New Balance 2002R “Protection Pack” Returns This October

It'd seem a full revival is in the works.

Matt Varga September 29, 2025

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Though its current secondary market prices won’t blow you out of the water, you genuinely can’t discount the importance of the New Balance 2002R “Protection Pack” in the brand’s 2020s resurgence. Once comfortably commanding triple their retail price as a resale premium, the deconstructed series would eventually spawn upwards of a dozen takes on the base runner and spread onto other silhouettes like the 1906, those reverberations still felt with offshoot models like the 1906A.

Some four years after it took the hobby by storm, the New Balance 2002R “Protection Pack” is back in earnest, as three new colorways have hit the newswire. All three embrace a monochromatic theme, a surprising touch given that some of the concept’s most lasting previous looks like the “Raincloud” benefited from adjacent yet still multi-tone coloring. The same frayed suede panelling and mesh foundation remain in place, splayed out here with “White,” “Black,” and “Shipyard” options.

Importantly, this fresh colorway trio marks the first expansion of the “Protection Pack” since the concept first came to the public, but not the only update to it this year. The Boston brand threaded that needle with a restock of a range of original styles exclusively in Europe.

Given the energy required to cook up a completely novel batch, we’re expecting these three new New Balance 2002R “Protection Pack” colorways to release globally in short order. European sites and partnering stockists have already attached an October 6th date and a €200 sticker price. We’ll keep you in the loop as stateside information becomes clear via this page and our Sneaker Release Dates hub.

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WHERE TO BUY

Mens New Balance 2002R "Protection Pack"

SKU: U2002DXA

RETAIL PRICE: $170

RELEASE DATE: Oct 6, 2025

US 10/06/2025 Monday

Retailer	Release type	Status
New Balance US	Standard	Check Site

Show All Releases

Get on the Where to Buy list

1 of 5

WHERE TO BUY

Mens New Balance 2002R "Protection Pack"

SKU: U2002DXB

RETAIL PRICE: $170

RELEASE DATE: Oct 6, 2025

US 10/06/2025 Monday

Retailer	Release type	Status
New Balance US	Standard	Check Site

Show All Releases

Get on the Where to Buy list

1 of 5

WHERE TO BUY

Mens New Balance 2002R "Protection Pack"

SKU: U2002DXC

RETAIL PRICE: $170

RELEASE DATE: Oct 6, 2025

US 10/06/2025 Monday

Retailer	Release type	Status
New Balance US	Standard	Check Site

Show All Releases

Get on the Where to Buy list

Written by

Matt Varga, Junior Editor

Matt Varga is an Editor at SneakerNews. Initially earning a degree in Video Arts and Technology, he got his start in video editing and writing in the music world — primarily on hip-hop and electronic. A long-standing interest in sneakers led him to switching over to footwear. An avid collector, his favorite sneaker of all time comes down to either the Air Jordan 1 “Black Toe” and Air Jordan 5 “Laney,” his first ever pick-ups. When he’s not writing, you can find Matt cooking, traveling, attending concerts and when weather permits, on the handball court.