The New Balance 2002R Protection Pack Gets a Gore-Tex Makeover for Fall 2025

Published September 18, 2025 at 7:09 PM

Quick Facts

The Refined Futures Pack, better known as the Protection Pack, returns again this year.
Coming in a three-colorway pack featuring monochrome Black, White, and Shipyard grey suede with Gore-Tex overlays.
The New Balance 2002R GTX Protection Pack Fall/Winter 2025 will be released October 6, 2025.

New Balance 2002R GTX Protection Pack Fall/Winter 2025

After decades of dominance from Nike, Jordan, and adidas, it still feels like the global New Balance hype wave is relatively new. And then you remember the 2002R, and how wild the excitement for the silhouette was at the beginning of the 2020s, only for it to subside completely, and the culture’s NB obsession starts to feel downright old.

Bringing back the most popular version of the 2002R from its 2021 heyday, the Refined Futures Pack, better known as the Protection Pack, returns again this year. Coming in a three-colorway pack featuring monochrome Black, White, and Shipyard grey suede pairs, the rough-cut panels and simple colors keep the Protection Pack theme consistent. What makes this pack stand out is the use of Gore-Tex material on the upper, giving it a weather-resistant finish so you can wear these throughout the harsh winter months.

It’s not like the 2002R is gone; the shoe is still dropping in plenty of GR colorways and the occasional collab, but nothing has compared to its first years on shelves. Instead, New Balance has spent the year pushing a new catalog of silhouettes, finding success with the ABZORB 2000, 204L, Allerdale, and, of course, plenty of 99X colorways. Is a new Protection Pack what it takes to bring back some 2002R hype? We’ve definitely seen crazier things happen.

The New Balance 2002R GTX Protection Pack Fall/Winter 2025 will be released October 6, 2025 through New Balance and select retailers in-store and online. Available in men’s sizing, the retail price is set at $170. Download the Sole Retriever mobile app to stay updated on the latest releases, raffles, news, and more in the sneaker and streetwear world.