Norda 001A and 002

My son uses them 3 to 4 days a week day hiking and running, and gets a full (Canadian) 3 season out of a pair.  He finds them very grippy, and pretty breathable.  He prefers the 002 because the 001 chafe his heels, he figures due to thinner material in back.   Size up on them.  He’s a 12 but needs a 13 in Nordas.

These are made in Montreal so a bit easier to get for us Canadians.

Good to know about the heel. How’s the toe box? Narrow or roomy?

He said it was roomy, letting his toes splay out nicely on descents.  IIRC, he has normal width feet.  Its been a while since we had to buy him shoes :)

Pulled the trigger on the Nord 001A.  Haven’t taken it yet on a trail but thus far has a very good ground feel yet the Arnitel TPEE midsole softens the steps. There is a comfortable amount of room in the forefoot yet not sloppy. It is heel-lock capable but I haven’t had to use it thus far. I have fiddled around with various other lacing  techniques.

I haven’t had any issues thus far with the dreaded heel blisters but that remains to be seen in the weeks to come. I did use a new pair of Balega Blister Resist socks and will use Leukotape P is there is any sensation of unwanted rubbing.

The bottom, with its Vibram Megagrip, felt sticky and in control so I expect it will allow me to move about the trail with confidence. I’ll put it through its paces in the next few weeks and report back. The good news is it has passed the inital fit-and-feel test with flying colors.

Received a pair of 001A G+ yesterday. Tried them on. Didn’t take them back off. Almost wore them to bed. Instant restless leg syndrome. Great rebound on the heel strike, tapering off towards the toe box propels them forward. The agility is excellent, yet still very supportive. I felt very stable walking and trotting. Standing still doing stretches, my feet felt well planted. Thin fabric, but very stable.

Not wide like Keens or topo. Not Solomon slim either, including their wides  Going up a size and a half from my Keens. A half size larger than my Sportiva boots and Cloudrocks. Heavy socks might be a little tight on the sides. I could go up a half size for winter. Length was good though, with a wide thumb in front of the big toe.

Edit: The only inside padding is at the mid foot where the tongue connection wraps around your foot and is attached at the sole rather than to the outer. While keeping the tongue well in place, I think it also adds greatly to the agility. Some reinforcement around the heel with minimal padding to help lock in the heel.

The “G+” is graphene. I won’t go into the claims other they claim that its thermal regulating. Around 80*F yesterday, they didn’t feel overly warm . More water resistant, they may not readily drain well. Can’t say yet.

I think a trail runner would be very pleased with these shoes. Not discounting complaints about heel rub. I feel a slight slippage. Playing with the laces would help. As a walker, I see no problem. I know I’m slower than David D. Certainly slower than the kid.

Great shoes. I thought that the Dyneema might have been a gimmick. It isn’t. While it’s the selling point, there’s much more going on with these and it’s put to good use. They felt good right out of the box. They didn’t have the clunky feeling that many of the other ultralight shoes do. Highly recommended!

15% off from Backcountry plus store credit eased the pain. Putting on the shoe took it completely away.

Edited

I should have waited to post.

The inner padding that wraps your foot and attaches to the tongue stretches to fit your foot and gives a snug fit. The shoe is tightened around it. This made me question the width. Putting on thick socks, it stretches to fit and does the job. It isn’t overly tight. Likewise it isn’t loose when going sockless. They stay snug.

I’ve never come across anyone shy of trail runners that do the pace of my kid.  He does a lot of very technical terrain with 002 with no complaints