Hoka Rocket X Trail Shoe

Review by Erin Trail

The Hoka Rocket X Trail Shoe takes the success of their Rocket X road super-shoe and updated it for off-road performance.

Specifications

• Sleek, minimal tongue
• A-TPU superfoam midsole
• H-shaped parallel carbon-fiber plate
• Lightweight zonal rubber outsole
• Back loop for gaiters
• 3mm lugs
• Stack Height 42 mm heel, 36 mm forefoot, 6 mm drop
• Weight 8.1 oz (women’s size 8)
• Neutral + responsive ride

Detailed Review

The Hoka Rocket X Trail Shoe is a lightweight shoe with road racing roots.  The design is focused on providing a lightweight, propulsive ride while running on dirt roads and tamer trails.

Test Runs:

• Looped trails, consisting of hard pack dirt, hard pack + fine grit, cobbles, and sandstone.
• Local incline trail, consisting of large steps up and steep + loose dirt down

Immediately out of the box, the Hoka Rocket X Trail Shoe felt bouncy, light, and fun.

I wear a women’s size 9 running shoe in Hoka and need to wear an insole with a met pad to accommodate some foot issues.  I found that the Hoka Rocket X Trail Shoe fit true to size and had no issue with my insoles. The tongue of the shoe is minimal, but is easy to position and is comfortable at the contact point along the front of your ankle.  The shoelaces are lightweight and nubby, making them easy to adjust.

The fabric upper is light and breathable.  I also liked the heel cup and rear of the shoe – the padding felt nice and my heel never moved around as I ran.

While the shoe name literally says “Trail”, the Hoka website does indicate that tread on these shoes is akin to a gravel bike tread, and was “devised specifically for cruising buff dirt and gravel roads at top speed.”

Based on my testing of the Hoka Rocket X Trail Shoe, I feel that this description is very accurate.

During my shoe testing, I often run a looped trail and swap out shoes with each lap.  During my singletrack lap in the Hoka Rocket X Trail Shoe, I did wonder why they didn’t feel as confident in them as I did with the other trail supershoe that I was testing.  The footing on angled rock felt a bit off (wobbly) and I noticed that the shoes felt a bit slippy on hardpack with some fine grit – like the tread couldn’t quite gain purchase in the fine grained material.  On more hardpack material and straightforward singletrack, the shoes felt great.

The tread of the Hoka Rocket X Trail Shoe, at 3 mm in depth, is more on the “race ready” side of the spectrum.  A fun little easter egg can be found in the tread – little paw prints and horseshoes.

The aggressive rocker and H-shaped carbon plate additionally push these shoes into “smooth and fast” courses.  The rocker made for fast and easy foot turnover while the carbon plate added a little “oomph” to each stride.

For me, these wouldn’t be my pick for singletrack trails with deeper grit and rocky features.  Instead, I think these would shine best on hardpack or dusty trails and gravel roads where you can allow your feet to fly.

A word of caution for the triathletes out there….  Hoka doesn’t publish stack heights on their website, but I checked multiple (multiple!) review websites and they all reported the heel stack height to be 42 mm.  This makes these shoes illegal for Ironman branded races, which is a bummer, because they would be ideal for the Boulder 70.3 course with a mix of double track, gravel road, and pavement.

Closing Thoughts

The Hoka Rocket X Trail Shoe are a fast option for those who run or race on smoother dirt surfaces – or for the more confident trail runner who wants a light and responsive shoe.

The Hoka Rocket X Trail Shoe is available for both men and women in two colorways (black/skyward blue or neon yuzu/neon flame).  Women’s sizing ranges from 5 – 11 (half sizes) and men’s sizing ranges from 7 -14.

Erin Trail

Trail Boss of Stoke

Erin Trail on her mountain bike at the World Tri Cross Triathlon World Championship race

Erin Trail on her running at the World Tri Cross Triathlon World Championship race