Did you know that HOKA makes hiking boots? Although HOKA is well-known for their excellent trail runners, their hiking boots seem to have gone unnoticed. So, we decided to find out if their hiking footwear lives up to the HOKA hype that their running shoes have created! The HOKA Kaha has been on our feet for all our hikes since the summer, here is what we think of it.
What Makes Them Unique
That Midsole
We have been lucky enough to test various types and brands of hiking footwear throughout the years. However, we have never received such a consistent first comment from people as we have with these boots. People always mention the thickness of the midsole. It is the hallmark of HOKA footwear. This midsole makes the experience of hiking in this shoe softer and more forgiving if you are out for hours on end.
The Rocker
HOKA footwear is known for its rocker shape which rocks you through your step. This experience is the same in the HOKA Kaha Mid. We found that this contributed to the efficiency of our stride being increased notably, leading to us feeling less tired after long hikes.
Our Testing
Short Hikes:
The first few hikes we wore the Kaha Mid on were short dog walks and short hikes. One of the things we were instantly struck by was the traction we were getting on muddy forest paths. The boots have a Vibram outsole that digs into the loose or wet trails and provides great grip.
Long Hikes:
Once we became confident that the Kaha Mid did not cause us any problems we took them for a long hike in the Wicklow Mountains. We climbed 3 lesser-travelled peaks, Kanturk, Knocknaclohogue and Lugalla. The mountains have no proper trails, just muddy mountain tracks. The hike was 21km long with 1,200 meters of climbing and took us 6 hours. A proper day out in the hills. Normally for a hike of this scale and terrain, I would wear a pair of semi-rigid mountain boots such as the Salewa Mountain Trainer Mid which we have tested extensively. We were very surprised by how the HOKAs stood up to the terrain.
What We Like
The design
We love the design of the HOKA Kaha Mid. It fit our feet perfectly and it felt very familiar as we have been wearing HOKA trail runners almost daily for the past few months.
The stability
We were certain that the higher stack height and thicker midsole would negatively impact the stability of the boot. This was not the case. The boot has a small section of exposed midsole directly underneath your heel which causes you to sink into the shoe. This causes a far more stable stride. We took the boot on some challenging terrain and we didn’t have any ankle issues.
The waterproofing
The HOKA Kaha Mid uses GoreTex waterproofing which is known as the industry standard waterproof membrane. From splashing across rivers in Wicklow to wet dog walks our feet stayed surprisingly dry in these boots.
Who are they for
The hiker who might want to stray off the main trail. We found the HOKA Kaha Mid to be a bit of a Goldilocks boot. It is sturdy enough to withstand tough terrain and is durable without feeling heavy on foot. It is stable enough to take you off the trail without impacting comfort on less technical ground. It’s waterproof and looks good too. What’s not to like?
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