Customer Reviews Hoka Gaviota

I do trail ultras and I need pronation control. I was very excited to try Hoka's new line of stability shoes. I decided to try the Gaviota 1st (vs. the Arahi) since I was looking for as much cushion as possible. Out of the box, the Gaviota felt pretty good and I took it for a long road run. I noticed quickly that although the tongue is gusseted, it lacks a designated tongue holder to run the laces through and the tongue on my Gaviotas started to slowly creep down after only a few miles. It shifted over to one side, bunched up, and was overall uncomfortable. The Gaviota also has a separate built in mid foot wrap that tightens down as you tighten the laces. In theory, this seems like a good idea, but in practice for my feet, it just caused blistering at my arch bilaterally. I also tried the Gaviotas on a long trail run. The cushioning was great and exactly what I was looking for, but I still had the same issues with the tongue sliding around and the mid foot wrap causing blistering. Even though this isn't a designated "trail" shoe, the traction was actually fairly decent on technical single track (probably because it's such a large footprint). I'm not sure how long the shoe would hold up with full time trail use though, and that is definitely a concern for me. I'm going to return the Gaviota and try the Arahi (which has a tongue holder and no mid foot wrap). I'll post a review once I've had a chance to try it out. Hoka please make a designated trail shoe in the new stability line!

I didn't wear this shoes everyday.

these were too narrow for my feet

I love the shoe from a comfort and stability standpoint, but the tread wears unacceptably fast as others have noted and any run longer than an couple hours and your feet will sweat so bad they will be sloshing around in your shoes. They do not breath. It's a deal breaker.

I have owned 2 pairs of Arahi and have loved them. I have had the Gaviota for just over one month and the tread is already more worn than my 1 year old pair of Arahi. I only use these at work and for minimal walking.

I have had Hoka shoes before - this version just was not true to size.

I had to return these as the heel strike are has already worn through after 88 miles. I picked them up on Jan 19th and they were great out of the box but less than a month and less than 100 miles the heal pad is toast. I were 11 2E version with NB 3030 inserts and had plenty of room. They provided great stability but the durability is sub-par. I have a pair of Bondi 4's with over 400 miles and the heal strike is still going strong.

I ordered two different sizes and both gave me a blister in the same place. The toe box is very narrow.

Show is well made and feels very high quality. Unfortunately they seem to run narrow and I've developed significant pain from the shoe. I suffer from overpronation and flat feet however these have not helped me at all. After having severe pain after 3 miles of running on several runs, I tried to add my custom orthodic inserts to the shoe but that combined with the support in the shoe made problems worse. I bought these at a local store and am now past the return policy so am stuck with an expensive shoe I can't wear. If you use inserts I'd look at something much more neutral than this shoe like Bondi which I am hopeful will be the right shoe.

I experience rubbing on the left side of the left foot at the tope of the shoe where it hits the ankle. It looks like this shoe is cut at the top less than the fight shoe. I'll contact HOKA this week to see about a replacement...

I Run every day for training, previously I was using the Clifton 3 and switched to the Gaviota because of my flat feet and pronation. The cushion and responsiveness is beyond compare. Overall it's a great shoe but, the front mesh doesn't breath as great as the old Clifton 3.

I returned the product as it was far too tight. I loved everything else about the shoe, though.

You need to make shoes that fit average people.

had to return due to the tightness of the toe box.

The Gaviota is not great, wouldn't buy again. I am three weeks in and have approx 100 miles on them and they are fair. They are a 1/4 size short, and snug/tight through the upper. I have to wear my thinnest sock, which is fine, and I recently finished a 23 mile run and had a significant blood blister, this was not in warm weather, and this doesn't happen on Conquests, or Bondi. They don't so anything well at all; not as light or as performance oriented as the Arahi, which I like (Arahi seems similarly short and haven't worn the Arahi on anything longer than 18 miles), and they are not as cushioned as the Conquests or the Bondi. Gavotte is like an all-season tire, doesn't too anything too well, but a poorly performing all-season tire. This is my 9th pair of Hokas. Like the Arahi but Hoka missed on this one.

I bought the gaviota as a replacement to the Constant 2 per Thr company's recommendation. I used 5 pair of the Constant 2 with no issues. Gaviota's make the pad of my forefoot feel like they are on fire after about 4 miles. Tried them 3 times a week for a month with no improvement. Had to send them back.

I used run marathons and ultramarathons. I used to run with conquest due to their stability and cushion. Because Hoka discontinued the conquest, I decided to try the Gaviota based on their supposedly high stability and cushion. The Gaviota give stability, however these are flat and do not give a lot of cushion. So if you are looking for cushion these are not a good option. The Gaviota are too tight at the mid area, making them uncomfortable after a couple of miles. The only way to improve this issue was to lose the shoelaces at the point that the shoes feel loose. I do not recommend the Gaviota. I will be returning the new painI just bought. The Gaviota are not worth it. It's a shame Hoka discontinued the Conquest.

It was a replacement for the Vanquish 3 i had which literally ripped along the side. Before they ripped i could never get the shoe to stop slipping. I had two pairs of Vanquish and was happy with them. This makes two pairs in a row that have failed me. This shoe felt fine at the store but after several runs the tongue is way too thin and too short. The sole is extremely stiff and i can't get the heel to stop slipping. Hoka laces suck too. I can't understand why they use paper thin, flat laces. This will be my last pair of Hokas

There is one issue with this shoe, the tongue. It's too short (main issue) and there is not enough padding. There is only about half an inch between the top lace and the top of the tongue. As you run, the tongue slips down into the shoe exposing the laces to the top of the foot, PAIN! If you try to tighten the laces to lock the foot in, it creates a double problem, the pressure from the laces is transferred across a thin tongue onto the top of the foot, and the laces eventually slip down anyway, where the shoe is now tighter and you experience more pain. I'm unsure why this isn't obvious, unless Hoka is beta testing these on people running short distances. There needs to be an immediate change on this issue. I've been running in Hoka's for years, since they were French made. Guys, back to the drawing board, PLEASE fix this!!

Have been very happy with all four pairs of Bondis owned over the past couple years. Tried the Gaviotas as I overpronate - BIG mistake! Typically run three 6-8 mile training runs per week. Tried the Gaviotas on three consecutive training runs and couldn't make it two miles on all three runs without searing pain across the entire forefront of my foot. Literally searing pain that required me to stop and walk home. Spoke with customer service and they couldn't explain, but something is terribly wrong with the technology of these shoes. Returned the pair and got another pair of bondi's that allow me to train well. Please do not change the bondi technology to anything that the Gaviota uses.

I have been running in the Conquest 3 and the prior Conquest models for about 4 years. I purchased this shoe as a replacement for the Conquest. The material used in the forefoot, the narrowness of the forefoot and the miss-sizing compared to the Conquest convinced me that this shoe is not right for me. As a result, I returned it for a refund.