Published: June 28, 2008
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EmailForest Trail = Drive 2.0
It always came to me as a surprise that Reebok did not build a product line around the silhouette of its obscenely successful Drive Sandal. Reebok knew that they had a winner on its hands; so they should have promptly released a few variants of the Drive sandal. For reasons unknown, they decided not to do so. Maybe they were afraid of spoiling Drive's party, so they chose just to stick to one model. Perhaps a mistake, because I have seen other brands do just the reverse. A good example would be the Adidas Backlash. This particular model sold very well in India around a decade ago at around Rs.3700, so the Indian subsidiary promptly localized the model and released the Indian Backlash at Rs.2699. It was a smash hit, so Adidas spun off several models like the Adidas Agora (Rs.2499 ) and the Montage (similar price) on the Backlash outsole profile and all of them seemed to have met commercial success, going by the large number of people seen wearing them. With the recent launch of the Forest Trail sandal, Reebok has finally taken a step in that direction, but I suspect a Adidas hand behind that more than anything else.
One gear above the 'Drive': The Forest Trail sandal (top) is clearly a updated variant of the Drive sandal, albeit at Rs.100 expensive more than the latter.
Though it is always a good idea to build on an existing (and successful) silhouette, brands have to be careful to strike the right balance between what worked well and making new tweaks to an existing design. With the Forest Trail sandal, I think Reebok has got it right. I say this because Reebok has retained two design elements which made the Drive Sandal such a success - the tried and tested two strap Velcro upper construction, and the distinctive walled midsole. Have a dekko at the picture above for yourself, and you will see that the Forest Trail sandal has a lot more of value in the upper as compared to the Drive; be it rubber tabs on both the Velcro straps, the orange 'Rbk' embroidery, or the bi-colored striped heel pull tab which adds a flirty flavor to the sandal while retaining functionality. Synthetic Nubuck leather components in the front and rear are perforated; and the overall number of upper components is higher than the Drive sandal, giving the Forest Trail upper a fresh treatment and also adding few degrees of extra detailing. The Forest Trail also has a new element in form of the padded heel piece (a la Reebok Trail Bender sandal) which increases fitting comfort. When I fit tested the Forest Trail sandal, and I felt no major difference between it and the Drive sandal, except that I felt less of the toe bite which I experienced in the Drive sandal. But on the flip side, I felt that the heel strap was low, and did not grip my foot properly as it should. I would suggest that they should move the heel strap slightly higher and inwards so that it wraps around the heel area perfectly.
Drive version 2.0: The Drive variant gets a fresh design treatment by way of new bits and pieces on the upper. Noteworthy is the inclusion of rubber tabs at the edge of the Velcro straps, perforations (holes) on the synthetic Nubuck leather in the front and rear, and the colorfully striped heel pull strap.
Padded comfort: A trapezoidal shaped padded piece sits on the heel strap, meant to make the heel fit slightly more cushier than the Drive sandal. However, on wearing the sandal, I felt that the heel strap was slightly low and positioned outward, which let down the heel fit a bit.
The wall that conquered: The Forest Trail retains the same midsole profile, but adds a new twist to it. While the original Drive sandal had a compression molded EVA midsole pasted to a solid rubber outsole, the Forest Trail does away with the outsole completely, so that the midsole and outsole ends up being the same unit.
Two-in-one: The outsole view of the latest Forest Trail (top) and Drive sandal (bottom) side by side. The Forest Trail uses an injection molded EVA unit which doubles up as both the midsole and the outsole. The outsole design on the Forest Trail comes from one of Reebok's other successful model, the Smash Canvas.
One major difference (as you see in the picture above) between the Forest Trail and the Drive sandal is the way in which the midsole and the outsole is built. While the original Drive sandal uses a compression molded EVA midsole and a solid rubber outsole, the Forest Trail sandal uses a single injection molded EVA midsole which acts as both the midsole and outsole. Outcome? A weight reduction of 52 grams over the Drive sandal, but somewhat at the cost of durability. EVA foam is after all foam, and it will be far less durable than a traditional solid rubber outsole, no matter what. Expect the Forest Trail outsole to lose thread at least 30% faster than the Drive Sandal. But I suspect that new iterations of the Drive sandal would end up having the same injection molded EVA unit, so hurry and stock up on older version of the Drive sandal. if you intend to buy one. But having said that, the use of an injection molded sole unit results in the my pair of the Forest Trail sandal weighing only a mere 180 grams, which is the same for a pair of all foam Crocs. The other slight weight reduction comes from removing an extra component on the upper. Remember the synthetic leather covering near the arch area on the Drive? That's gone too from the Forest Trail, so that would have helped reduced a few grams. But if you talk about lightweight, the Forest Trail is the lightest sandal in its category, so that's something to write home about.
Weight reduction program: The covered arch area which you saw in the Drive sandal is now exposed, but reduces some weight. The patterns are also slightly slimmer overall, so that too contributes to the weight loss.
So is the new Forest Sandal a good buy? Yes, in spite of the lower outsole durability as compared to a traditional EVA and rubber sole construction. A single unit sole is not uncommon; Reebok has used it widely as 3D Ultralite in its line of running shoes, and even the recently reviewed Reebok Premier Bislett uses a combined unit sole. At Rs.1290, it is certainly a lot of bang for your bucks, and it will be hard to look for equals elsewhere.
The Lowdown:
Shoe name: Reebok Forest Trail Sandal
Color reviewed: Black/Orange
Retail price (India): INR 1290
Estimated US retail: NA. (India specific model, not sold internationally)
Available at: At Reebok stores and majority of multibrand stores.
Weight: 180 grams for a half pair of size UK 9 / US 10
Verdict: The lightest sandal in its class and great value for money. Mediocre heel grip and perceived lack of outsole durability are chinks in its armor.
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