Hitting up a number of hilly park areas around south east London, on some very warm days, I was genuinely impressed by how comfortable my feet felt while wearing them. Even after a number of hours strolling about, I never felt that urge I’ve felt with some other waterproof shoes to take them off and get some air between my toes.

But Mellin confirmed to GearJunkie that FUTURELIGHT, though born of a process similar to other competing waterproof-breathable membranes, is a new, unique format. It’s manufactured in Korea outside of Seoul. TNF worked with a factory that makes insulating elements for electronics. It created new machines to develop a new kind of membrane that would slip into the fabric workflow. The resulting product, the FUTURELIGHT membrane, looks like a white, stretchy film. It is so porous as to be actually 85 percent air. FUTURELIGHT vs. NeoShell or AscentShell Beyond the membrane, other components make FUTURELIGHT unique, Mellin said. First is a new kind of seam tape that is smaller, thinner, and more stretchy. The North Face also developed its own yarn and weaving processes, as well as new lamination and finishing techniques.

To be sure, FUTURELIGHT is impressive, though not perfect. It protected my body for the whole of 2 days in the mountains — I never took the shell off through a range of temperatures, wind, sun, and varying levels of physical effort on the descents and climbs. The comfort of the boot extends to the cushioned sole and in-sole, the ankle cuff and the tongue. It’s rather like a slipper boot in terms of comfort levels. The width is standard fit, in my opinion. We had climbed Hayden and then skied the Northwest Couloir. The classic line had been little-skied this season because of avalanche danger.

In short, I put FUTURELIGHT through its paces for 2 days. It performed better than anything similar I’ve worn in this kind of scenario. Getting ready for a steep descent off Hayden, via the Northwest Couloir To be sure, it can’t handle high exertion in warm temps. But nothing we’ve tested in this category can. At the end of the day, my base layer top — a long-sleeve FlashDry synthetic by The North Face — was wet with sweat. Naturally, it feels like a big claim when brands shout about how waterproof and breathable their product is. After all, how waterproof can something be if there’s holes in it that allow air to pass through. Ever since FutureLight first appeared at the ISPO trade show in 2019, there’s been much discussion about just how effective such a technology can realistically be in the long term. The resulting grid has holes small enough for air permeability and breathability, though sized to keep moisture (rain, sleet) from seeping through. This is the same general premise Gore-Tex has used since the 1970s. But FUTURELIGHT is (as the name says) lighter, and it’s also more breathable in the mountains or the lab, Mellin promises.We’re yet to take these things out on a proper adventure but so far, so good. We’re looking forward to getting out there, with them on our feet, and seeing what they’re really made of. Buy the North Face Activist FutureLight here You May Also Like It took 2 years of R&D to bring FUTURELIGHT to market. The company has tested it across the world with its athletes and to the summit of Mount Everest.

Some of the common specs in the category are thin still on FUTURELIGHT. The North Face is guarded, not wanting to release some details until it brings the fabric to market this fall. FUTURELIGHT testing on a sunny day; photo by Tomas ZuccarenoThese boots are comfortable straight out of the box. These days, if a shoe or boot is not immediately comfortable I would reject it so the North Face The North Face Activist Futurelight mid walking boot passes the first test.

FUTURELIGHT allows air to move through at a rate of about 1.5 ft³/minute — very permeable for a waterproof fabric. Again, for context, eVent’s most breathable fabric has a permeability of 0.2 ft³/minute, and many waterproof-breathable fabrics are lower, in the range of 0.07 to 0.09 ft³/minute. But You’ll Probably Still Sweat

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TNF’s eco story is similarly impressive. The company notes all fabrics use recycled materials. It adds a PFC-free DWR treatment to the face to make water bead and run off.