Stacked High and Running Far in the HOKA Stinson 7

We have been fans of HOKA for many years and have tried many models. Newly released, the Stinson 7 is beautiful and functional on the trails.

Read all our reviews on HOKA here!

Looks:

The Stinson 7 rocks a sleek and modern design, with vibrant color combinations that’ll make you stand out on any trail or pavement. It’s the kind of shoe that not only feels good but also makes you look like you mean business. There are two bold options – the White / Evening Primrose and Amber Haze / Amber Brown (reviewed). The former looks like it was made for lush PNW mountain running and the latter harkens to miles in the desert. Either way, they are super cool.

Construction:

Just last weekend, I was running at the Oregon Coast and there were a few trails near Cascade Head that did not connect except for via an isolated paved trail. These worked super well to connect between the two without issue. That’s why HOKA calls these the “Swiss Army Knife” of shoes. Here’s more on the construction:

Upper:

The upper of the Stinson 7 is all about breathable comfort, coupled with stability. Hoka uses their “Deep Active Foot Frame” technology (which is in many HOKA shoes) enhanced with wrap-around side walls. This is their take on having the foot feel like a part of the shoe as opposed to just sitting on top of it. With an added H-Frame, providing lockdown in the midfoot for stride stabilizing, you have a really nice and secure shoe with a large stack – that’s hard to do!

We took these on a variety of runs and, even on the most uneven terrains, they felt pretty stable. I am not the world’s most technical trail runner, so can’t speak on uber aggressive climbs and descents, but I imagine that this will be perfect for 95% of us runners out here.

Midsole:

The midsole is where the magic really happens with HOKA. And it seems they are really taking it up a notch with the Stinson 7. Not only is it plush, but it is actually the tallest CMEVA midsole they have crated to-date. Translation? Unparalleled cushioning.

The updated EVA midsole is even softer than previous versions. They also added in the Early Stage MetaRocker tech to not only achieve the cushion, but make the heel-to-toe transitions feel smoother along the way.

Outsole:

The outsole is equipped with durabrasion rubber and 4mm bi-directional lugs – making it ready for most all terrains. We have found it working well so far on dry trails and bark paths, but we anticipate it really hitting its mark when the weather gets wetter and additional traction is needed. There’s not much more to say on this other than it performs admirably.

We did find the transition of these from trails to roads to be a little noticeable underfoot, but that wasn’t completely unexpected. However, it won’t be an issue to put a few miles on pavement in these in between connecting trail heads.

Final Thoughts:

The HOKA Stinson 7 is a solid marriage of plush cushioning and stability. They do skew pretty heavy – nearing 13 ounces (10.8oz in women’s), depending on size – so these may be more of an everyday trail option as opposed to a racing shoe.

Nonetheless, it is a really solid combo for those out there who have some variety with their trail running. And damn they look great too.

RECOMMENDED!