Hoka walking boots

*following*

Sadly the waterproofing on mine died really quickly.

The soles are nice though

Yes I have a pair. They are extremely comfortable and supportive. I have the Kaha. Great on all surfaces and the lacing system is good. Vibra, outersole and Goretex liner which after a couple of seasons is still water tight. Highly recommend them if you can get over the "looks"

They come up a bit small

Madame has had a several pairs. Leather uppers and also fabric versions. Very comfy but waterproofing on the fabric uppers failed very quickly which was a disappointment. But as a concept she is a convert. She is now on Altra's as am i, non waterproof versions. Again the concept is good, very comfy and grippy, light as a feather. I have an issue with the width of the soles which I find makes them a bit tippy on bobbly ground but ymmv.

Can't see us going back to 'normal boots' other than for scottish winters and that is primarily for weatherproofing. Madame used a pair of kahtoola microspikes with hers and they are excellent for general winter hill bagging and non techy terrain

I'd also recommend Altras. Great except for scrambly ground, the extra toe box room makes them feel very imprecise (to be fair I'd normally wear B2 boots which are WAY stiffer!)

I use the Olympus boots - very light but don't size up as some reviews would say - stick with your normal shoe size.

Two pairs owned here.....ten nine the one with huge heel support sticking out the back. Some good miles in roughly 1k walking on everything from Berlin to lake District. Lugs wore quickly but evenly, no delamination and waterproof. Down side huge heel makes some decent a tricky.

Second pair sky Kaha... around 600 miles leather gore tex mix, had to stick soles back onin places several times.  But good for firetracks and fell paths.

Both are supportive with good cushioning, not the usual hoka marshmallow approach....I have three pairs of trail or running hoka including speed goat, lasted 350 miles. Enough feel for the terrain and enough protection. Vibram sole not a sticky as Adidas continental but far better than they used to be in a range of conditions....wet grass on fells or rocky stuff.

I like both and would buy again.

I have Salomon quests...on Third  pair....second pair still going but thin on the ball of my foot. Been round Iceland in third pair and comfortable. For me good all round boot.

Altras....I found the opposite to the hoka.....I did not get on with them at all, drop, fit or feel.

Daughter has a pair and loves them. Fell running walking dog.

I’ve had about 6 pairs of Hoka boots over the last 8 years - my favourites were the Tor Ultras, with 3 pairs in succession - once did a 70km hike in 16 hours in a pair. Light enough to run in too. Typically I’d get about 18 months from a pair - 12 months of waterproofing and eventually the sole would wear out, or more recently the sole would fall off. Noticeable as their price and popularity had gone up, their quality has gone the other way - I didn’t replace the last pair for that reason, plus they’re less suited to where it’s pretty wet 9 months of the year.

Based on my experience with Altra shoes they are even flimsier and poorer quality I’d not want to take them remote for fear of them falling apart.
The last pair of Salomon boots I’ve had the sole wore really quickly, but Mrs DB has banned Salomon shoes from the house on account of the stink (both hers and mine).

I can confirm my Altra longevity experience as poor. Glue should be carried on multi day trips

From a sustainability point of view they are pretty bad

I look around from time to time for a change from my Salomons(which work for my feet and I like very much),but the dealbreaker is the lace lock system that Salomon use,I haven't seen other brands using anything similar,maybe it's a patent thing?

There's a common 'really nice shoes but only last a year' theme going on here...

Isn’t there. It’s not making me think I risk ordering a pair and seeing how they are, want to see some in the flesh. Got a feeling I might be better buying another pair of Salomons. Really appreciate peoples thoughts!

We walked two weeks of the GR5 in July and saw lots of Hoka boots and shoes. They looked good in the kit shops of Cham.

My dear wife bought a pair of Anacapas following this. I walked two weeks in La Sportiva Ultra Raptors that are a similar light boot, maybe a bit tougher. They were great.

We did an eight hour Scottish rocky walk recently, the Hokas were comfortable and soft, wear is visible in some areas of the sole.

We are off for another week of GR5 shortly so this will be a better test.

My thoughts so far are very good for alpine long distance walks, not so suitable for UK conditions.

Hoka have lasted longer than

Adidas.....sky chaser? 220 miles split at crease on bunion area. Great soles dire shoes

Hoka speedgoats 350 miles

Alta... Maybe 200 ish

Sauconry ...400 ish inside cushioning disentagrated

ASICS.....miles and miles and miles 10 years plus....but so old skool they hurt.

Salomon.....quest been good more than a year....xds/ultra good did Mt Kinabalu in pair that had done York's three peaks in the same year.

Most running shoes or walking boots I am getting less than 400 miles.

I find the more traditional leather shoes uncomfortable in my aged years.

Salwea great pair of boots but the nubuck turn rock solid after a hard winter on the fells.

The longevity thing is an issue on the light hoka/Altra styles, definitely. There's plenty reviews saying they were shot after 500km etc. That's not much more then a two week walking holiday. My altras holed in the forefoot upper after 3 days, the soles(vibram megagrip) started to peel off after a week of a 300km mountain walk. I took some glue in anticipation but it's pretty poor next to something like a la sportiva tx4 that refuses to give up after 5 years and is a pretty light shoe.

The thing is, the altras feel quite convincing in a shop, but after a few days the wear show

I’ve been very impressed by Inov8’s top of the range walking boot, but I did pay roughly half price.

To be fair when they do eventually fall apart I would have no problem buying another pair even at full cost.

Salomon prices do appear to be going up at the moment and quality going down

Had Anacapa gore tex mid's since April, bought on sale in a kind of red/brown colour which has grown on me. They are comfy and light, can trail run in them if I have to. They are half a size larger than I might order in say, Salomon. There's some light wear around the soft foamy bit of the sole, but it's not structural as yet, or near it - more scuffing/bobbling. Waterproofing seems fine still, but they are gore tex lined so that shouldn't just rub off.

Also previously had gore tex adidas that looked great but were badly damaged around the toe box in a few short months just from flexing, so worse is out there, but it seems light weight has an obvious price in lifespan.

Have the Salomon Quests and a couple of pairs of Hokas. Hokas a very comfortable. I moved over as I damaged a knee and the extra cushioning works well for me. They are definitely much more flimsy feeling but are holding together so far and remain waterproof. I haven’t asked that much of them though. Regular woodland dog walks but no rocky activity that might upset them more quickly.

Littledave makes the best point, they're good for some things, not for others.  I've just had to buy a pair of hiking boots for the first time in 20 years as we need to use them for work field trips.. normally I'm in trail shoes  or -> B3's.  I wouldn't fancy doing any scrambling in the Hoka shoes  as an example, but if I was walking 25kms I'd bet they're morecomfortable than the Scarpa mescalitos I bought

In the past Hokas haven't always been great for durability, but the last pairs I've had have been pretty good.  Altra's had , and still have form for falling to pieces very . very quickly.  3 days and holes appearing doesn't surprise me

Nothing I'm reading here screams sustainable - I'm picturing big foot shaped marshmallows of polyurethane foam bring chucked into landfill after a short period of time.

What's wrong with Altberg Sneakers or some Aku Pilgrims if you are wanting lightweight? (MOD have just dumped stock onto eBay etc). I have a stockpile of Haix boots that will see me out.

They do look very comfortable. Could I use them for Munro bagging or is that silly?

A £200 pair of boots that lasts a year is nuts.

I have a pair of Lowa Renegade's that are 8 years old and are absolutely fine.

They do look very comfortable. Could I use them for Munro bagging or is that silly?

Depends on which Munro. I've done a few wearing sandals.

So what is the holy grail boot of lightweight/durability?

My previous pair of proper walking boots lasted well over a decade, but they were absolute clod hoppers.

I was looking at Hoka boots for my last walking boot purchase and I came to the same conclusion as others in that for a pair of boots that won't last particularly long, they are pretty expensive!

That being said, Hokas are no different from any of the other high top trainer type walking boots in that whilst they are comfy out of the box they don't last very long.

Over the last 5 dog owning (e.g. high mileage) years I have worn out:

1 x Keen Explore Mid - sole wore pretty quickly, uppers were still fine so we relegated to dewey field duty.

2 x Keen Targhee Mid  - midsole came away from the upper and upper near the rand fell apart - first pair were warrantied.

Currently wearing Merrell Speed Strike GTX and they seem to be holding up well thus far.

I'm using some Salomon X-Alps LTRs that are in their 6th year, though mostly used for winter only. Some other, lighter weight, Salomons that are just slightly newer for other seasons and have done a lot more mileage. They're both reaching a replacement point - probably next year. Biggest issue I have is finding a replacement for the X-Alps as they'll take a crampon and my feet don't really fit most of the other brands.