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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Hoka Huaka Review}}
The [http://www.zappos.com/hoka-huaka Huaka] strikes me as an odd shoe for Hoka to produce, and I'm struggling to work out what their target audience is. The problem with the Huaka is the use of the [[RMAT ]] foam in the midsole, which is supposed to be hard wearing, but it's also excessively firm. Why buy a shoe that's heavy and bulky, but doesn't provide the cushioning? {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
=Characteristics=
* '''Why you'd buy it'''. The primary reason is probably to provide protection from rough trails, rather like the [[Altra Torin]], and this may be Hoka's attempt to occupy some of Altra's market.
* '''Cushioning'''. The Huaka midsole is made of the firm [[RMAT ]] foam that's used in the [[Hoka Conquest]]. This gives the Huaka relatively little cushioning, especially given its heavy weight.
* '''Drop'''. Like other Hoka shoes, the Huaka Huaka has about half the drop of a traditional running shoe (6mm instead of ~10mm). The Huaka has a less abrupt taper at the very front of the shoe than the Clifton, and quite a bit less than the Bondi, but it's not as gentle as the Altra Olympus. While I like the Olympus taper most, the Huaka is close enough. The rear of the midsole is cut away, giving a bit of a rocker shape that's close to the Bondi. The midsole wraps around the lower part of the foot to create some stability to counter the stilt like instability you get with a thick soled shoe.
* '''Structure'''. This shoe is made of a single type of foam.
* '''Flexibility'''. The Huaka is more flexible than the Bondi or Olympus, a lot more flexible than the Conquest, but less flexible than the Clifton.
* '''Outsole'''. The Huaka has some exposed midsole, with some durable rubber covering some of the high friction areas. The durable rubber is not terribly well placed in my opinion (see image below), and I can see the wear patterns causing some odd stresses on the foot..
* '''Shape'''. The Huaka has the typical Hoka shape, which includes a tiny toe box. At Ultras I've seen a distinctive pattern of blisters caused by Hokas, so it's critical to [[Shoe Dissection| cut open the toe box of any Hokas]].
* '''Upper'''. The upper is a thin, breathable, and inflexible, with good padding around the ankle opening. The material looks identical to the Clifton.
* '''Lacing'''. The Huaka uses a "speed lacing" system that uses thin laces and a locking system. I prefer the traditional laces as it can be tricky to get the tension right with the "speed lacing" system. Like many shoes in the Hoka range, there are elastic straps that pull the sides together even if the laces are loose. (I always cut these elastic straps off.)
* '''Heel counter'''. The Huaka has similar heel counter to the Bondi, which is a mild and has no strongly defined edges.
=Compared with Altra Torin=
The [[Altra Torin]] is probably the closest shoe to the Huaka, as if they are both quite firm and have a similar weight. In fact the Torin and is even firmer than the Huaka, but it's also less bulky.
