Customer Reviews Hoka Challenger Mid GORE-TEX®

I love the cushion and support of this boot once it is on It is difficult to get it on and requires major shoe-hornage. The 2 top clips for the laces have just a small opening to get the laces through which all adds up to an inordinately long period of time to get them on...but once they are on, they are great

The boots are serving their purpose and are nearly perfect. I need a wide shoe, and this one isn't quite wide enough to be the best fit, but I will use them.

I really love Hoka shoes!! I bought these for work and they are brilliant! So comfy and I can wear them all day without my feet feeling heavy and awful. Once they're on they're great! I would perhaps suggest making them a little easier to get on next model? the eyelets that the laces go through are a bit unforgiving and the hook things at the top are tricky to lace quickly (perhaps I should just leave them on and not mess around with taking them off all the time!) Overall I loooove these shoes, would definitely buy more pairs!

The top eyelets are very poor in design. Unless you hold tension on the shoe string, the strings most of the time fall out of the top eyelett. You should take a look at caterpillar design. I have a pair of their full boots. The strings lock in slightly so you have to pull them out. Rating would be a 5 if eyelets were better designed.

I'm not a hiker but wear these daily for walks on muddy, gravel and dirt roads and paths. My feet are messed up and walking on those surfaces can be painful. I have metatarsalgia and bone spurs in one foot. Hallux rigidus and a bunion in the other. I need cushion and toe box space. I add cushion inserts to all my shoes. The Challenger Mid Gore-tex meet all my needs. I've used them in heavy rain, light snow and temps in the 20's (F) so far. My feet have stayed comfortable, dry and warm not hot. The meta rocker really helps both my metatarsal and toe issues. The grip was very good except when I hit some black ice. The real negative, which others have stated, is the two lacing hooks. They are indeed a pain to lace. But they're very comfortable.

Loved everything about the shoe except the width. I bought in a the widest they sell and it's only a 1E at best, but they aren't the only shoe maker to ignore those of us with duck feet.

I walk 4 miles a day, hope the hold up

Nice boot, just like wearing a running shoe, but you can feel the the bottom on the shoes little nobbies things also don't care for the two tip hooks the that shoe string neeeds to hook around. Should of just use the eye holes like the rest of the boot/shoe

the boots are very comfortable. the lacing system is terrible. in short the speed laces are difficult to use.

I have these in a 12 Wide. I also have Speedgoat 4's and Bondi 6's. I'm 188cm, 95kg. I've got "Frankenfeet" that are hard to fit. Super comfortable right out of the box, did a 16k hike, no hot spots, or blisters. I normally do day hikes in the Speedgoats with a light daypack but the Challengers are better for wet conditions and late Fall, Winter, early Spring conditions. The GoreTex liner works, have been on wet hikes and in the snow, feet have stayed dry. Cushioning is great as expected without loss of control. Grip is good on most everything except snow and ice where these are not good, the sole on the SpeedGoat is MUCH better. The saving grace is that my Kahtoola micro spikes work very well on these. Lacing system is poor. Laces are too thin, tongue is too narrow and not sufficiently padded. For ascents it's not too big a deal but for descents the laces dig into the foot and ankle. The top two lace hooks are an interesting design but hard to work with. Overall I really like them for day hiking in the PNW, I'd buy another pair.

I need black work boots, and these are great for walking pavement and concrete. The comfort level is outstanding. They are great in the rain and cold. My only gripe is the lace hooks that are difficult for big fingers. I'm sure I 'll get used to them eventually.

Only problem I had was one shoe sent to be had mud on them. Keeping them but had to clean up.

Very comfortable boot and my orthotics fit just great! My only issue would be the two hooks are a lighter difficult to lace, especially in the dark. I have to use both hand to hook the laces in each hook. Not very speedy. But the boot fit me perfectly.

I am 68 yr. old and Hokas really extended my hiking years. I was diagnosed with heel pad atrophy from over 50 years of serious hiking. Even custom insoles couldn't stop my heel pain when I hiked. But my first pair of Hokas did. It was a pair of Toas and they were fantastic. A well cushioned midsole and a recess where your heel struck the ground. Also, the Vibram Megagrip sole had the best traction that I've ever experienced in a hiking boot. The Challenger is a nice boot, but Hoka dropped the Vibram sole. Why, I don't know. Also, that depression in the heel of the Toa is not on the Challenger. One last thing, the inside of the boot where the speedhooks are riveted on always irritate my foot. I had to put moleskin on the speedhooks of both the Toa and the Challenger. Other than that, great boots!

I use these to go hiking here in the Pacific Northwest. The trails are wet, muddy, and/or slippery most of the year, so it's important to have a waterproof shoe. These definitely kept my feet dry and well supported, and they are very comfortable. After wearing them on their maiden hike, I have a few small complaints. One, one of the shoes creases in a weird way when I step so that it pinches and hurts my big toe. I'm hoping that will soften up and work itself out as I wear them more. Two, I felt like these had great traction, and I felt really stable, that is until I was scrambling across wet rocks. Dry rocks were fine, but it felt really dangerous and scary when I had to cross a river on a path of wet rocks and I was slipping and sliding all over the place. Third, these shoes are really hot! I assume that is because of the waterproof barrier though, so I assume that just comes with the territory. Lastly, even though they are wides, they are still narrow enough that my pinky toes fall asleep. I don't have this problem with my other wide Hoka shoes.

Great fit water proof and comfortable

I love everything about this shoe except the top 4 eyelets. They are comfortable, supportive and making walking a joy. I hope the next generation has the more traditional hooks at the top as it will make lacing the shoe much easier

Using the sizing method on the Hoka site these boots fit very well. I am very pleased with their performance as a work boot so far. The top hook eyelets are a bit fiddly with the flat laces, but not a deal breaker by any means. I may try round laces and see how that works...

Almost sent these back to exchange for wide size, they felt way too tight at first. Sucked it up and decided to just try and break them in, glad I did. Am 63 and have foot pain, plantars etc. After wearing them for a while they have become very comfortable and foot pain gone. Lightweight and keep feet dry in wet grass etc. Not real cushy but the support is there, like the ankle support. The bad: hard to get on, (pull loops barely big enough to get my fingers in) and the top two speed eyelets are rediculus as mentioned by other reviews. All told great mids, worth the investment. My 3rd pair of hokas.

I've taken one hike so far and I really liked them. They have a great feel. The only thing I don't like it they way they tie. The eyelets aren't shaped right.

I use these as light weight day hikers and general knock around shoes. I have feet that give me problems, and find that these shoes are very comfortable. Lots of cushion and support. I haven't really tested them in very wet conditions, but so far in light rain they seem waterproof. I am happy Hoka makes these available in wide sizes, and hope to see more of your trail and hiking oriented shoes become available in wides. I do have one minor issue with the Challenger Mid, which is that the speed lace hooks are very tight. It's difficult to get the laces inside the opening of the hooks, which kind of defeats the purpose of speed lace hooks. This will also limit the choice of laces used with these shoes, since a thicker lace will be even harder to engage with the speed lace hooks. I'd have given them 5 stars if not for this. Overall I am happy with them, and would recommend them to folks looking for a comfortable shoe for walking and hiking.

Use for work, insoles needs too be a little more plush! Would recommend, but would advise them insole are too stiff!

I wanted a pair of light weight hiking boots for "on trail" hikes. I have previously used Challenger ATR trail runners, but decided to step up to an actual hiking boot. I've only worn them a few times since the pandemic shut down many of my outdoor activities. I didn't want to add wear and tear using them on concrete sidewalks and trails. I was a bit disappointed at first. They seemed rather stiff, but after a breaking in period they seem to be fine and as comfortable as my Challenger trail runners. The only issue I have is with tongue of the boot. It tends to pinch my skin when I tie the laces. I'll figure it out with time. The bigger issue is the shoelace eyes. I think they're very inconvenient. Instead of hooking the laces around them I have to actually lace through an eyelet which is a pain. The should use the hooks instead of eyelets.