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Hoka’s First-Ever Hiking Shoe Now Marries Modern Tech with Retro Style

Hoka once again proves that urban designs can still pack plenty of trail-ready tech.

Brown and black hiking shoe with a rugged Vibram sole, featuring metal eyelets for laces and a pull tab at the heel, set against a blue gradient background.Hoka
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By Jack Seemer

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Make no mistake. Despite its pull with everyone from healthcare professionals to sneakerheads, Hoka is a performance-first brand with serious trail chops.

At UTMB, trail running’s biggest showdown of the year, a Hoka athlete has finished in first place two of the previous three years. One of them was even a full-time employee for the brand.

All to say, even when it caters to common city folk, Hoka isn’t one to drop its trail-ready DNA.

Take, for example, the Tor Summit, which returns this fall in a pair of new colorways.

Brown hiking shoe with a thick, textured tan sole featuring Vibram branding. The upper is dark brown with metal eyelets and light beige laces. The shoe has a padded black collar and a pull tab at the heel and tongue. The design is rugged and suitable for outdoor activities.
The Tor Summit returns this fall in a pair of retro colorways, including “Cast Iron” (pictured).
Hoka

Modern tech, retro vibes

Though today’s version is a far cry from the Tor Summit of yesteryear — which came out in 2015 as Hoka’s first-ever hiking shoe — it can still walk the walk thanks to an arsenal of modern tech.

It features a thick bed of cushion as you would expect in any Hoka shoe, as well as a rubber mudguard and class-leading Vibram Megagrip outsole for optimal grip and durability, regardless of the terrain.

Close-up of the back half of a brown hiking shoe with a thick, textured tan sole. The upper part is dark brown with black mesh around the ankle and black metal eyelets for the light pink laces. A black pull tab is attached at the heel.
The shoe features a thick bed of cushion and rubber mudguard that matches the nubuck-leather upper.
Hoka
Outsole of a pair of shoes shown from the bottom, featuring a rugged tread pattern in brown and dark brown colors with a yellow Vibram logo on each sole. The design includes various textured sections and lugs for traction.
The outsole boasts Vibram Megagrip, the same compound found on Hoka’s most technical trail running shoes.
Hoka

Up top, however, the Tor Summit is born anew with an “Alpine-inspired silhouette that pays homage to the classic hiker,” Hoka says.

Synthetic materials make way for nubuck leather, now featured in “Cast Iron” brown, while the metal eyelets, zig-zag stitching and round laces deliver ample amounts of vintage flair.

Pair of brown hiking shoes with light-colored laces threaded through metal eyelets, featuring a rugged sole and mesh tongue.
Round laces and metal eyelets were both fixtures of classic hiking boots in the 1970s.
Hoka
Pair of brown and black athletic shoes shown from the back, featuring thick, textured brown soles and black pull tabs with zigzag stitching on the heel. The upper part of the shoes is dark brown with black accents around the ankle collar.
Zig-zag stitching completes the vintage makeover.
Hoka

Availability and pricing

The new colorways of the Tor Summit (“Cast Iron” and “Rose Cream“) are starting to show up on Hoka’s overseas websites, with a US release expected in the coming weeks. Pricing for the shoe is set at $210.

About the Author:

Jack Seemer is the executive editor at Gear Patrol, with over a decade of experience in product journalism. He currently reports on a wide range of topics, including footwear, watches, EDC, cookware and more.

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