The Ventralia shoes feel great straight out of the box. The shoe is mid width across the midfoot, opening out into a toe box that allows decent wiggle room for British feet without leading to sloppiness. There's a good amount of comfortable cushioning in the tongue and around the ankle and the footbed is joyously comfortable while still giving you a good amount of trail feel.
The sole is stiff enough to be accurate across variable terrain but not so stiff that you get prematurely fatigued. The mid-sole provides noticeable energy return, really helping to put a spring in your step and the roll of the foot off the outsole feels natural.
The upper provides good support around the ankles and from lateral twisting of the foot, the only gripe here is that the very back of the foot could have been made a touch higher and more contoured to hug the back of the ankle better and therefore fully eradicate heel lift.
We were impressed with the Omni-Grip outsole which was super grippy on wet rock, tree roots, grass and shallow mud, grip suffers a bit in deeper mud but overall the balance is good.
Waterproofing is guaranteed by an OutDry membrane which is also very breathable. The midsole ports aid cooling by allowing some air to flow closer to your feet.
Overall the Ventralias are an accomplished pair of hiking shoes that are also excellent value at £95.
