Customer Reviews Arc'teryx Norvan VT 2

On my second pair of these, the uppers have fallen apart on both with less than 50 miles on them. There isn't a better shoe anywhere for fast runs and low 5th terrain, but not going to be sustainable to buy a new pair often enough to make the exceptional performance worth it.

I love these shoes. They are light and comfortable. I have this issue of walking on the balls of my feet though. So I go through soles pretty fast. I got this shoe because of the Vibram sole which is one of the toughest there is. After a couple of months, where the shoe bends at the spot where the mesh meets the rubber of the shoe on top, it was already coming apart on both shoes, on both sides. I was going to return them then, but I let it go. Then after about 8 months, the soles were almost worn through. Now at the year mark almost to the day, the whole sole on my right foot has delaminated. I had to cut a hole in the side of the sole because the air inside the rubber made it like walking on a balloon, and I couldn't almost walk in them. So now if the floor is wet, so it my foot. The worst part is I got these during the pandemic, and I am a computer nerd. I have not been hiking, running, camping, or anything outdoorsy with these shoes, so the fact that they wore out so unbelievably easy made them very much not worth the purchase. I can't imagine how fast they would have degraded if I had done any outdoor activities. I've literally been indoors on computers all day the last year.

Before getting started, let me put it out there that I own and adore many Arc'teryx products and I leave these reviews for designers to update/improve products and also help other customers. Anyhow, I just put in 100 miles into this shoe on the Wonderland Trail and it worked pretty well. I did have some issues with this shoe however. The first issue is that within the first 20 miles, the inner microsuede lining started separating from the inner mesh. This definitely caused some internal rubbing along the medial side of my foot. It wasn't enough to cause blistering, but it did create redness and irritation. I wore an extra liner sock to prevent additional irritation. This only occurred on the left shoe, while the right shoe lining is still intact after 100 miles. I either got a lemon, or the adhesive used needs to be stronger. My second issue is the mesh along the first metatarsal (medial side) has already started fraying and forming a hole. This occurred after 70 miles or so. Conditions were occasionally rocky on the trail, but not anything out of the ordinary. I tend to be pretty careful with my shoes as well. I cannot see these shoes lasting more than 400+ miles on tougher terrain. Some positive notes: -The shoes are adequately breathable. Not once did my feet feel hot on the trail. -The TPU toe guard and medial arch guard were surprisingly great on the trail and protected my feet from sharp rock. After 100 miles the guards still look great. -The Vibram megagrip soles are excellent and have little wear after 100 miles. -The heel loops are a very nice touch. Very useful for slipping on the shoe and clipping them to a carabiner. -The shoes are very smooth and sleek in the interior. If the lining didn't separate, then it would be perfect. -Lastly, the shoes are quite handsome and have a really nice style.

Before getting started, let me put it out there that I own and adore many Arc'teryx products and I leave these reviews for designers to update/improve products and also help other customers. Anyhow, I just put in 100 miles into this shoe on the Wonderland Trail and it worked pretty well. I did have some issues with this shoe however. The first issue is that within the first 20 miles, the inner microsuede lining started separating from the inner mesh. This definitely caused some internal rubbing along the medial side of my foot. It wasn't enough to cause blistering, but it did create redness and irritation. I wore an extra liner sock to prevent additional irritation. This only occurred on the left shoe, while the right shoe lining is still intact after 100 miles. I either got a lemon, or the adhesive used needs to be stronger. My second issue is the mesh along the first metatarsal (medial side) has already started fraying and forming a hole. This occurred after 70 miles or so. Conditions were occasionally rocky on the trail, but not anything out of the ordinary. I tend to be pretty careful with my shoes as well. I cannot see these shoes lasting more than 400+ miles on tougher terrain. Some positive notes: -The shoes are adequately breathable. Not once did my feet feel hot on the trail. -The TPU toe guard and medial arch guard were surprisingly great on the trail and protected my feet from sharp rock. After 100 miles the guards still look great. -The Vibram megagrip soles are excellent and have little wear after 100 miles. -The heel loops are a very nice touch. Very useful for slipping on the shoe and clipping them to a carabiner. -The shoes are very smooth and sleek in the interior. If the lining didn't separate, then it would be perfect. -Lastly, the shoes are quite handsome and have a really nice style.

They are really good looking and comfortable but they don't hold up to the trail at all. Mine had a whole in them after the first month and I don't even know what I tripped on. Probably better for a city jogger.

I love the performance of this shoe on rocky terrain. Fantastic. Unfortunately the transition between the fabric and coated fabric tears itself apart after a short period of time. Totally disappointed in the durability. Hope there is a VT 3 in the works that addresses this issue.

Similar to other reviews here, I have had severe issues with blisters forming on my heels. I first got them on a short hike on a local trail and got the even worse on a backpacking trip. I tried to counteract the heel slip, but the pressure from tightening the laces caused a lot of discomfort on the top of my foot and the blisters still continued. I am really disappointed because I love all my other Arc-teryx gear and really want to love these shoes, but it is not meant to be.

I purchased these just over a month ago. They're very comfortable for wearing around the house but anything further & I'm afraid my feet just seem to fear them & produce endless amounts of blisters on the heels. I did see a post from a chappie about 9 months ago (I only wish I'd read it prior to purchasing) & I wholeheartedly concur with his conclusions about the blisters. The last time I worse these was over a week ago now, my feet are only getting back to normal. I've decided to wear these as expensive slippers around the house now & stick to my previous brand of footwear.

Bought these last fall, and every time I wore them, either casual walks, or short runs - I would get blisters at the back above my heel where there is a significant lip or rim of foam which looks designed to keep your heel down. This was not an issue with the gen 1 Norvan VT shoe in the same size (although this 2nd gen seem to be just a smidgen longer in the same size), or any other running shoes I've ever had. Other than this issue, they're a pretty stiff-soled shoe with good grip for trail running, nice lacing system (much better than the gen 1 Norvan VT shoe). Good mix of breathability and protection. They look good. Several review sites have mentioned the same blister causing issue. I would recommend designers to build a more gradual and smooth heel cup rear and upper to cup the heel and prevent heel lift.

As the title says, I really wanted to love these shoes! They seemed to be that perfect combination of runnable footwear that was still capable of 4th class scrambles. However, after approximately 13 runs and 101 miles, they're showing significant signs of wear on the uppers. To be blunt, I'm pretty disappointed in their qualitywhich is not your standard Arc'Teryx. While certainly not as bad as the reviewer below, I have no doubt they'll look like that after a few more outings. For reference, I'm about 5'9" and 160, run in the North Cascades, and am not particularly hard on my equipment. Pros: - Fantastic grip on rocks and wet trails - Snug fit that keeps your feet secure during scrambles and off-trail excursions - Very durable outsole - Great support and underfoot protection for multi-hour runs in technical terrain Cons: - Starting to fail/fall apart way too soon in my book - They feel pretty clunky on any smooth or less technical trails - I need to tape up the back of my heal for steep/technical ascents with these shoes to avoid blisters, something that's not been an issue with other models Overall, I cannot recommend this shoe based on their poor quality.

Great rubber, awesome fit, great weight...but the mesh dissolves when it even looks at rocks. Not durable and not worth the money because they won't last very long

I do really like these shoes, but they simply aren't durable enough to warrant purchase. I put less than 75 miles on them and only about 50 of the miles that were logged came from running. If the rubber that extends up the heel and around the base of the toe box were to extend all the way up to the tongue, this would be a phenomenal, durable shoe (I do realize that would impact breathability). However, the transition from rubber to fabric/mesh is a significant weakness in the design as these shoes are no longer useful before the soles have even begun to show wear. With all that said, this shoe has some great qualities - specifically the Vibram sole that sticks to anything and and burly shoelace pocket at the top of the tongue that is both big enough and tight enough to actually keep the laces secure and out of the way for 30+ miles of running in the mountains. Likewise, they manage to remain relatively lightweight even with the heavy duty sole on them. I would probably be quite faithful to these shoes and be a repeat buyer time and time again if they could stand up to the terrain, but I can't in good conscience recommend them to anyone for the retail price, nor can I recommend them as a "rugged-trail" shoe - perhaps only suited for well-maintained trails or unpaved pathways with minimal variation in terrain. I think this model shows a lot of potential for future generations of the shoe if they can make the actual shoe as durable as the Vibram sole (I really only did two runs in these shoes - a 20-mile run and a 30-mile run before they gave out).

For Vancouver trails ? Nop. Any roots can too easily touch the upper part of the fabric which is made of tiny fragile fiber and tear the weaving apart. If you use them on flat trail there is no reason it should happen but it happen to me on a basic hikes where the trail is not maintained with gravel. And the hole in the fabric is getting wider and wider even if i tried to stop it by some stitching. So I would not recommend these shoes because they are advertised as trail running shoes. It really feels like they conceive shoes without being honest to the reality of users. Also, the inner fabric is very soft so fells very nice in the store but look at the picture and see : two holes in less than 10 daily hikes. I am amazed about the fact that overall the rest is made of quality component but the basics are not achieve by the such high end company. Good Luck! Enjoy your hikes!

Bought this shoe this summer and got less than a month out of it. The show tore along a seam at the front. So much life left in the shoe. I went through the online warranty and was told it did not meet Arcteryx warranty. Really disappointed with this one. I expected more from Arcteryx.