under armour hustle 4 backpack | Under Armour Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack review

The Under Armour Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack is a great choice for:

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• Those who find supershoes too narrow and seek an alternative that also delivers excellent grip.
• Midfoot-striking marathoners looking for a racing shoe with plush instep padding.

The biggest issue with the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack is its excessive weight—tipping the scales at 9.07 oz (257g). That’s far beyond what we expect from a modern supershoe. For comparison, the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris and Nike Vaporfly 3 come in under 7 oz while delivering superior performance at a similar price point.

We also believe the midsole setup falls short of true supershoe standards. While it features a responsive Pebax layer, the lower portion is a EVA, significantly limiting energy return. If you're looking for race-day efficiency, we suggest the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4, which costs less yet features a full superfoam midsole. For those willing to invest a bit more, the Nike Alphafly 3 has already proven itself by breaking multiple world records.

Using the ASTM F1976 standard, we measured the cushioning of the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack and found impressive results: 133 SA in the heel and 119 SA in the forefoot. That’s under impact protection for any race-day effort!

It’s been a long road for Under Armour to catch up with the best supershoes out there, but they’ve finally arrived. While there’s still room for tweaks, they nailed the most crucial part: energy return.

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Every supershoe hitting the market needs to stay near the 40 mm limit but remain under it to comply with World Athletics regulations. We found that the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack comes in at 37.9 mm in the heel—race-day legal and packed with marathon-ready cushioning, exactly what we were looking for!

The forefoot also offers plenty of cushioning at 31.9 mm, and here, the dual-foam setup of the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack becomes evident too. The white foam is Pebax—exactly what you want in a performance shoe—dominating the forefoot for a more propulsive feel, while the gray layer is Under Armour's Flow.

This leaves us with a 6-mm heel-to-toe drop—ideal for midfoot strikers yet adaptable for others.

However, it's worth noting that Under Armour lists the forefoot stack at 37.5 mm with a 2-mm drop, which doesn’t align with our measurements at all. In fact, in our experience, the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack doesn’t feel remotely like a near-flat shoe. But who knows where Under Armour measured the drop... certainly not at the World Athletics reference points.

Now, let's dive into the midsole—one of the two major dealbreakers for us. At the time of this shoe’s release, every top-tier supershoe in the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack’s price range featured a full-PEBA foam (or comparable high-energy foam like TPEE or A-TPU) to ensure exceptional responsiveness.

However, that’s not the case here. Instead, this shoe uses a dual Pebax+EVA configuration. That said, let’s focus on the bright side for now—the primary foam is a super-bouncy material, prominently placed in the forefoot and midfoot, offering moderate softness at 21.5 HA.

As we hinted earlier, the secondary foam is a firm EVA with a durometer reading of 23.0 HA—lacking the energetic rebound expected in a top-tier racer, falling short in both responsiveness and performance.

In fact, we can't call the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack a supershoe. It flirts with the category, but its dual-foam setup with a layer of EVA keeps it from fully reaching that real elite status. It’s close, but not quite there.

For runners looking for a racing shoe with a pronounced late-stage rocker, the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack delivers—once again confirming that it’s best suited for midfoot and forefoot strikers.

The supershoe formula demands a carbon plate sandwiched between two foam layers, and the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack follows this blueprint. But, as we detailed earlier, it falters with the secondary, firm EVA foam.

Our cross-section provides a crystal-clear breakdown of the foam distribution and plate shape, revealing how much Pebax (white) and EVA (grey) exist at each point—something impossible to determine from the exterior.

Under Armour typically designs narrow-fitting shoes, so we were genuinely surprised when we first slipped these on. They felt noticeably roomier than anticipated for a racing shoe.

After testing with our precise gel mould method, we measured 94.9 mm at the widest point. While this isn’t exceptionally wide across Under Armour's To Buy Baltimore Water-Taxi Company, it’s undeniably more accommodating compared to most supershoes, making it a rare-but-welcome exception in this category.

We took a second measurement at the big toe area, and it came in at 74.0 mm. According to our findings, this level of spaciousness is more in line with a daily trainer, making it a viable option for runners who find supershoes overly restrictive.

Where it does feel noticeably tight is in height, as the toebox volume is kept low to ensure a race-ready, locked-in fit.

This didn’t surprise us—racing shoes often sacrifice vertical space to enhance security. However, those expecting an equally spacious feel based on previous width measurements might find the low-profile design a bit disappointing.

The Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack delivers confident grip underfoot. Hitting a 0.47 in our lab test is no small feat—this makes it a rain-ready, race-day supershoe for runners aiming to push through wet or dry races.

Under Armour’s FLOW system replaces traditional rubber with a rubberized EVA midsole that also acts as the outsole. While this material provides outstanding grip, it’s likely to wear down quickly than harder rubber compounds.

The carbon plate embedded in this midsole is quite stiff. In our 30-degree bend test, it registered a high result of 19.8N.

This shoe has two major drawbacks. One is the dense-and-dull EVA foam sitting beneath the carbon plate. The other is its excessive weight—at 9.07 oz (257g), it’s among the heaviest racing shoes we’ve tested.

While the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack may be nike and not the bounciest, it excels in other areas—especially breathability. In our lab tests, it earned a flawless 5/5, making it one of the most well-ventilated supershoes we've tested. Maybe Under Armour should have named it the Airflow Elite 2? 

The upper immediately impressed us, and once we moved it over a bright light, it was clear just how much ventilation it provides. We also appreciated the thoughtful midfoot design, where Under Armour strategically placed lightweight reinforcements to enhance structure without compromising airflow.

Under the microscope, the engineered mesh looked absolutely mesmerising.

In fact, we believe that this upper it’s undoubtedly on par with the shoe’s premium price tag.

Despite being razor-thin, the upper still offers noticeable padding in key areas. The tongue and heel collar contain more cushioning than many competitors, ensuring a comfortable fit but likely contributing to the shoe’s higher weight.

Overall, we think Under Armour nailed the upper design, combining an airy, race-ready build with well-placed support elements. If only the rest of the shoe had followed the same blueprint...

Whether made for a blistering-fast 5K or a full marathon, racing shoes are rarely stable—they're built purely for speed.

The Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack follows this pattern, though stability depends heavily on footstrike. In our experience, heel strikers will find it wildly unstable, with noticeable wobbling on landings. However, midfoot and forefoot strikers will benefit from its geometry, which provides a somewhat steady ride despite its height.

We fully expected a 5/5 result in this test, as is almost always the case with carbon-plated shoes—and the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack delivered exactly that, with no surprises.

The heel counter looks average at first glance, but don’t be fooled—it offers virtually no resistance when pressed. It bent effortlessly in our test, scoring a 1/5, meaning there’s little to no support in this area.

The shoe’s midsole looks incredibly aggressive, yet the forefoot measures a fairly standard 114.5 mm. This led us to suspect that the real story lies in the heel.

And here it is—the heel on this shoe is downright extreme!

This is another clear reason why we simply can’t recommend it for rearfoot strikers. At just 73.5 mm, it ranks among the narrowest we’ve ever measured in the lab.

Our first Dremel test delivered a surprisingly strong result, proving that the upper is the most impressive part of this shoe. Earning a 3/5 with such an ultra-thin material is a real feat.

The heel padding proved less durable, scoring a lower 2/5 in our test. It’s not a major concern, but runners who tend to wear down this area quickly should keep an eye on it.

Now, let’s get into one of this shoe’s most debated features. Under Armour’s FLOW system replaces traditional rubber with a rubberized EVA midsole that also acts as the outsole.

Our durometer test returned a soft 48.0 HC reading—closer to foam than rubber. While this material provides outstanding grip, it’s likely to wear down quickly, so we put it to the test.

As expected, the rubberized EVA outsole crumbled under our Dremel, showing 6.2 mm of total damage. While real-world wear may be less extreme, it’s clear this outsole won’t match the longevity of most other supershoes.

A small but welcome touch that slightly compensates for the EVA foam is the TPE insole—a nice addition despite its minimal 2.0 mm thickness.

We removed the insole effortlessly—something not always possible in competition shoes. However, with the toebox’s low volume and the insole’s minimal thickness, finding a suitable replacement or using custom orthotics will be a real challenge.

The midsole became only 9% firmer after 20 minutes in the freezer—a solid result for a shoe that already leans slightly on the firm side.

No reflective elements on the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack—not surprising for a pure racing shoe.

Under Armour occasionally takes bold risks with running shoe designs—just look at the SlipSpeed Mega—but with this one, they kept things pretty straightforward.

It features a well-padded, perforated tongue measuring 4.4 mm thick—generous for a performance shoe. In our experience, this makes it a solid choice for runners who occasionally struggle with instep discomfort during longer distances.

We also discovered a strategically-placed tongue loop, essential for preventing any mid-run shifting. On the downside, the laces felt cheap for a £250 shoe—definitely an area where Under Armour could have done better.

The tongue isn’t fixed to the sides and moves freely—common in supershoes, yet still frustrating to deal with!

The Under Armour ClutchFit Drive & Drive Highlight Veterans Day Pack carries a premium price tag, but we believe it needs to deliver more to justify the cost. At around £200, it could be a solid choice—but at its current price, it can't compete with world-record-setting supershoes.

This shoe is already too nike for a racer, so adding extra grammes with a heel tab feels unnecessary.