Article by Sam Winebaum
Norrøna of Norway is a 4th generation family owned and led company well known in the outdoor world for its skiing and mountaineering apparel, designed for and tested in the world’s toughest environments and on ski slopes everywhere and always with simple elegant Nordic styling.
As with many “winter” focused brands, in 2022 Norrøna expanded its collections towards trail running with the senja collection.
In the review, I tested the senja Equaliser Lightweight T-Shirt ($99) and senja Flex 5” Shorts ($99) far from “polar regions” in New Hampshire high heat and humidity.
Let’s just say these highly technically evolved they kept me very comfortable and dare I say stylish everywhere on trail and road and around town, not always the case with tech apparel.
Equaliser Lightweight T-Shirt ($99)
The T-Shirt was a surprise. Not totally whisper thin but very light and soft it has a relaxed longer fit in my usual medium. I am 5’ 9”/ 175cm 160 lbs / 72kg.
It is made of two different fabrics.
The main fabric used in “the shoulders, upper front and shoulders. is a 100% recycled polyester 91g/m2. It has a wicking finish, using a strong delta yarn and has a UPF rating of 45+.” The fabric is very smooth and sleek in feel and does not cling when wet with sweat in part due to the loose easy fit.
“The other fabric used under the arms for the entire center back and across the front lower third of the shirt. The fabric is a double knit 100% recycled polyester of 103 g/m2. It has a UPF 15+ rating. It also has anti-odor treatment (HeiQ Fresh FFL) which is a bio-based amino sugar polymer that is silver-free and not an antimicrobial. It removes the fat and protein from sweat, thereby eliminating the ability of the bacteria to grow. This fabric is used under the arms and therefore gives the product good on anti odor, and can be used for a number of runs before it needs washing”
This last is absolutely true as I have run up to 4 times in big humid heat without needing to wash the shirt. This anti odor performance is very good but not quite as “strong” as 37.5 used in many top end Salomon shirts or FreshFace used by Polartec in their summer shirts.
The shirt is finished with several quality details.
It has front and back reflective details with the lower hem and sleeves are taped instead of stitched.
It has an inner collar fabric strip for durability along with a reinforced hole for hanging, and there are no sewn in labels.
I have done trail and road runs as well as hiked in the Equaliser in high heat and humidity and have always been very comfortable. I was surprised how airy it felt during hard efforts, never sticky or with a sensation of overheating, a tribute to its fabrics and looser fit.
Available in several other colors in addition to my orange two tone Exuberance color, the performance and style versatility of this shirt really stands out and it will be with me during our European travels and treks later this summer, and I will be packing light!
senja Flex 5” Shorts ($99)
The Flex shorts (also available in longer 9”) are a no brief trail running short with 5+ pockets. The fabric is a thin stretchy smooth weave 86% recycled nylon/14% elastane with weight 106 g/m2. Other specs: more than 50% of synthetic fibers in this product is recycled., Oeko-Tex Certified Fabric, PFC Free DWR, Bluesign Certified Fabric, Open Factory List.
It has 4 larger than usual drop in gel or key drop in pockets, a rear phone ready zip pocket (tight but doable with an iPhone 16 Pro in Apple silicone case with Pop Socket) and a rear horizontal slide through pocket in front of the rear zip pocket.
I found I could carry my phone in either larger pockets with no issues walking or hiking and no sagging but there was to much bounce on the run. I tuck the phone, as I often do, into the waist band with Pop Socket partially extended and everything stayed put just fine.
This is helped by the waist band which is lined with a soft mesh with the tie drawcord elasticated and super easy to snug as you wish and one of the best I can recall.
The fit is, as with the shirt is light, easy and smooth. They stretch effortlessly on the run and dry very quickly. And as with the shirt the high performance on the run crosses over to other uses just fine.
I also plan to use them as an overshort to half length tights for racing and long days on the trail.
Both pieces have beautiful simple designs, fit well and fit into a wide variety of uses and are among the highest performing I have tested in the last year.
Sam is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run. He is in his 60’s with 2025 Sam’s 54th year of running roads and trails. He has a decades old 2:28 marathon PR. These days he runs halves in the just sub 1:43 range if he gets very, very lucky. Sam trains 30-40 miles per week mostly at moderate paces on the roads and trails of New Hampshire and Utah be it on the run, hiking or on nordic skis. He is 5’9” tall and weighs about 160 lbs, if he is not enjoying too many fine New England IPA’s.
Samples were provided at no charge for review purposes. No compensation was provided by brands for writing this article. RoadTrail Run does have affiliate partnerships and may earn commission on products purchased via shopping links in this article. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content. The opinions herein are entirely the authors'.
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