First there was the Montrail Rogue Fly, then in 2016 it evolved into the Montrail Rogue F.K.T, and now for 2017/18, after a bit of realignment by Columbia Sportswear Company, we have the Columbia Montrail Rogue F.K.T II.

F.K.T in case you’ve never heard of this before means Fastest Known Time. Although it’s nothing new, the acronym and the pursuit of what it represents seems to have become a bigger thing than ever in running over the last few years. One of the most likely reasons for this is the fact that people no longer need organised races so much, or even any other people to race against, as they can now simply record and publicise their challenges via things like Strava.

So anyway, that was a bit of background about the name of the shoe, now onto the more important stuff.

Like the original Rogue F.K.T, this is a shoe designed for long runs on technical trails – stuff that involves rocks, mud and plenty of ascents and descents.

“Like the original Rogue F.K.T, this is a shoe designed for long runs on technical trails – stuff that involves rocks, mud and plenty of ascents and descents.”

It’s not designed to prevent water from getting in, Columbia Montrail have something else for that. Instead it’s designed with the idea that on big runs on tough trails it’s inevitable that your feet will get wet, so what’s important is that moisture is able to escape from the shoe as easily and as quickly as possible.

So the upper doesn’t have a waterproof membrane but is made mostly from a breathable and quick drying mesh which is given lightweight structure and support by rubbery overlays made by a 3D printer.