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* '''Flexibility'''. The Mafate has no real flexibility, but it's so thick it deforms a little. It's the least flexible shoe I've come across, and similar to a hiking boot.
* '''Outsole'''. The Mafate has aggressive lugs for grip on soft surfaces, and some of these are made of hard, durable rubber. However, most of the outsole is made of the softer [[RMAT]] foam, and I'm not sure how well this will wear. In the pictures above, the hard rubber is black and the RMAT is red. You can see that Hoka were concerned about the RMAT wearing as they added the harder rubber in the highest abrasion areas. The Mafate outsole is reasonably happy on roads, and the softness of the RMAT lugs is sticky, so it has great grip on most surfaces.
* '''Shape'''. The Mafate has the typical Hoka shape, which includes a horribly constricted toe box. In fact, the Mafate seems a little worse than most Hokas. The Hoka toe box tends to cause a distinctive pattern of blisters, so it's critical to [[Shoe Modifications| cut open the toe box of any Hokas]].{{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
* '''Upper'''. The upper is inflexible and has a little padding. It's not quite as breathable as I'd like, but it's not terrible. There are a few seams, but they should not cause problems. I found there is not enough padding around the ankle opening, which can dig in painfully if you start to twist your ankle (a common issue with [[Minimax]] shoes on trails.)
* '''Tongue'''. The Mafate has a tongue-less sock style of upper, but getting into the shoe is not as difficult as many shoes that use this approach. The tongue is quite thin and unpadded. The narrow speed laces didn't cause me a problem with the thin tongue, but it's something to be aware of when you try them.