The Quadrant is a super low profile shoe – coming in well below ankle height – with decent rubber toe cap offering forefoot protection.

It’s built light – just 680g/pair (the women’s version is the 570g Ember) – with a water-resistant suede upper with mesh panels. It lacks a waterproof lining, which would have been overkill on such a low-cut shoe. The materials are comfortable and conform to the foot. The mesh panels help make the shoe breathable and comfortable in hot conditions. They also allow the foot to dry out reasonably quickly after taking a dunk.

There’s a lot of forefoot flex in this shoe, making it agile and great for boulder hopping across streams. Despite the flexibility, the PU midsole seems to protect the foot from the ground well enough.

The low cut initially worried me, as I thought there would be limited support. But the shoe’s platform, based on the PU midsole and with a ‘natural shape’ last that mirrors the shape of the foot, provided a decent platform and I never took a wrong step or came close to rolling an ankle.

The Vibram outsole is not super grippy, but it does provide good braking on downhills and the tread and lug combo is spaced to shed mud (the flexibility of the sole also helps on that score).

The heel cup is not the best I’ve seen. I struggled to get the shoe tight enough to prevent my heel from sliding up and down. It’s not something I’ve encountered in a outdoor shoe for years, so it could be the fit just wasn’t quite right for me, but it pays to be careful when trying them on to ensure it doesn’t happen to you.