar bothered some testers
- Negative: Firm ride gets uncomfortable on long runs
Paraphrased from published reviews. Read them in full:
The numbers
- Trail
- Type
- 235 g
- Weight
- 28 mm
- Heel stack
- 6 mm
- Drop
- Carbon plate
- Plate
- Inherently stable
- Support
Weight for a men's US 9 / UK 8.5.
What it feels like
Fit
True to size
True to size with a roomy forefoot and a secure midfoot; one tester went up half a size for more toe room.
What Reddit runners say
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On TikTok
Summit Vectiv Sky 2 on TikTokShort reviews and wear tests from runnersWhere to buy the Summit Vectiv Sky 2
RRP around £180. Tap through for today's price.
The North Face Summit Vectiv Sky 2
In short
A great pick if you race short to mid-length mountain and technical trail events and want something light, agile and grippy. For long ultras or comfort-first miles, choose a softer shoe.
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