Hoka - Mafate 5

I am a big fan of the Mafate speed 4. And so i bought the 5. I was soooo disappointed! This is a totally different shoe. Soooo heavy and unsportive. I really hate this shoe. My toes also hurted: they are not even the same size. I just don't get it! Why not keeping it on the same track as the 4? The 5 has nothing to do with the 4. I really don't get it. I just sent them back. Really hate this shoe

Mafate 5 just came out and has an updated midsole to provide even more cushion and adapt to rocks and other technical terrain. If you like the Mafate series already, I’d check it out.

4s are my daily trainer and I love them. This looks like a major misstep for my preferences.

Not saying it's objectively "bad", but I 100% already know I don't want that stack underfoot.

HOKA said that because of the squish in the foam that their old drops were actually lower than they were supposed to be. As in, without a foot in the shoe the drop measured at 6mm but as soon as you stand in it the drop lowers to too low. Now they have a higher listed drop but the actual drop when you’re wearing it is effectively what it used to be listed as. Saw this in an interview at a running show, pretty sure it was with Conversational Pace. EDIT: wasn't an on-camera interview, but here's the video https://youtu.be/C38TYU2y7ak?t=242 link should take you to 4:02 where he talks about Mafate, Challenger, Clifton, and Bondi all getting a higher "unweighted" drop because of foam compression.

Hoka mafate speed 5s (good for my size 12 flat and wide feet) and a Salomon adv skin 12 liter, sunglasses are some type of Oakley, then I have a rotating set of brooks, boa and REI shorts. The one new thing I’m trying this year is tights which for me as a bigger dude have been a game changer, the extra pocket is great for organizing trash, and the lack of chafing is nice. For a hat I just use an old ball cap of whatever kind is my designated salt out hat since I’m a salty sweat kind of guy. Like to slip into my oofoos recovery slides while I sit in the back of my car at the trailhead rehydrating and shooting the shit. I also usually run at higher elevation and rock a sun hoody also REI brand but it gets the job done and has for years now. Sometimes I also carry a weed pen and lately I’ve really liked a stiiizy because it’s nice flat design fits into pockets well.

I’ve got a few runs in them. They aren’t noticeably heavier than the 4 in my opinion. The cushion and protection is great. Grip is comparable to the 4. I like them and give them probably an 8/10

Just ran 3km in the Mafate 5 and stopped running to head home. Took these shoes off and straight into the return box. The lowers are great - super comfortable and stable. The uppers are garbage. Worst design on a Hoka shoe I've seen to date. The tongue is so short that the laces in the last setting cross over your foot! The tongue is also so thin that any laces that cross over it dig into your foot as well. It also slides down as you run. This has to be the stupidest design ever and I am very annoyed. I would also say that the heel cup is way too large/wide compared to other Hokas. You can also feel the weight going uphills. Yes, only 3km run so take it with a grain of salt, but the tops of my feet have big red marks across them. Huge fail. Huge waste of money. Do not buy.

Picked up a pair over the weekend and wore them twice. Love the plush and comfortable feeling found in them due to the high stack. Very nice outsole and tread, too. Tongue is a tad short, though. Nice color combo, too.

Totally agree. Just go to runningwarehouse and filter by drop, about 70% of trail shoes are low drop. There’s really only a few models left that are traditional drop. OP seems to be specifically referencing the Mafate Speed 5 which went from 4mm to 8mm while almost the entirety of Hoka’s line is still sub 6mm drop.

Almost all of Hokas line is sub 6mm. Most new Salomon shoes are 6mm while only a few models are 8mm or more. Like I said in another comment, check runningwarehouse and filter by drop, see how many 8+ you can find vs 6 and below

Agree, it really depends on how fast, how far, the ratio of road to trail etc. my Saucony Tempus are pretty good on park run trails and “fire track” style roads. Puma shoes with their Puma Grip are great in the rain or on slightly uneven terrain. Then you have what some call Commuter shoes - road to trail shoes with lower lug depth and softer midsole. Hoka’s Challenger ATR isn’t bad, and the Tecton X and X2 had proper gravel lugs that worked well, along with shows like the Saucony Xodus Ultra, Nike Terra Kiger or Pegasus Trail. Personally I’ve just run in road shoes if it’s dry, and I trust my trail shoes (currently Salomon Genesis and Hoka Mafate 5) in the wet or more technical terrain.

Hoka Mafate 5 is comfy and fun. Mafate Speed 4 is still good but a little narrower and not quite so bouncy. I used to run in Speedgoats a lot but think the 5 & 6 are missing some comfort and the foam isn’t returning the energy of newer shoes. Salomon Genesis or Ultra Glide are both good if you can accommodate a narrower fit. I prefer the protection of the Genesis over the Ultra Glide. Prodigio Pro is also fun and bouncy, but much lighter, less protection around the ankle and so a bit more stripped back. Everyone I know loves them though. Hoka Tecton X 3 is a similar proposition to the Prodigio but both are spendy. Hoka is slightly more stable and bouncy but there is very little in it. If you want the best outsole rubber money can buy, look at the VJ Ultra 3. Seriously, the lugs and rubber is like glue. Finally, the Saucony Xodus Ultra is a good shoe for distances like this. It’s also comfy and protective. Just avoid the 2 or 3 and go for the latest version 4.

I'm not a huge fan of Speedgoats, though I know a lot of people really love them. I have some, but I only use them for hiking, and even then, I don't do long hikes in them. It's the only shoe I own that I feel like there's too much lateral movement in the forefoot/toe box. I love my Mafates, though.

That’s why OP is looking. He doesn’t want the added stack. I’m in the same boat, the changes in the shoe no longer make it fit how I was using the 4s in my lineup. I have other shoes with more stack height that are great when I want that. Mafate 5s would be redundant.

I had the same experience. I ran a 50K in Altra timps. While I really like that shoe there is too much room for me when on steep downhills and technical terrain. I found the Hokas I switched to be wide enough and zero drop but not too roomy. I switch med to the hoka mafate speed 5s. (I think is the full name) and they’ve been awesome. Just ran a 100k and not a single blister. I did also wear Injiji toe socks. TLDR the Hoka Mafate speeds might be good for you. They are on the higher stack side but I like that.

Have several runs in these now. Compared to the 4s. The 4s have a slight edge in stability and maybe a slight better fit. But I enjoyed the 5s. More cushion, equal grip and felt lighter (even though I know they aren’t). I felt quick in them. I’ll continue to rotate between the 4 and 5s.

Yea was sad they ruined the mafates with the 5, buying up the 4s left and gonna try out the MTC T1s and Norda 005s

I put 200 miles on a an earlier version of the mafate 5. The midsole was nice and bouncy and definitely offset some of the weight gain. If you go into this shoe wanting it to be the MS4 you will be disappointed. It is an entirely new shoe. I enjoyed the miles in it and it handled the technical runs just fine fine. The midsole held up well and still bouncy after mile 200. I haven’t tried the newly released version but it looks mostly the same. My biggest issue with the version I had was with the outsole design. The traction was great but I had to glue the outsole back on several times after running in some steep rocky terrain. It appears they redesigned it to fix that issue , but could potentially still be a problem with all that exposed midsole foam. Also the upper felt great and the fit on these was much better than the MS4

They felt stable enough for me and actually felt a little faster than the 4s just a lot more cushioning. Personally I think they’d be good for longer runs on moderately technical trails

I second this, great shoe! Unless you plan on seriously running on really really rough terrain, they are excellent

I found the fit on my mafate’s to narrow for anything more than a 25k. Honestly wouldn’t recommend them even at that distance if you have a wider than a normal D size.

Nordas. Dyneema construction, designed for durability. May/May not be a good shoe for your needs. Designed to give double the mileage than Altras/Hokas. That said, I've found my Hoka Mafates routinely give me 500+ drama-free miles, whereas all my Altras would usually explode at ~300miles.

I require a wider toe box as well, and the mafate has it. I had mafate first and then tried speedgoat and they were terrible for me. Mafate for much better. I currently have Norda 001 and the toe box isn't big enough 

I thought the 5 was awful and haven't even tried the 6. Have 2 pairs of 5s with about 100k in each. Lugs wore quickly and you felt every rock in them. Very little energy return from the foam. Switched to mafates and they are a better shoe is every way for me

Few are duplicate pairs because i like the shoes that much. 3 pairs of hoka mafates and 2 pairs of tecton x2s

If you like Clifton’s try the Hoka Mafate.

No to Goretex unless you plan on running/traveling on snow for extended periods. IMO if the outsole isn't vibram then it's a no for me, but I trend towards more rugged trails. Most popular shoe is probably the Hoka speedgoat or Brooks cascadia. I love the Hoka Mafate but its pricey. What type of trails/runs are you looking at doing?

Iv gone thru 1 pair of Speedgoat 5’s and have another 2 in my collection, so this is to say I enjoy the speedgoats. Over the summer I demo’d a pair of mafate’s which I enjoyed and didn’t find too different than the speed goats. I also recently added a pair of Oncloud Clouvistas which I did a 50k in and I liked those —grip isn’t as good as the speedgoats but similar padding. Finally Iv also had a pair of oncloud cloudventure peaks but those were minimalist padding and I felt the lugs wore out quickly so I wouldn’t recommend those

I found all Topos to run short. Wore a women's 8.5 in HOKAs and a size 10 in Topos. I trained in the Speedgoats and Mafates and currently wear Pursuits and Ultraventures 

Commenting to see other answers, I have same problem! I switch between my Salomon thundercross and HoKa Mafates for winter trail runs - I use my Hokas on long runs if I know there will be a fair bit of harder surface. They are « ok » on mud, better than other trail shoes like Speedgoat, but still find myself slipping about on muddy uphills and wishing I had my Salomons on.

The Mafates are good -I use them. That being said, when doing a desert ultra over mostly rocky surface the soles of my feet felt a bit mashed, probably not *enough* cushioning

I'm currently using Hoka Mafates and loving them. They replaced my old speedboats and have been excellent. Fairly light, great grip and incredibly comfy.

Just bought me some Hoka Mafate for my first trail run which was a 1/2 marathon with lots of steep accents and descents. They did great and my feet also felt great.

I switched from boots to shoes years ago. I only use boots for winter conditions. The only injury issue I had was when using Hoka Mafates. They are super comfy. But so ‘tall’ that I would sometimes roll my ankle. Not bad. But enough to be wary and I switched shoes. I had been using Altras before and no issues but I would wear them out pretty fast. I have since switched to Topos and been super happy.

I’ve switched almost entirely to trail runners including on a lot,of rugged terrain. I did find that when I was using Hokas that I had an increased tendency to roll my ankle after about ten miles. I like the padding, but have found lower drop shoes to be better for this. Altras are good, but I destroy them in about 300 miles. Trying Topos right now. Not as padded, but low drop with a wide toe box and they seem to be holding up better.

Trail runner will be fine. I was talking to a guy recently that said the AT requires real boots. But even by his argument, trail runners will be fine. The thing with trail runners is when you are tired, it is easier to roll your ankle. I have only found this to be a concern when I was using Hoka. Altras and Topos have less to zero drop and they don’t have this occur for me. Though Altras kind of suck for durability (expect 300 miles unless they fixed things). And Topos have less padding and are not as comfortable.

The Hoka Mafate is awesome for this. I almost took them on a recent three week Europe trip, balked at the last minute because the colors are a bit gaudy, and regretted that decision for three weeks! Great support and comfort, lightweight for a trail shoe imo

This is also my least favorite type of terrain (especially if it’s a steep downhill section). I like the Mafates for this type of trail since the tread is decent, but I’d recommend using Squirrels Nut Butter on your feet if you’re getting blisters. For the ankle twisting issue, I usually just end up hiking in sections like this, otherwise I also worry for my ankles, and my toes always seem to catch rocks and make me trip, so unfortunately I just have to take it slow.

Get a trail runner, such as HOKA Speedgoat 6, or the HOKA Mafate. But as others said, this is a question for r/hiking.

There's no such thing as beginner trail runner shoes. But if you like HOKA shoes, try the Speedgoat, Mafate, or the Challenger if you'll also be running on the road with the same shoes.

There isn’t a shoe that will work well in fells and road. You’ll have to sacrifice one or the other. There’s unfortunately no shoe that does it all. NVII Terra TT, VJ Xtrm have a bit nicer protection than Inov8s while being a proper hill shoe with superb grip. Various Scott Supertrac versions have more cushioning but they often have a very “dead” feeling on the road. Saucony Peregrine ST are very decent in mud but not so good on the rock and feel a bit burly. More than decent on the road as far as shoes go. Hoka Mafate/Tecton are great on more groomed trails but wouldn’t be my choice for most hill races in Scotland. Ditto on Saucony Xodus.

Satisfy Hoka mafate and they are good even in the UK weather!

I didn’t like them. I found the grip not so great compared to my Hoka Mafates.

Yup I’m also Mach on the road, Mafate on trail. I sized up the Mafate and it’s so comfortable

When I started trail running, I went with the Mafates - I thought they were a good middle ground trail shoe and they were great. Then I got the On CloudUltra and hated them - for all the hype they felt like running with cinder blocks for the soles. Now with Speedgoats.

The Mafate’s outsole is infinitely better in my experience.

I see a lot of praise for AP5, I love them, my favorite trail shoes along with the Mafate. BUT not when is muddy out there. I find they collect a lot mud. Unlike Mafate. During muddy runs I prefer the Mafate.

I do like Hokas (specifically the Mafate for hiking/trail running) but if you are looking for a wide toe box you should look into Topo. Generally though, I wouldn’t wear trail shoes around town - the lugs that give trail shoes grip will wear out pretty fast on pavement. The person below also recommended Altra for a wide toe box but if you go that route, just make sure you know what a zero drop shoe is and adapt over time.

Mafate is a fun shoe but it has a plate and can hurt on pavement. I’d stay with a shoe without the rock plate, personally.

Crap, you’re right. I seem to mix this up with the Tecton. Why do I do that, I know this and yet still confound the two. I do love the mafate best out of all Hoka’s trail shoes, but they aren’t my first choice. Clearly!

Speedgoats or Mafate are the best hiking options.

interesting! these are my first Topos and i can actually relate to you about the arch (my feet are flat af) but now my feet are pretty used to them. I used to run in the Hoka Mafate’s which i also loved but the toe box was too narrow and was giving me blisters, hence why I switched to Topos. when these ones bite the dust I definitely want to try out some other Topo shoes, i don’t think I can go back to the standard narrow toe box with other brands!

I just completed my first 80k with Hoka Mafate, I recommend those to everyone !

I’m on my 3rd season of switching to trail runners over hiking boots. Everyone may have a different experience but for me, my feet have never been happier (Hooka, Speedgoat 5).