Hoka's

[Just Bill]

Got a pair of Bondi 3's on clearance at REI outlet to try.

No problems with the wobbles or wearing platform heels.
They pass my "curb test"- with head up, walk a few hundred feet of six inch barrier curb at normal pace- if you can do this they have enough "ground feel" for me to trust my feet.
The cush is pretty unreal, but not waterbed or memory foam soft. That said, I could feel a good 1/8" to 1/4" dip on impact that was a bit strange- but then again that's why you'd buy this shoe. As such, this would take a little transition time as there were some new micro muscles being used.
The upper is fantastic, although the heel collar bit me a bit- I wouldn't complain as it would wear well. The quick lace system sucks- but they send you regular laces so no biggie.
The heel was noticable, but at around 5mm- not off putting- especially as the meta rocker design makes it not as much of an issue.
I wore them about 20 miles, but nothing off road as I suspected they would go back. I would have no issue with the tread on anything but the worst of trails.

Why they are going back-
They are narrow, not punishingly so, more like a Merrell trail shoe or standard shoe- but just enough of a tapered toe and pinched forefoot to dislike the shape.
The metarocker thing- these are fast shoes, and this feature is noticeable when jogging or running. But like the Newton's- this design did not translate well while hiking. Unlike the Newton's, this design doesn't get in your way at all.

The main reason though- they have a medial post and other stability shoe features not touted by the company or REI's listing. REI does mention the word "stable" but not as a description of the shoe. As I use neutral shoes or minimalist shoes exclusively- the extra support was very noticeable. The arch in particular was painful after a few miles, and the posting material was easy to feel separately from the rest of the rubber. Personal opinion that many agree with- do not wear stability or support shoes if you don't need them.

I may try another pair if I come across a deal, with greater attention paid to the stability features. If it wasn't for the medial post deal breaker- I would have kept these just to run them down because of the price ($80).

Bottom line-
Altra is still the king of the foot shaped shoe. Wish I could put the hoka uppers on an Altra.
"Maxamilist shoes"- what the runners call these- could/would be an excellent choice if you found the right ones for many hikers.
Hoka's are worth a look- especially if you wear Sportiva, Merrell, or other traditionally shaped shoe or true zero (no heel) shoes are not your thing.

[jbwood5]

I'm wearing a pair of Hoka One One Bondi's right now. There is a lot of squish and it is true that they don't last long. IMHO they are OK (actually pretty good) for gravel roads and medium terrain, but I would not use them on rooty rocky trails due to stability concerns.

Right now the lug inserts are coming off my pair (yes, on the Bondi they are not molded as part of the sole), so I'm looking for my tube of Shoe Goo to glue them back on. These suckers are completely worn out on the bottom even though they still feel squishy. They aren't that old and the tops look great still. My 2nd opinion is that they are too expensive for what you get.

[juma]

I have several years hiking with Hokas. I started out with hoka stinsons on the northern AT. they were great and really grabbed the wet rock slabs up north. When I started sectioning the PCT, I switched to hoka mafate - a trail shoe. they were likewise great. as mentioned earlier you don't need more cushioning or orthotics with them. You can walk through an inch of water and not get wet. they will skid on mud a little. they are cut a little narrow and the more recent models are perhaps more narrow. The Bondi usually needs to be a half size bigger for me over the others. the mafate model is wider and the most cushioned, and I think the best for hiking. You'll be an inch or so taller as well I have narrow, long, feet with high arches and my feet are not very flexible. That is the foot hokas were built for. wide feet, flat feet, probably not gonna like them. 500 miles is about the max mileage carrying a pack and all. the tread will still be fine at that mileage. If you've had a lot of ankle sprains and have a higher arch, they could work for you. The ankle dr. near me me sells them in his practice to help prevent roll-overs. i get them for around a 100$ on ebay but recently bought 3 pair for 60$ each from runners warehouse.

[Sodium]

I really like my Hoka Stinson Trail Evo's (model before the Stinson ATR I think?) for ultrarunning and hiking and I was planning on using them for my 2015 thru-hike. But Hoka have recently introduced the Challenger ATR which is even lighter and quite a bit cheaper, so I'd like to check them out when they finally arrive in the UK in the Spring.

[Just Bill]

FWIW- I found the Hoka's narrow as noted. Altra's fit my feet right and it's funny how much you notice any heel stack once you've given it up.
The Olympus is a solid shoe and satisfied my "maximalist" goals I was seeking with the Hoka's.

Bought a pair of new Lone Peaks too with my last REI coupon. Very happy so far with those as well.
Altra's got me covered for now- hopefully they don't tinker too much with the next round.

[misprof]

I have not tried Hokas yet, but a couple of my running friends have and love them. For them the big plus is that it helped their knees, which is a big thing when you are over 50.