The Arc’Teryx Norvan LD 2 is the first experience I’ve had with the brand Arc’Teryx. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure how to pronounce the brand name.

Arc’Teryx Norvan LD 2 Trail Shoe Review

I have since learnt the pronunciation (arc-te-rix – it seems obvious now) and that the company is named after a 140 million year old creature, the Archaeopteryx. This creature made an evolutionary leap from dinosaur to bird and the logo is based on its fossil.

My first impression of the Norvan LD 2 was one of middle ground; I loved the muted colour palette and how lightweight the shoe was but was unsure about how slippy and plastic-y the shoe felt when I tried it on.

I went half a size smaller than usual in the women's Norvan LD 2, wore a thicker pair of socks and tied the laces in a heel lock style. These three moves and 80km’s later, and I am now leaning towards this being my new favourite trail shoe....

What I love about this shoe is the grip. It has the best grip of any shoe I have worn. The first day I wore the shoe was in the rain, running around trails with a group of dogs. The Norvan LD 2 did not slip once. Not even when I would try to stop or slow down being towed behind the big woofers.

The grippy outsole is made using Vibram® LITEBASE technology and I can’t commend it enough.

The more I wear the Norvan LD 2, the comfier it becomes. I have quite a wide foot and often quickly bust out the sides of shoes, but there has been no signs of wear and tear yet. The materials seem to be quite durable, which may account for that initial plastic feel.

“The more I wear the Norvan LD 2, the comfier it becomes”

Meagan Brown

The shoe is marketed as a supportive all-day trail shoe – with the LD standing for Long Distance over their sibling Norvan SL (super-light). I am yet to run longer than 20km in them, but am looking forward to giving it a go. I think the Norvan LD 2 is like a tub of Ben & Jerry’s – you’re not sure if you should get it at first, but once you do all you want is more!

Geek Out:
Arc’Teryx Norvan LD 2 Trail Shoe Stats