Reebok Nano X2 Adventure Review: A Fitness-Turned-Outdoor Trainer

The Nano X2 Adventure from Reebok takes you from the gym to the trails, to the road — all in one shoe.

I’ve got lots of shoes and unfortunately, also limited space. There are my road runners, my trail runners, hiking boots, low hikers, trainers for the gym — really any specific shoe for any specific activity.

So, when the Nano X2 Adventure by Reebok was introduced to me, I was a little skeptical about the what and the why of the shoe. Reebok says that it’s essentially a training shoe for those who are sweating it up outside.

After testing them and realizing their versatility, though, it’s apparent that the fun-colored shoes have all the makings of a good outdoor-purposed shoe (we’ll get more into what that means below) with a grippy outsole, breathable upper, and reflective details.

In short: If you want to ditch all the different shoes (or at least a few) and have one that can cover outside training, mild to moderate hikes, and short trail runs, the Nano X2 Adventure has you covered.

Reebok Nano X2 Adventure Review

Testing the Reebok Nano X2 Adventure

Coming from Reebok’s Nano franchise and updated in the second iteration of the adventure variety, the X2s are for the folks that are “taking their training beyond the four walls of a gym” with upgrades specifically built to withstand a variety of terrains and outdoor training demands. Basically, it’s a trainer — but with a few upgrades geared toward outdoor use.

I knew these shoes weren’t straight trail or road runners, but they also weren’t gym shoes, either. Rather, they are for the cross-training athlete who wants that hit of fresh air and to take their workouts outside, but with a shoe that won’t break down on rougher terrain.

To test these out, I did a variety of exercises in them — a few bootcamp-style HIIT classes on pavement and grass, some shorter trail runs (about 3 miles) on rocky, steep trails, a 3-mile road run on the sidewalk, and lots of quick jaunts outside on sandy, gravely paths.

What stood out about the shoes was that even with some of the more aggressive terrain or exercises (like running downhill on a trail) these shoes held up both in durability and stability. I didn’t feel any discomfort either when running, jumping rope, or doing plyometrics on pavement. No hot spots and no foot pain, either; they were good to go from the first workout.

Nano X2 Adventure Upper

The upper is made of a nylon ripstop that is thicker to the touch, but doesn’t feel cumbersome when on. Instead, it provided solid protection in specific spots that need reinforcement, like the toes from stubbing on rocks or stairs and the sides during lateral agility training. Even in high temperatures (80s and sunny), my feet didn’t feel swampy or too hot thanks to the breathability.

The design also adds bright pops of color and small reflective details, just in case your workout takes you past sunset.

Outsole and Midsole

This is where the shoes really worked when outside: the sole is spotted with lugs for grip and durability. With some of my training, I used these to run on both gravel uphill trails and on pavement. For the shorter trail runs, I had ample protection both underfoot and in the toe cap.

With the road runs, I didn’t slip, trip, or fall at any point, even when the ground was sandy or wet. The tread pattern is designed for maximum outdoor traction, Reebok told us, and we found that to be true.

Even with a more inflexible base, which did help keep my feet protected against sharper rocks, the midsole provided a nice overall comfort. The shoe uses Reebok’s Floatride Energy Foam for a light, responsive effect.

Updated Heel

Although I haven’t tested the previous iteration of the Nano X2 Adventure, the heel was the main focus of updates for this round. This taller, but not obtrusive, heel collar provides a better, more secure fit. Also updated, the heel clip is slimmer and more defined in this iteration for added stability.

One Noticeable Con

I had two minor issues when I didn’t lace these shoes up tight enough — the tongue slipped way to the outside and the upper support felt lacking with lateral moves like skaters, agility sprints, or lateral star jumps. With both moves, it felt like the outside base of my foot was pushed against the shoe and not getting enough support to quickly transition in the other direction.

Once I tied the shoes tighter, the tongue didn’t slip as much, but the lateral support only improved a little. This could be because the nylon ripstop does have some stretch to it. And though it is durable, it lacked the support I wanted with quick side-to-side movements.

Overall for me, the con of not enough lateral support didn’t happen enough to cancel out the shoe’s overall good performance, but could be a bigger drawback for some. In that case, we recommend checking out our other favorite cross-training shoes, like the OG Reebok Nano X.

Conclusion

These aren’t going to be your shoes if you are doing some serious, long-distance training, but they will provide good grip and stability when training outdoors. Where the Nano X2 Adventure will shine is for cross-training outside of your gym, whether in run or workout mode, on pavement, gravel, or trail.

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