The Norda 002 Review

The Norda 002 builds off the success of the 001 by borrowing a few pieces of tech from its older sibling and adapting them to become a faster lighter shoe. Tried and true bio-based Dyneema, Vibram SLE, Litebase and Megagrip all make for a faster, more specialized shoe, adapted for races, tempo training or anyone looking for more ground feel and breathability than the 001.

Overview

Material: bio-based Dyneema, Vibram SLE midsole, Vibram Litebase + Megagrip
Weight: 249 grams for size US 8.5 (claimed)
Size Tested: 11
Drop: 4mm
Stack Height: Heel Stack: 15mm / Toe Stack: 19 mm
Country of Origin: Vietnam

What are the Norda 002 shoes?

The Norda 002 is the follow-up to Norda’s successful 001 shoe. They are intended to be a responsive trail runner with more ground feel and durability at the forefront. They have a variation on the 001’s dyneema allowing it to be more breathable.

What’s new on the Norda 002?

The upper of the 002 is again made of bio-based Dyneema. Seamless construction with a top layer not unlike ripstop makes for a very durable material which Norda suggests is tougher than that used on the 001. I had no issues with the 001 at all and found the Dyneema used there to be more than adequately strong and the 002 has proven to be the same.

Where the Dyneema in the 001 had a waterproof column of 10,000mm and could withstand a decent soak, the 002 is just water resistant to a drizzle. This isn’t a slight on the shoe as breathability has certainly gone up. It also means that on super dusty trails, your feet will get a nice little coating of dust on them. It also means that my once very white shoes are much more of a beige.

Heel Counter

More than a few reviews mentioned the lack of cushioning in the heel of the 001. Norda listened, and now, the 002 has a padded heel collar. It is certainly comfortable and for those that were looking for padding, you’ve got it.

Gone is the pull tab but of the 001, but unless you refuse to untie your shoes when you take them off and put them on, you shouldn’t miss this.

Toe Bumper

Gone is the laminated toe box of the 001, it is the somewhat hard plastic toe bumper. It is an interesting choice as it is rather inflexible and unfortunately for my pair, on the right shoe it has started to pull away and leave a small hole. I’m not sure where I caught the toe bumper but it hasn’t gone any further over several 100kms of wear.

Reflective Accents

The Norda 002 has 360-degree reflective accents that run lengthwise, two from either side of the toe, and three from each side of the shoe to the heel. After several hundred KMs on the trail two of these have come unglued but I’m not worried about that at all. I don’t run or hike at night unless I have made some serious mistakes.

Midsole

Midsole Cushioning on the Norda 002 is provided by a Vibram SLE midsole, just like the 001. The difference this time is the thickness of the midsole. The 002 has a heel stack of 19mm and a toe stack height of 15mm for a drop of 4mm. This is 7mm less in the heel (27%) and 6mm less in the toe (28.5%) than the 001.

In a world of thicker-the-better midsoles, this was an intentional move to add more ground feel to the shoe. Even with the reduction in volume, the 002 is a well-cushioned shoe but now small undulations in the terrain are much easier felt and even if not true, it feels like the shoe can conform to the ground a little better.

What carries over from the Norda 001?

Tried and True Outsole

The outsole of the Norda 002 shares the same design made by Vibram in collaboration with Norda. It incorporates Litebase, and Vibram’s tech to reduce the thickness of the outsole material for weight while maintaining durability. Megagrip is Vibram’s rubber compound for trail running shoes.

The 5mm lugs again do a great job of providing grip on all forms of trail. Dry rock, loam and mud all handled well. The tread design between the lugs forms a pattern based on a topographic map of the Great Canadian Shield. Not only does this provide for one heck of a cool-looking outsole but it also provides extra grip as the lugs wear down.

I found the outsole to be more durable than other models of shoes with similarly equipped Megagrip. This is likely due to the high concentration of lugs on the 001 distributing pressure more evenly amongst themselves. I did notice wear accelerating when worn on rockier trails or with a heavier guiding pack.

Dyneema Laces, again!

Norda set out to make the most durable shoes on the market so there’s no way they were going to stop at the laces. The laces on the 001 are made with Dyneema just like the upper. They feel like you could hit them with a Skil saw and you’d dent the blade. I have yet to try this so don’t quote me on it. They are purportedly 4X the strength of regular laces and to top it off, they are 100% recycled. When I finally wear out the outsole, I will continue to use these laces on other shoes.

Norda Lock System

Holding your foot into the shoe is the Norda Lock System. A lightweight gusseted sock system to hold your fit in place to provide stability as you move through the mountains. It does a decent job holding the foot in place even without using the extra lace lock, something I use quite often on other shoes. I still wished there was an extra eyelet, though.

There is no sock liner like some shoes and in fact, wears more like a regular shoe. The liner does not help keep small rocks out, for that, you’ll need to tie them very tightly or perhaps pick up a pair of Dirty Girl gaiters.

On the Trail with the Norda 002

The Norda 002 sticks with the mid-wide fit. I did not notice how wide they were until I put on an Italian shoe such as a Scarpa. I don’t need a wider shoe like the Norda but it is nice to have in the rotation of shoes to give my toes room to splay even more. Again they are not as wide as a shoe like the Altra, but a happy medium in the world of narrow and wide trending shoes.

The 002 feels as though it has a softer flex than the 001 For most of the testing period I wore the shoes with a Superfeet Blue insole. The 002 comes with custom-designed eTPU insoles. They were comfortable when wearing around town but never saw trail time so I cannot speak on them.

The Norda 001 has a fairly soft flex. Coming from mostly wearing approach shoes to the 001 it took my feet a little while to get used to the softer flex. I am 215 pounds and therefore a fair amount heavier than the typical trail runner or fast packer and this likely affected the way the shoes felt.

Overview

These shoes are built to last. After 350 km I see no wear on the Dyneema upper nor the inside of the shoe. Sure, there is a small hole in the toe but this has remained the same since the first impact months ago. They’re also still water resistant and my go-to-shoe for training now that I am back on the wet coast in Squamish, I mean west coast, this Autumn.

The outsoles show a decent amount of wear, but due to my weight and extra use on rock, this is to be expected. I am definitely above the intended wearer weight of most people using Litebase and Megagrip outsoles, and I imagine that if I mostly wore these shoes in the PNW or were lighter, they would last a very long time.

The Norda 001 has an unconventional look as they are an unconventional shoe. The pair I tested was a collaboration with Ray Sahab, a world-record-holding explorer, ultrarunner and endurance athlete from Canada. He was also the lead advisor and product tester of the 001. If the Ray Sahab model isn’t your colour of choice, there is a cornucopia of colorways and collaborations to choose from and surely one of them will match whatever trail outfit you have. Who knows, you may need two pairs.

Overall I’ve been very happy with the Norda 002 as a trail shoe and wonder if they can be re-soled as I find it hard to believe I will ever wear out the upper.

Who are the Norda 002 for?

The runner or fastpacker who is already familiar with Vibram Litebase and Megagrip outsoles but is looking for a shoe with uppers that will last longer than the outsole. Light water resistance and a comfortable fit built for long days in the mountains.

If you are interested in picking up a pair of the Norda 002, head on over to Norda and pick up a pair.