Hoka Elaro Knit Tight

Review by Erin Trail

Initial Impressions

The Hoka Elaro Knit Tights are buttery soft, supportive, and allow for full range of movement.  These running tights are just the right weight for winter running conditions and offer a high yoga waistband and two generously sized hip pockets.

Detailed Review

The Hoka Elaro Knit Tights might be my new favorite running tight.  Sometimes, tights are too compressive/restrictive, sometimes they move around as you run, sometimes they’re too warm – or – not warm enough.  The Hoka Elaro Knit Tights might be my unicorn running tight.  They’re INCREDIBLY soft.  Usually, when tights are this soft, they migrate downwards as you run, which is beyond annoying.  The Hoka Elaro Knit Tights are soft and flexible enough for yoga but are also supportive enough for running.  I love that I can put them on and not have to fuss with them until I’m ready to take them off.

I found the Hoka Elaro Knit Tights to fit true to size, but due to the stretch of the fabric, I bet I could also size down.   I usually have to size down with tights made from ultra-stretchy fabric because the tights move around too much.  I did a few runs for testing, including a local stair climb loop, and these tights stayed put the entire time.

There are some thoughtful details on these running tights.  The waist is a high-waisted yoga style waistband.  It doesn’t dig into my stomach but it also doesn’t gap in the back when I bend over. The waistband design also gives the tights a flattering profile.  There are also two very generous side pockets, located at each hip.  They’re big enough to fit a phone comfortably without bouncing  They are deep pockets, which means you can put your car key in the pocket and not worry about it popping out during your run or store a large amount of snacks to fuel your longer runs.

The fabric of the Hoka Elaro Knit Tights is what I love the most.  They are the softest running tights I’ve worn – that also perform. These are great for lounging on the couch or as part of your athleisure attire once you’re done running. They just feel good while you’re wearing them, either when running or hanging out.

Closing Thoughts

The Hoka website says that the Hoka Elaro Knit Tights are “designed to feel like a gentle hug” and I found this to be absolutely true.  The fabric is soft, supportive, and functional.  The high yoga waistband is flattering and conformable and having two generous pockets at the hip means I have plenty of room for snacks on my long winter runs. These tights are now the ones that I reach for on cold winter days because of their comfort and performance.

Erin Trail

Erin Trail’s hobby is collecting hobbies. She’s a 5th Generation Coloradan and grew up exploring the outdoors on family camping trips and hikes.  Her first backpacking trip was at eight years old to Grizzly Reservoir – she proudly carried all of her own gear those 3 miles from the main parking lot to the Reservoir.

Erin is an adult-onset athlete who started as a Masters Swimmer and then developed into a triathlete.  She completed 5 Ironman races and nearly 20 x 70.3 distance Ironman races, including the World Championship in Lahti, Finland, in 2023.  Somewhere along her triathlon journey, she picked up a deep love of cycling.

Cycling encouraged her to see landscapes in a new way, learn new skills and to develop self reliance; now she often goes and does Type 2 rides just to see if she can do it.  She’s got all the bikes: gravel, mountain, fat bike, time trial and road.

She is even known to combine her love of camping and cycling and go off on solo 24 hour overnight bikepacking trips in the mountains of Colorado. In addition to bikes, she teaches yoga, lifts weights, skis, SUPs and has recently purchased a campervan.

Erin is a former Montana park ranger with a degree in environmental engineering.  She loves getting into technical details while putting her gear (and herself) through the paces. She shares her home in Colorado with her husband, Will, and her 3 cats (Zipper, Brewtus, and Simcoe).

2025 brings some exciting things.  Erin has qualified to be on Team USA for USA Triathlon and will be competing in a World Championship off-road triathlon in Pontevedra, Spain in June. To prepare for this event, she’s got several mountain bike races and training weekends planned in the months leading up to the big day.  Additionally, she’s racing Ironman Boise 70.3 in July.  Once her race schedule closes out in July, she’ll be moving to more adventure based activities (bikepacking, vanlife, and mountain bike festivals).

When not adventuring, she can be found on a sunny patio somewhere, drinking beers with her husband.