Arc'teryx Norvan SL Running Shoe - Men's for Sale, Reviews, Deals and Guides

I had the opportunity to test the Arcteryx Norvan LD 2 shoe, many thanks to Backcountry. These opinions are my own. Where I’m coming from as a reference point: I have been using primarily Altra for years. Occasionally, I get into Salomon Speedcrosses. I run trail/ultra, primarily mountain, in Colorado. I’m 5’7’’ 130lbs and wear a 9.5 in pretty much any footwear. I used these for a week, putting down about 40 miles in them. When opening the box, the first thing I noticed was undeniably the color. The yellow/lime color is a true safety yellow look. They are loud!! I don’t mind a bit of a mix-up from the typical black/grey color swatch of the trail shoe world. Picking these up, I was surprised with the weight. The outsole stack made me believe they’d weigh more than they do. Arcteryx’s website claims these are some of the lightest trail shoes on the market, and, I’d say it’s probably an accurate claim. Light, and not lacking in quality of construction. The tongue of the Arcteryx Norvan LD 2 is comfortable and integrated into the outers, making for a sock-y fit. The tongue is also stretch and has a big thumb loop on it for ease of slipping onto the foot. I wish the heel also had a thumb loop - it does not - but, not a huge deal. Insoles are removable. I used this shoes in dusty trail conditions with many sharp rocks underfoot. Overall, I was impressed with the way the shoes handled. They are not a plush, pillowy shoe! It is a firmer foam, and you’ll feel the rock under you. This isn’t a negative in my book. If you are looking for a shoe to go fast in and feel the details, this is a good shoe for that. The rubber was grippy for the trails I used it on. No problems at all on rocks or dust. I have wider than normal feet (but don’t wear proper wide fit shoes) and I found this shoe to be of an appropriate width. Snug, hugging my toes and metatarsals, but, not pushing out over the seams. There was just enough wiggle room in the toes to fuss around, but don’t expect an Altra fit in the toes. My heel stayed in place while running, and in general I found these to be a true-to-size fit. A word of caution: my feet swell after 7-8 hours of running. These would likely get a bit uncomfortable with any swelling, and I’d definitely size up if that was your planned use. Overall, I can’t say anything bad about the Norvan LD 2 shoe. In fact, this is one of the rare times I’d give a 5 start review. I wish the drop (9mm drop) were a bit less. In fact, I’d say the drop is the main factor that keeps me from wanting to add this shoe to my list of daily drivers. 9mm is quite above my preference. Perhaps I’ll keep these around as a backup pair and ease my way into them. Construction is high quality and on par with other trail shoes, they look good, they feel like a responsive shoe would… II think Arcteryx is on to something with this shoe, and folks preferring fits like Salomon or NB would find these a good alternate.

although they arent as "cushy" as an adi-boost, or big-soled runners, they feel really good on my runs (5-6miles) super light

Bought these as a gortex travel shoe. In addition now, have been using them for outside Crossfit while my gym is closed: burpees et al., 200m, 400m, 800m, 1mile runs on dirt road as well as walking trails. They're durable. The upper is both minimal and properly weatherproofed as a gortex shoe. The sole is a striking balance of stiff enough (without feeling stiff) for trail running and sprinting (evens out rocks and ruts), without the shoe feeling hard. The upper is not so light that it is poorly paired with a trail sole. From my perspective, it is a rare and effectively balanced shoe. It fits me well, when a lot of shoes do not: I splay wide in the toes and my heel is medium to narrow. I normally wear a men's 10.5 dress shoe and 11.5 running shoe. I have the 11.5, so true to size. As an early venture into running shoes for Arc'teryx, these are spot on for me. I'll keep buying from them.

What is wrong with the warehouse? I received the shoes with one on 7.5, and the other on 7！However they are comfortable. Forget it…

I got the Arc'teryx Norvan SL running shoes a few months ago and have been wearing them twice per week for a ski season conditioning class here in Park City. The class combines cardio with strength and balance routines and is held indoors on field turf. So far, the Norvan SL sneakers have been amazing - even though they are lightweight and the upper incorporates a lot of micro-mesh for ventilation, they provide excellent support for running and side-to-side stability for the various exercises we're doing. A great unexpected use for these was as water shoes earlier this fall - the rivers were warm enough for wet-wading, and these were the shoes I had with me, so I took off my socks and the Norvans became my wet wading shoes - they worked super well, dried quickly and showed no ill-effects from being submerged for a couple hours. Fit is true to size. Highly recommended.