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Created page with "{{DISPLAYTITLE:Hoka Hupana Review}} The Hoka Hupana is not your stereotypical Hoka. While it has the thick sole that Hoka are renowned for, its use of ..."
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Hoka Hupana Review}}
The Hoka Hupana is not your stereotypical [[Hoka Shoe Review| Hoka]]. While it has the thick sole that Hoka are renowned for, its use of [[RMAT]] foam makes it much firmer than the awesome [[Hoka Clifton]]. Unlike many other Hoka shoes which are styled to look like their sole is even thicker than it really is, the Hupana disguises this thickness visually. The upside of using [[RMAT]] foam is that it lasts much longer than traditional EVA foam found in the vast majority of running shoes. Like most running shoes, and all the Hoka's to date, the Hupana has a horrible toe box that restricts toe movement. The upper of the Hupana is unusually thick and stiff, as well as somewhat abrasive. I've rated the Hupana as "Recommended", mostly because I think it's longevity is likely to reduce the cost per mile quite a bit. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Hoka Hupana-top.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Hoka Hupana top]]
|[[File:Hoka Hupana-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Hoka Hupana bottom]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Hoka Hupana-inside.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Hoka Hupana inside]]
|[[File:Hoka Hupana-outside.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Hoka Hupana outside]]
|}
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. The Hupana is not cushioned like a classic Hoka; The [[Hoka Clifton]] weighs nearly exactly the same as the Hupana, but the Clifton is vastly softer. These classic Hoka shoes have massive, pillowy soft midsoles that not everyone liked, but became a big favorite with ultrarunners. The Hupana is more like another recent Hoka, the Tracer, with moderate cushioning and a relatively light weight. Both the Hupana and Traer have similar cushioning, though the Tracer is 1.5oz lighter. The big difference between the Hupana and the Tracer is the type of foam used in the midsole. The Tracer is like the vast majority of shoes on the market, and uses EVA foam. This is the popular choice for midsole foam because it provides great cushioning for its weight. The downside to EVA foam is that it breaks down remarkably quickly. The Hupana on the other hand uses [[RMAT]], which is a foam with higher density but much greater resilience. I see the Hupana as a competitor to the [[Saucony Freedom]] which uses TPU foam. Both TPU and RMAT produce a heavier shoe for a given amount of cushioning, but the cushioning lasts for many more miles when compared with traditional EVA foam. The early versions of RMAT were far too heavy and firm, but the Hupana suggests that this material is coming-of-age. Running with the Hupana on one foot and the Freedom on the other, the shoes feel surprisingly similar, and the Hupana is noticeably lighter. One interesting cosmetic oddity of the Hupana is that Hoka have painted the uppermost part of the foam midsole to match the upper, giving the visual appearance of a more traditional running shoe with a thinner midsole. While EVA foam can take a few miles to warm up and soften, this seems rather more noticeable in the Hupana.
* {{H:drop}}'''. '''The Hupana has about a 7mm drop which is rather more than I'd like. Not only does the increased drop make it more likely that I will land more towards my heel, but it produces a shoe with a lot more cushioning on the heel than the forefoot.
* {{H:structure}}. This shoe is made of a single type of foam without any attempts to manipulate running form.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The Hupana is somewhat inflexible, but there is a nice degree of springiness rather than simple rigidity.
* {{H:outsole}}. The Hupana is all exposed foam, with no harder rubber outsole. The idea here is that the [[RMAT]] is hard wearing enough that the hard outsole is not needed. In the first hundred miles of testing, I've seen no indications of abrasion at all. The RMAT phone also has good grip on most surfaces.
* {{H:shape}}. The Hupana has the typical Hoka shape, which includes a horribly constricted toe box. This is a common problem in many running shoes, and I'd recommend [Shoe Dissection| cutting open the toe box]]. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
* {{H:upper}}. The Hupana upper is rather strange. It's far thicker than any running shoes that I can recall, and this is reflected in a noticeable lack of breathability. Even though I've cut open the toe box, and I'm running in freezing temperatures, I'm still noticing the lack of breathability. The upper is so thick, I found that I need to completely cut away the toe box rather than leaving a flap in place. The material is rather more abrasive than many other running shoes, so I wouldn't consider running into them without socks. The upper is unpadded except for a moderate amount of foam around the ankle opening.
* {{H:tongue}}. The Hupana has a classic tongue rather than a tongue-less sock style of upper. The tongue has a moderate amount of soft padding and I found it to be comfortable and stay in place.
* {{H:lacing}}. The Hupana uses flat laces which stay tied.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The Hupana has only a typical [[Heel Counter]], and while it didn't cause me a problem, I much prefer shoes that do without this waste of material and weight.
{{FastBlr|hoka-one-one/Hupana-2-1062|1062|Hoka Hupana}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}
The Hoka Hupana is not your stereotypical [[Hoka Shoe Review| Hoka]]. While it has the thick sole that Hoka are renowned for, its use of [[RMAT]] foam makes it much firmer than the awesome [[Hoka Clifton]]. Unlike many other Hoka shoes which are styled to look like their sole is even thicker than it really is, the Hupana disguises this thickness visually. The upside of using [[RMAT]] foam is that it lasts much longer than traditional EVA foam found in the vast majority of running shoes. Like most running shoes, and all the Hoka's to date, the Hupana has a horrible toe box that restricts toe movement. The upper of the Hupana is unusually thick and stiff, as well as somewhat abrasive. I've rated the Hupana as "Recommended", mostly because I think it's longevity is likely to reduce the cost per mile quite a bit. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Hoka Hupana-top.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Hoka Hupana top]]
|[[File:Hoka Hupana-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Hoka Hupana bottom]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Hoka Hupana-inside.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Hoka Hupana inside]]
|[[File:Hoka Hupana-outside.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Hoka Hupana outside]]
|}
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. The Hupana is not cushioned like a classic Hoka; The [[Hoka Clifton]] weighs nearly exactly the same as the Hupana, but the Clifton is vastly softer. These classic Hoka shoes have massive, pillowy soft midsoles that not everyone liked, but became a big favorite with ultrarunners. The Hupana is more like another recent Hoka, the Tracer, with moderate cushioning and a relatively light weight. Both the Hupana and Traer have similar cushioning, though the Tracer is 1.5oz lighter. The big difference between the Hupana and the Tracer is the type of foam used in the midsole. The Tracer is like the vast majority of shoes on the market, and uses EVA foam. This is the popular choice for midsole foam because it provides great cushioning for its weight. The downside to EVA foam is that it breaks down remarkably quickly. The Hupana on the other hand uses [[RMAT]], which is a foam with higher density but much greater resilience. I see the Hupana as a competitor to the [[Saucony Freedom]] which uses TPU foam. Both TPU and RMAT produce a heavier shoe for a given amount of cushioning, but the cushioning lasts for many more miles when compared with traditional EVA foam. The early versions of RMAT were far too heavy and firm, but the Hupana suggests that this material is coming-of-age. Running with the Hupana on one foot and the Freedom on the other, the shoes feel surprisingly similar, and the Hupana is noticeably lighter. One interesting cosmetic oddity of the Hupana is that Hoka have painted the uppermost part of the foam midsole to match the upper, giving the visual appearance of a more traditional running shoe with a thinner midsole. While EVA foam can take a few miles to warm up and soften, this seems rather more noticeable in the Hupana.
* {{H:drop}}'''. '''The Hupana has about a 7mm drop which is rather more than I'd like. Not only does the increased drop make it more likely that I will land more towards my heel, but it produces a shoe with a lot more cushioning on the heel than the forefoot.
* {{H:structure}}. This shoe is made of a single type of foam without any attempts to manipulate running form.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The Hupana is somewhat inflexible, but there is a nice degree of springiness rather than simple rigidity.
* {{H:outsole}}. The Hupana is all exposed foam, with no harder rubber outsole. The idea here is that the [[RMAT]] is hard wearing enough that the hard outsole is not needed. In the first hundred miles of testing, I've seen no indications of abrasion at all. The RMAT phone also has good grip on most surfaces.
* {{H:shape}}. The Hupana has the typical Hoka shape, which includes a horribly constricted toe box. This is a common problem in many running shoes, and I'd recommend [Shoe Dissection| cutting open the toe box]]. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
* {{H:upper}}. The Hupana upper is rather strange. It's far thicker than any running shoes that I can recall, and this is reflected in a noticeable lack of breathability. Even though I've cut open the toe box, and I'm running in freezing temperatures, I'm still noticing the lack of breathability. The upper is so thick, I found that I need to completely cut away the toe box rather than leaving a flap in place. The material is rather more abrasive than many other running shoes, so I wouldn't consider running into them without socks. The upper is unpadded except for a moderate amount of foam around the ankle opening.
* {{H:tongue}}. The Hupana has a classic tongue rather than a tongue-less sock style of upper. The tongue has a moderate amount of soft padding and I found it to be comfortable and stay in place.
* {{H:lacing}}. The Hupana uses flat laces which stay tied.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The Hupana has only a typical [[Heel Counter]], and while it didn't cause me a problem, I much prefer shoes that do without this waste of material and weight.
{{FastBlr|hoka-one-one/Hupana-2-1062|1062|Hoka Hupana}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}