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Nike ACG’s Air Nasu 2 is a mashup of the best outdoor sneakers
Set to retail at $120, it’s also one of the cheaper hiking shoes out there.
With the world slowly opening back up, Nike’s ACG sub-label — dedicated to sustainability and exploring the outdoors — is making a welcome comeback with a new footwear model. Called the ACG Air Nasu 2, the sneaker acts as a follow-up to the original ACG Air Nasu, updating the off-road model with a breathable ripstop fabric and welded mudguard for added protection.
Nike ACG’s first Air Nasu debuted in 2020 as part of the sub-label’s Mt. Fuji collection. Named after Nasu, Japan — a small town known for its hiking and natural hot springs — the Air Nasu was inspired by past outdoor Nike models like the Air Humara and ACG Zoom Terra Zaherra. Built to protect its wearer from cold weather conditions and slippery rocks, the utilitarian shoe offered a grippy midsole, hard rubber toe reinforcement, and GORE-TEX lining.
Rugged runners — As an updated counterpart, the Air Nasu 2 sees many of the original sneaker’s features switched out for warmer summer weather. Doing away with the shoe’s initial rubber mesh upper, Nike instead opts for a lightweight semi-transparent textile, reinforced with ripstop to up durability. Rubberized toe caps, mudguards, and heel counter panels continue the sneaker’s sturdiness should you literally kick rocks on your hike.
And just as the first Air Nasu referenced the Air Humara, the second version loosely nods to the heel lockdown straps of the ACG Pocketknife. At this point, the Air Nasu 2 can just be considered a meld of Nike’s best outdoor sneakers, perhaps making it the brand’s finest yet.
Three color schemes of the new ACG model are available: An earthy “Smoky Mauve” comes dressed in bright red accents, a “Grey Fog” flaunts hits of yellow, and a “Black/Anthracite” sees black details with light tan. All styles feature a large triangular ACG badge on their heel with reflective piping highlighting the collar and top eyestays. Speckled detailing — on the “Smoky Mauve” and “Grey Fog” iterations only — decorates the shoe’s midsole.
Arriving just in time for fall hikes — All three makeups of the Nike ACG Air Nasu 2 are set to debut at select retailers on August 2, alongside a possible SNKRS release. Retailing at $120, the rugged shoes are some of the cheapest outdoor sneaker options, meaning they won’t be around for long — add in their ACG endorsement and the shoes are as good as gone.
