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Created page with "{{DISPLAYTITLE:Hoka Clayton 2 Review}} The Hoka Clayton 2 is an incremental change to the original Hoka Clayton 1 and is quite similar to the equally impressive Hoka Cli..."
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Hoka Clayton 2 Review}}
The Hoka Clayton 2 is an incremental change to the original [[Hoka Clayton 1]] and is quite similar to the equally impressive [[Hoka Clifton]]. The Clifton is one of the best selling shoes, and I feel the Clayton is remarkably close in its function and design. Both the Clifton and Clayton have stunning cushioning for their weight, with the Clayton 2 coming in about 1.5oz lighter than the Clifton 3, but with slightly less cushioning. The Clayton uses [[RMAT]] foam as the outsole material, and the current iteration of RMAT works rather well, showing Hoka's growing maturity with this advanced material. [[RMAT]] has great grip on a wide variety of surfaces, including even slick, wet rock. This is something I love in the [[Hoka Mafate]] and [[Hoka Tor Ultra]] boots, and while the Clayton is less likely to be used on torturous trails, the RMAT will make it more competent than you might expect. All this makes RMAT an outstanding outsole as it combines this grip with better cushioning than a traditional rubber and better wear characteristics than an exposed midsole. When you run in the Clayton 2 it feels a lot like the Clifton (both the first and second versions), though I found the upper to be slightly less comfortable, something that's only slightly improved in the Clayton 2. The Clayton feels rather like running barefoot on a softly cushioned track, without undue interference. The Clayton is not a shoe you notice when you're running in it, which is what you want. My main complaint with the Clayton (and most other running shoes) is in the shape of the toe box, which really needs to be cut open. My feet are a fairly typical width, and the Clayton fits me perfectly, other than my toes. The Clayton is rather pricy, so if you're after something with similar cushioning, for less money and with less weight then check out the [[Nike Zoom Streak LT]]. Overall the Clayton is an outstanding shoe, and I've rated it as "The Best of the Best," and while it's a tough call, I prefer the Clayton over the Clifton, as I feel the slight reduction in cushioning is worth it for the slightly lower weight, and the RMAT outsole. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">
File:Hoka Clayton 2-top.jpg|Hoka Clayton 2 top
File:Hoka Clayton 2-outside.jpg|Hoka Clayton 2 outside
File:Hoka Clayton 2-bottom.jpg|Hoka Clayton 2 bottom
File:Hoka Clayton 2-inside.jpg|Hoka Clayton 2 inside
</gallery>
{{FastBlr|hoka-one-one/Clayton-2-1062|1062|Hoka Clayton 2}}
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. The Clayton 2 has the massive cushioning that made Hoka famous, and in a shoe that is remarkably light. The cushioning-to-weight ratio is almost identical to the [[Hoka Clifton| Hoka Clifton 3]], which is about the best of the [[Maximalist]] shoes. You can get better cushioning-to-weight ratios, but only in much lighter shoes like the [[Nike Zoom Streak LT]], [[New Balance RC5000]], or the amazing [[New Balance RC5000v2]]. The Hyper Speed has similar levels of overall cushioning to the Clayton, though the Hyper Speed has more cushioning in the heel and less in the forefoot. Surprisingly (to me at least), is the [[Saucony Kinvara| Saucony Kinvara 8]], which has better cushioning than the Clayton for slightly less weight.
* {{H:drop}}'''. '''The Clayton has about a 1mm drop when loaded, down from 5mm when measured without the weight of a runner.
* {{H:structure}}. The Clayton has two types of foam, a traditional EVA foam used as the midsole, and a much tougher [[RMAT]] foam used as the outsole. The combination of these two foams does not interfere with your biomechanics in the way that would occur with a medial post. In the midsole cups the heel of the foot, which tends to create a little unobtrusive stability. The midsole does arise up under the arch, but I didn't find this will cause enough to cause any planter fasciitis issues. I found the taper at the front of the Clayton when the midsole thins between the ball of the foot and the toes to be quite smooth and natural (Hoka refers to this as the "rocker ".) One improvement over the first version is that the midsole no longer extends out from the outside edge of the forefoot so much.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The Clayton 2 is reasonably flexible for shoe of this thickness, and the practical flexibility is a little greater than my metrics might suggest. The softness of the midsole allows the ball of your foot to sink in and creates some effective flexibility for your foot.
* {{H:outsole}}. The Clayton uses [[RMAT]] as the outsole material. This is not as hard wearing as a true blown rubber outsole, but because it's a lot more cushioned than rubber, the overall cushioning-to-weight ratio is much better than you might expect in a shoe that has an outsole covering virtually the entire contact patch. The [[RMAT]] material also has remarkably good traction, far better than the traction you'd get in a traditional rubber outsole. For wet asphalt, it's arguably comparable to the hard plastic nubs found in ultralight shoes like the [[New Balance RC5000v2]], though on slicker surface the Clayton's RMAT will win every time.
* {{H:shape}}. The Clayton 2 has the typical Hoka shape, which includes a horribly constricted toe box. A superficial inspection might make you think the Clayton is a little wider, but I think this is an optical illusion created by the wider midsole. I've noticed at Ultras the Hoka toe box causes a distinctive pattern of blisters, so it's critical to [[Shoe Dissection| cut open the toe box of any Hokas]]. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is largely seamless, with moderate to poor breathability due to the number of overlays. There is a one seam in the midfoot where a small amount of padding is added to the rear of the shoe, and there is an odd bit of sewing at the ankle opening (see image below.) There is far less padding in the Clayton 2 than I'd have expected, and vastly less around the ankle opening than a shoe like the [[Hoka Clifton]]. There ankle opening in the Clayton 2 has a very slight improvement over the original Clayton, but it's enough that I didn't find it uncomfortable.
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">
File: Hoka Clayton 2 Upper.jpg| A photo of the Clayton 2, backlit to show breathability.
File:Clayton Clifton Compared.jpg|Here you can see the much thinner padding on the Clayton on the left, compared with the far thicker, and softer padding of the Clifton on the right.
File:Clayton 2 Ankle Opening.jpg|This is not really a seam, just a bit of thread that is sown in, and while it didn't cause me any issues, it's a little uncomfortable.
</gallery>
* {{H:tongue}}. The Clayton 2 has a normal tongue rather than a tongue-less sock style of upper, and the tongue is slightly padded. With the flat laces which are closely spaced, I don't think runners will have an issue with pressure from the laces on the top of the foot.
* {{H:lacing}}. The Clayton uses thin flat laces which stay tied. The laces have a slight bit of elasticity in them, improving the overall comfort of the shoe. (They appear to be the same lace that Hoka used in the Clifton.)
* {{H:heelcounter}}. I could not detect any [[Heel Counter]] in the Clayton, though the upper has an overlay in that part of the shoe that ensures it maintains its shape when you're putting it on.
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}
The Hoka Clayton 2 is an incremental change to the original [[Hoka Clayton 1]] and is quite similar to the equally impressive [[Hoka Clifton]]. The Clifton is one of the best selling shoes, and I feel the Clayton is remarkably close in its function and design. Both the Clifton and Clayton have stunning cushioning for their weight, with the Clayton 2 coming in about 1.5oz lighter than the Clifton 3, but with slightly less cushioning. The Clayton uses [[RMAT]] foam as the outsole material, and the current iteration of RMAT works rather well, showing Hoka's growing maturity with this advanced material. [[RMAT]] has great grip on a wide variety of surfaces, including even slick, wet rock. This is something I love in the [[Hoka Mafate]] and [[Hoka Tor Ultra]] boots, and while the Clayton is less likely to be used on torturous trails, the RMAT will make it more competent than you might expect. All this makes RMAT an outstanding outsole as it combines this grip with better cushioning than a traditional rubber and better wear characteristics than an exposed midsole. When you run in the Clayton 2 it feels a lot like the Clifton (both the first and second versions), though I found the upper to be slightly less comfortable, something that's only slightly improved in the Clayton 2. The Clayton feels rather like running barefoot on a softly cushioned track, without undue interference. The Clayton is not a shoe you notice when you're running in it, which is what you want. My main complaint with the Clayton (and most other running shoes) is in the shape of the toe box, which really needs to be cut open. My feet are a fairly typical width, and the Clayton fits me perfectly, other than my toes. The Clayton is rather pricy, so if you're after something with similar cushioning, for less money and with less weight then check out the [[Nike Zoom Streak LT]]. Overall the Clayton is an outstanding shoe, and I've rated it as "The Best of the Best," and while it's a tough call, I prefer the Clayton over the Clifton, as I feel the slight reduction in cushioning is worth it for the slightly lower weight, and the RMAT outsole. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">
File:Hoka Clayton 2-top.jpg|Hoka Clayton 2 top
File:Hoka Clayton 2-outside.jpg|Hoka Clayton 2 outside
File:Hoka Clayton 2-bottom.jpg|Hoka Clayton 2 bottom
File:Hoka Clayton 2-inside.jpg|Hoka Clayton 2 inside
</gallery>
{{FastBlr|hoka-one-one/Clayton-2-1062|1062|Hoka Clayton 2}}
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. The Clayton 2 has the massive cushioning that made Hoka famous, and in a shoe that is remarkably light. The cushioning-to-weight ratio is almost identical to the [[Hoka Clifton| Hoka Clifton 3]], which is about the best of the [[Maximalist]] shoes. You can get better cushioning-to-weight ratios, but only in much lighter shoes like the [[Nike Zoom Streak LT]], [[New Balance RC5000]], or the amazing [[New Balance RC5000v2]]. The Hyper Speed has similar levels of overall cushioning to the Clayton, though the Hyper Speed has more cushioning in the heel and less in the forefoot. Surprisingly (to me at least), is the [[Saucony Kinvara| Saucony Kinvara 8]], which has better cushioning than the Clayton for slightly less weight.
* {{H:drop}}'''. '''The Clayton has about a 1mm drop when loaded, down from 5mm when measured without the weight of a runner.
* {{H:structure}}. The Clayton has two types of foam, a traditional EVA foam used as the midsole, and a much tougher [[RMAT]] foam used as the outsole. The combination of these two foams does not interfere with your biomechanics in the way that would occur with a medial post. In the midsole cups the heel of the foot, which tends to create a little unobtrusive stability. The midsole does arise up under the arch, but I didn't find this will cause enough to cause any planter fasciitis issues. I found the taper at the front of the Clayton when the midsole thins between the ball of the foot and the toes to be quite smooth and natural (Hoka refers to this as the "rocker ".) One improvement over the first version is that the midsole no longer extends out from the outside edge of the forefoot so much.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The Clayton 2 is reasonably flexible for shoe of this thickness, and the practical flexibility is a little greater than my metrics might suggest. The softness of the midsole allows the ball of your foot to sink in and creates some effective flexibility for your foot.
* {{H:outsole}}. The Clayton uses [[RMAT]] as the outsole material. This is not as hard wearing as a true blown rubber outsole, but because it's a lot more cushioned than rubber, the overall cushioning-to-weight ratio is much better than you might expect in a shoe that has an outsole covering virtually the entire contact patch. The [[RMAT]] material also has remarkably good traction, far better than the traction you'd get in a traditional rubber outsole. For wet asphalt, it's arguably comparable to the hard plastic nubs found in ultralight shoes like the [[New Balance RC5000v2]], though on slicker surface the Clayton's RMAT will win every time.
* {{H:shape}}. The Clayton 2 has the typical Hoka shape, which includes a horribly constricted toe box. A superficial inspection might make you think the Clayton is a little wider, but I think this is an optical illusion created by the wider midsole. I've noticed at Ultras the Hoka toe box causes a distinctive pattern of blisters, so it's critical to [[Shoe Dissection| cut open the toe box of any Hokas]]. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is largely seamless, with moderate to poor breathability due to the number of overlays. There is a one seam in the midfoot where a small amount of padding is added to the rear of the shoe, and there is an odd bit of sewing at the ankle opening (see image below.) There is far less padding in the Clayton 2 than I'd have expected, and vastly less around the ankle opening than a shoe like the [[Hoka Clifton]]. There ankle opening in the Clayton 2 has a very slight improvement over the original Clayton, but it's enough that I didn't find it uncomfortable.
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">
File: Hoka Clayton 2 Upper.jpg| A photo of the Clayton 2, backlit to show breathability.
File:Clayton Clifton Compared.jpg|Here you can see the much thinner padding on the Clayton on the left, compared with the far thicker, and softer padding of the Clifton on the right.
File:Clayton 2 Ankle Opening.jpg|This is not really a seam, just a bit of thread that is sown in, and while it didn't cause me any issues, it's a little uncomfortable.
</gallery>
* {{H:tongue}}. The Clayton 2 has a normal tongue rather than a tongue-less sock style of upper, and the tongue is slightly padded. With the flat laces which are closely spaced, I don't think runners will have an issue with pressure from the laces on the top of the foot.
* {{H:lacing}}. The Clayton uses thin flat laces which stay tied. The laces have a slight bit of elasticity in them, improving the overall comfort of the shoe. (They appear to be the same lace that Hoka used in the Clifton.)
* {{H:heelcounter}}. I could not detect any [[Heel Counter]] in the Clayton, though the upper has an overlay in that part of the shoe that ensures it maintains its shape when you're putting it on.
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}