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9.7 oz. (275 g)
27.4mm in heel, 20.7mm in forefoot (6.7mm drop)
Trail runs, hikes, and fashion
Bio-based EVA midsole, TerraGrip outsole, recycled materials
Available now for $210
SAM: Cool and me, we have a tense relationship. Sometimes I feel like I have cool nailed down, and then my wife reminds me that on most days I wear one of my eight different Lord of the Rings t-shirts (I almost bought another last week; Isolation Man had a killer fall drop). As Alex said, Veja is cool. Me? When I saw the name of this shoe, I thought, “Weird, they named this after a low-tier Dungeons and Dragons monster.”
And you know, as a lightly practicing birder, I probably should have thought about the majestic Harpy Eagle first, but the countless hours I’ve spent in a basement rolling D20s and talking in a funny voice have caused D&D to lurk in my subconscious like a displacer beast, always ready to teleport itself into conversations or, as you can see, shoe reviews.
Because of this, “cool” will forever be a moving target for me. Sure, I work in coffee, and I review trail running gear, but there’s a conversation on Paladin multiclassing or the fraught plight of peasants in Barovia I have locked and loaded for any situation.
Luckily for me, I don’t have to be cool to run in the Veja Harpie Trail and tell you what I thought about it. I can only hope that the 100% recycled polyester AeroShell upper, Bio-based EVA midsole, and 33% Amazonian rubber and 27% silica outsole look cool enough that someone will start up a conversation with me, which I definitely won’t turn into a D&D conversation. Grab your dice and character sheets; we’re talking the Veja Harpie Trail.
ALEX: Veja is a cool, environmentally-conscious brand. They’re well known in the casual sneaker space but have only recently stepped into the running space. The Harpie Trail is their first trail running shoe. I looked up the brand and noticed that the Veja Harpie is sold on sites like Free People and Anthropologie. Which makes sense; the shoe looks great. I figured if all else failed, this would make a great airport and casual shoe. Cause Free People, people. If they sign off on it, you know it’s cool.
Fun fact: the Harpie Trail is a tribute to the Harpy Eagle, the largest bird of prey in South America. The Harpie is also a Greek mythological creature faster than the wind, and I'm kinda into it.
TAYLOR: I agree with those two. I can't really say I identify with cool as it pertains to… anything, really, but I can talk about worthwhile missions and performance. That’s what Veja seeks to do here with the Harpie anyways, and we’re always game for putting a shoe through the wringer.
SAM: Veja wouldn’t even be in the running conversation were it not for the environmental mission that fed its popularity and led to its expansion into the running space, so naturally I feel like I need to center my review around that green thumb. After all, they printed those material bona fides on the medial side of the upper. The Harpie isn’t just a trail shoe; it’s a full-throated attempt at a sustainable trail shoe.
While much of the attention on the Harpie goes to the natural, responsibly sourced Amazonian rubber in the midsole and outsole (and we’ll definitely talk about that), I can’t help but be impressed by how much of this shoe uses recycled polyester. The upper, lining, and laces are 100% recycled, and the insole is mainly a mix of bio-based and sugarcane EVA and recycled polyester.
Often when shoe companies promote recycled materials in uppers, the percentage that is recycled isn’t much more than 30-50%. Here, all you get is recycled ripstop polyester, and I really appreciated the breathability, comfort, and flex it offered. I used this shoe on several unseasonably warm early fall runs, and the upper was so breathable that it distracted me from a podcast a few times. The recycled sawtooth laces that hold your foot into this upper are great as well.
Underfoot is a mix of Bio-based EVA and natural rubber (and, well, “others”). This is protective, and I thought that it was comfortable and runnable. Veja sources their rubber directly from farmers and pays a fair price for that rubber. They work with these producers to promote sustainable practices in harvesting and shipping.
The TerraGrip outsole is also Amazonian rubber, with mineral silica for durability. It’s thick, and I’m sure adds some weight, but I was really impressed by both the grip and apparent durability in this natural rubber. This isn’t the most aggressive outsole ever, but it’s more than enough for what this shoe is capable of.
ALEX: The Harpie Trail is a good-looking shoe. Its muted colorways and clean design aesthetic won me over from the start, but we all know that beauty is only upper deep. That pretty Aeroshell upper is made from recycled polyester and is lightweight, breathable, and quick-drying. There are no overlays or flex points that require a break-in period. It was comfortable and, given it's still 90 degrees in Utah, this was a very welcome feature.
The Harpie Trail has an anatomical foot shape which is roomy and accommodating without feeling sloppy. While I do have some comments below on stability and lockdown, I don’t blame the anatomical shape of this shoe for that. More on that later.
The heel collar is soft and padded. The TPU overlays that make up the toe bumper and base of the heel provide some structured support and protection.
The TerraGrip outsole is exclusive to Veja; it provides great traction on all of the terrain I tested this one on. I ran road to gravel to trail and have no complaints and had no issues with traction.
The bio-based EVA midsole feels protective underfoot, and while you are not going to experience a noticeably responsive or bouncy ride, it is protective and feels really durable. It is also made of a blend of wild Amazonian rubber, which I learned is a good thing. Their practices support fair trade pricing and incentivize deforestation. Not many brands are talking about this, so I assume not many brands are sourcing materials this responsibly. Would love to see more step into this space.
TAYLOR: I'll piggyback on the positives here!
Aesthetically, the Veja Harpie falls right in line with some of their most popular sneakers. Regardless of performance, you’re getting a beautiful shoe in any colorway.
Thankfully, there’s a little more to talk about here.
Both Sam and Alex outlined what’s admirable about Veja’s sustainability efforts. While I’m not going to be shy when I say they need some tweaks for performance, I think that each ingredient on its own is truly quality. Durability is one of those overlooked aspects when it comes to the sustainability conversation. The Harpie will, no doubt, be an option that can take miles upon miles of trails and come out the other side just fine. While many modern-day running shoes wane in character quite quickly, I really don’t think that will be the case here.
What I’m most impressed with is the overall silhouette, though. It’s just right. The stack height, outsole profile, and upper fit are all on point to please a variety of runners.
An anatomical toe box set the stage for a comfortable fit. It has the right sense of roundedness and was accommodating without feeling too roomy. I’d say the rest of the shoe feels complementary to that statement too.
Underfoot, the midsole gave a high level of protection. It is a dense sensation that gained a little bit of squish throughout the break-in period, but just a little. There was a very consistent feeling throughout the ride. Some may even find it refreshing that there’s simply not a lot of character here. It reminded me most of the first version of the Nnormal Tomir and similar to a high-stack version of the Speedgoat 6.
Beneath that, the Amazonian rubber outsole was adequate for a variety of surfaces and terrain. It also showed enough durability to match the rest of the package. I appreciated Veja’s commitment to wrap some of its homeland into their identity. Keep that, please! It is one of those design elements that feels worth it from a brand level.
SAM: I like the upper material of the Veja Harpie, and I think it’s definitely solid for being 100% recycled, but it was loose and baggy and could not hold my foot onto the sole of the shoe anywhere near the way I wanted it to. I could attribute some of this to how off the sizing of my test pair was. It ran at least a half size and probably a full size too big. Sizing issues aside, there’s just no structure in the midfoot of this upper, and it could use some.
It could use that structure because it’s trying to hold what ends up being a blocky and stiff midsole onto your foot. I don’t particularly mind the firmness of the Bio-based foam, but it feels like there is a lot underfoot, and there’s not much character to it. Running trails in this shoe, between the loose upper and block midsole, feels a little like trying to push a stubborn mattress up several flights of stairs.
ALEX: I had to lace this one pretty tight to get a decent lockdown and, as a result, ended up with some lace bite. The lack of lateral support combined with an unpadded tongue and really flexible heel collar made me feel like I was running on top of, not in, the shoe at times. This was especially noticeable and problematic on uneven or technical terrain, which was a bummer because this one was made for running fast on all the trail types. I couldn’t get myself to trust it. Why yes, I do have trust issues, and no, that’s not what came into play here. I just moved around in it a bit too much to feel confident.
My other issue is the midsole foam. While I am very appreciative of the sourcing, it does not give that fun, responsive, energetic ride that I have become accustomed to. It feels dense underfoot and a bit unbalanced given the somewhat unstructured upper. I think the combination led to that “running on” vs “running in” feel.
Finally, at $210, this shoe needs to be and do a bit more for me.
TAYLOR: Unfortunately, we have yet to review a trail shoe with this much sustainably sourced material that holds up in the performance department. The Veja Harpie is no different.
As Alex mentioned, there is some low-hanging fruit that would go a long way to making a better shoe. Paying closer attention to some of the smaller details in the upper would balance this silhouette out. I can deal with some extra weight and even a midsole that doesn’t have much life, but it’s really hard to feel any performance from a package that has both of those issues and is unbalanced.
It is a bottom-heavy runner, and not just because of the weight differential. There was a severe lack of internal or external support through the midfoot.
Add some recycled TPU overlays, stitch in a much more functional gusset, add more padding to the tongue… There are lots of ways to approach it. At the very least, something needs to be done for a more functional lockdown that will, again, really help balance the entire package out.
SAM: Shoe companies have mainly taken one of two routes toward sustainability: lean into renewable and recycled materials, or build a durable shoe that doesn’t have to be replaced as often. The Veja Harpie attempts to do both at once, and perhaps does both successfully. It does that, however, at the expense of its prowess on trail.
If there were a little less foam that allowed for more natural movement, or if there was a more cohesive structure to the upper, or even both, I could see this shoe having a lot of promise, especially because it includes so many sustainable materials. In the meantime, this is a solid walking shoe that can handle some light off-road surfaces.
I know we can expect to pay more for a shoe that aims to be sustainable and pay the producers of its materials better, but $210 is steep for not getting much performance, especially when you can get a shoe like the Nnormal Kjerag 02 for close to the same price, with a similar environmental mission behind it.
If Veja can hold onto the looks of this shoe and produce a technically proficient shoe with a broader appeal than the Kjerag 2, they could have real potential on their hands.
ALEX: The Veja Harpie Trail is a great-looking shoe. I love the design and the work they are doing behind the scenes to give a crap about the earth. Not enough brands do. Add some midfoot stability and a little bit more forgiving midsole, and I think a lot of my complaints would be resolved. It’s close!
TAYLOR: I appreciate Veja’s commitment to sustainable efforts and ability to build a simple, beautiful shoe. The performance side is still very much in development, though.
The best thing that the Veja Harpie has going for it is its silhouette. Keep that, add some structure/padding through the midfoot, gas up the midsole, and I think we would have something to talk about! As it is, though, I think the Harpie is really just something to walk about. It feels flat and unbalanced.
I still think that someone who loves the brand and wants to hit a less-technical variety of trails could appreciate the Veja Harpie. Or, if you want something that has a lot of protection and a package that could get you 1.5-2x the modern shoe, this could also be an option for you.
You can pick up the Veja Harpie Trail now for $210 at REI by using the shop link below.
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Alex is a trail and ultra runner originally from Minnesota, where she built her foundation on long winters and the rugged, rooty trails of Lake Superior’s North Shore. Now based in Utah, she trains along the Wasatch Front and continues to lean into long, multi-day efforts. She was the first female to set a supported FKT on the 310-mile Superior Hiking Trail and gravitates toward races that demand durability — especially in tough conditions, where sleep deprivation blurs the edges, and she’s learned to make friends with the hallucinations.
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Sam lives in Baltimore with his wife and two kids and spends his days fixing espresso machines for Ceremony Coffee Roasters. He runs with the Faster Bastards when he can, races ultras, and has been working on completing the AT section by section. He thinks the best days are made of long miles on nasty trails, but that a good surf session, a really stunning book, or a day of board games are pretty all right too.
All-time favorite shoes: Saucony Xodus Ultra, Topo Athletic Ultraventure 3, Altra Lone Peak
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Taylor Bodin is a trail and ultra runner living in Estes Park, Colo., with his wife and daughters. As the head of the Dirt Division at Believe in the Run, trail running is pretty much the only hobby he can manage right now and loves it. Every so often, he will pop off a race or FKT attempt because competition is pure and the original motivator for him getting into running anyway.
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