Nike Zegama 2 - Womens Review

With a 5mm drop, a plush 34 mm stack, and 4 mm lugs, the Nike Zegama 2 offers some comfortably rugged features for your trail endeavors.

Performance Comparision

Foot Protection

The Nike Zegama 2 is not the most protective shoe in our lineup, making it better suited for moderate trails. The midsole is made of Nike's ZoomX material, which provides a thick and relatively soft underfoot feel. The overall stack height is 34 mm, which feels thick and protective while inhibiting sensitivity. In lieu of a toecap, the Zegama has a very thin coating of rubber across the space where a toe bumper should be. This overlay provides very little protection, further cementing this shoe's standing as one that should be worn on trails where kicking rocks is not an option. The Zegama is the first trail shoe we've tested that has a built-in ankle gaiter at its heel collar. The thick heel cup gives way to a dual-layered, stretchy textile that sits somewhat snugly around the rear ankle. This prevents sand and dirt from infiltrating through the ankle collar. While this is a unique and comfortable touch, it doesn't quite make up for the protective elements the Zegama lacks.

Traction

The outsole of the Zegama 2 is made of Vibram MegaGrip, ultimately making this a decently-tractioned trail shoe despite its other trail-focused deficiencies. The chevron-shaped lugs have little bumps on their vertical edges, providing texture for extra confidence. The lug pattern is incredibly basic, with forward-facing lugs at the forefoot and rear-facing lugs across the rearfoot. A line of four lugs runs the lateral length of the arch, but the middle is made of exposed foam that is super susceptible to abrasions and punctures. Overall, the Vibram outsole provides decent traction across various surfaces but not enough to get our stamp of approval for highly technical efforts.

Sensitivity

The thickness of the stack and the ZoomX foam prevent the Zegama 2 from having much sensitivity. As we have discussed, some shoes can get away with being highly functional while lacking sensitivity, but the Zegama lacks the redeeming qualities of the other contenders. Without an embedded plate, the midsole of the Zegama feels like a soft, compressive road shoe underfoot. Since this is a shoe we recommend for easy to moderate trails, not feeling the trail isn't the worst since your body shouldn't have to adjust to topography changes quickly. When we consider purchasing shoes without sensitivity, we prefer that they provide burly underfoot protection or a speed-focused plate.

Stability

We are disappointed in the stability of the Zegama 2. The forefoot lacks the structure to help you maintain your gait and the rearfoot rides like it's focused on comfort, not stability. We run in a lot of different shoes, and this is only the second shoe we've had real stability issues in. Our main tester rolled her ankle on a moderate trail while testing the Zegama. We tightened the laces to create a semblance of stability, but this degraded the comfort of this shoe drastically. While runners with different anatomies might find the heel stack and overall compressive nature of the Zegama to be non-issues, we stand firm in our experience with the Zegama being a rather unstable shoe. Especially when we consider the stability demands of trail running, we hesitate to recommend the Zegama based on this metric alone.

Comfort and Fit

The Nike Zegama is such an aesthetic shoe that we begged it to be comfortable, and, for the most part, it is. When we consider this shoe through a comfort-only lens, removing its deficient trail prowess, we dig it. It is soft and smooth and boasts a uniquely comfortable heel collar design above a well-padded heel cup. Its tongue is plush, and the overall fit runs on the mildly wider side of narrow. Provided that you are not seeking a stability shoe, the Zegama 2 provides 360-degree comfort. The comfort, fit, and style of this shoe make it one that we reach for when we know we'll be active but also want to look cute. We appreciate the slightly above-average comfort elements of the Zegama, but don't recommend buying a trail shoe based on comfort alone. Comfort is important, but we have plenty of other recommendations that provide comfort and much-needed trail features instead.

Weight

A single shoe of the Zegama 2 in women's US size 6.5 weighs 8.4 ounces, which is a bit heavy for what it offers. While it is well-tractioned, it lacks some of the upper protection that we associate with heavier shoes. All in all, the weight of the Zegama isn't a total dealbreaker unless you are looking for an ultra-lightweight shoe. If the rest of the shoe fits (your desires), a half ounce per shoe above average isn't that much to add.

Should You Buy the Nike Zegama 2?

While Nike upped the ante with the updated outsole of the Zegama 2, it fails to hit the mark when placed head-to-head with other trail shoes. It is a rare trail runner who could make this shoe work for them on technical trails, so we hesitate to outright recommend purchasing it for the trails. If you want an active shoe that looks awesome and provides comfort, the Zegama fits that bill. For the average trail runner, we recommend allocating your hard-earned funds to a shoe that can keep you company on granite-laden climbs, through root-covered forests, and across the copious snow fields you may find during spring running.

What Other Trail Shoes Should You Consider?