Hoka Challenger 8 Review: Are They Good for Hiking?

Searching for the perfect shoe for mixed terrain summer hiking in the UK

Wearing my Hoka Challenger 8s on a walk in Herefordshire 

I'm a walker and definitely not a runner. I also find walking boots heavy, sweaty and uncomfortable. In summer months in particular, I wear trail runners. 

I recently completed a 39 mile hike over 2 days with a 12kg backpack (read about it here). The terrain was a mixture of hill tracks, farmland and country lanes. I wore a pair of Merrell Nova 3 trail runners for the walk and whilst they were very comfortable and I didn't get any blisters, my feet were still pretty achy by the end. I decided that I needed to get some shoes with a bit more cushioning for the longer walks, so spent a while shopping around. 

I then had 3 unsuccessful attempts at getting the right shoes.

I started with the Altra Experience Wild 2, which didn't really have quite enough energy return and they were more clown-shoe-like than I was expecting. 

I then moved on to the Hoka Mafate 2 Origins, because they had good cushioning and I really liked the traditional hiking shoe look of them. I put them on when the arrived, realised they were way too tight, despite being plenty long enough, then put them back in the box and sent them back. 

Next was the Merrell Agility Peak 5. Highly regarded. Similar to my Nova 3s but with more cushioning. They turned up with a split from one of the lace eyelets, which put me off their durability, so I sent them back for a refund. I'd seen plenty of great reviews for them though, so maybe I was just unlucky with this order. 

I finally got a shoe that I really liked when I received my new pair of Hoka Challenger 8s. 

I ordered the faded navy colour which was the most subtle available. I'm not into shoes that look like the sort of footwear Buzz Lightyear would purchase if he started doing park runs. They turned up and they looked smart. Possibly a bit too smart. I ordered some black laces to make them look a bit more outdoorsy and a bit less out-on-the-town. More importantly, I put them on and they were exceptionally comfortable, with plenty of room for my toes without making me look like I was about to perform at the circus. 

Testing the Hoka Challenger 8 trail running shoes on a lunchtime walk

My first impressions on my lunchtime walk of around 3 miles, were that they were way more cushioned than my Nova 3s, but also more stable. I felt like I was walking on top of a really long line of mattresses, but despite the huge 40mm+ heel stack, the wide soles stopped any major concerns about ankle rolling. 

Hoka Challenger 8, dusty navy, with black laces

The huge, wide heel stack of the Hoka Challenger 8

I've now tested these shoes on number of local walks and hikes. Sometimes carrying a backpack full of camping gear or a baby carrier containing a 13kg child. I haven't suffered any blisters or aches. They don't have Vibram soles like my Merrells, but I've found the grip to be generally better on average on the varied terrain I walk on. Plus, they have very good breathability and my feet dry pretty quickly after walking through wet grass. 

Are they perfect? Not quite.

The Challenger 8 is marketed as a road-to-trail shoe, and I think that's exactly where it sits. If you're regularly scrambling over rocks, wading through bogs or tackling steep, muddy descents in the middle of winter, I'd definitely want something with more aggressive lugs and a bit more protection, but I didn't buy them for that.

For the sort of walking I actually do, with long days on mixed terrain, forestry tracks, fields, hills, gravel paths and the inevitable miles of tarmac linking everything together, they've been excellent.

The cushioning has made the biggest difference. At the end of a long walk my feet simply feel fresher than they did in the Nova 3s. My legs are still tired after 20-plus miles, obviously, but it no longer feels like my feet have taken the brunt of the punishment.

They're also surprisingly versatile. I've worn them for short local walks, longer hikes, walking the dog and trips into town. After a lunchtime walk on a warm day, I sometimes just leave them on in the office because they're subtle enough to get away with it. They don't feel like a specialist bit of kit that only comes out for big adventures.

The Hoka Challenger 3s have plenty of room in the toe box 

What's good about the Hoka Challenger 8?

• Extremely comfortable straight out of the box.

• Plenty of cushioning without feeling unstable.

• Wide enough in the toe box for my feet without looking enormous.

• Good grip across the mixture of surfaces I normally walk on.

• Breathable enough for warm weather, and they dry fairly quickly.

• Smart, subtle appearance.

What's not so good?

• They aren't the shoe I'd choose for really technical mountain terrain or deep winter mud.

• The large heel stack makes side-hilling a little uncomfortable and risks ankle rolling.

• As with most Hokas, they're not exactly cheap. You can currently pick them up for £90-£100.

Final thoughts

After buying and returning three different pairs, I was beginning to think I was being impossibly picky. It turns out I just hadn't found the right compromise.

I don't run, I don't need race-day performance and I don't particularly enjoy wearing heavy walking boots unless the conditions really demand them. I just wanted a comfortable shoe that would happily carry me and a backpack over 20 or 30 miles of varied British countryside without my feet complaining too much at the end of the day. So far, that's exactly what the Challenger 8 has done.

Will it still be my favourite shoe after a few hundred miles? I'll update this post if anything changes. But based on my experience so far, it's become the pair I reach for first whenever I'm heading out on a summer hike.

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

I give them 5 out of 5. When these eventually wear out, I'd happily purchase another pair. If you want a very comfortable shoe for rambles and hikes in the warmer months, these tick all the boxes. 

Hoka Challenger 3 Faded Navy