Article by Jen Schmidt, Sam Winebaum, Jeff Valliere
Hoka Rocket X Trail ($250)
Introduction
Sam: The Rocket X Trail soars to new heights in traildom with the highest stack height trail runner we have ever tested and most likely the highest ever. And no surprise as Hoka originated the max cushion trail runner way back in 2009 with the OG Mafate which towered over the minimal shoes of the era and then some!
With a full stack height of about 50mm heel / 44 mm forefoot Hoka is seeking to maximize the light weight and highly reactive nature of the state of the art A-TPU midsole foam (and lots of it!)..
A carbon H-shaped plate and notably broad at the ground platform stabilizes and provides propulsion. With a gravel, light trail and road focused 3mm lug outsole yet one with sharp lugs, and a light yet supportive upper, the weight of a US9 is a mere 9.2 oz / 261g.
“Concept car” or player? Where does the Rocket X Trail shine and where does it struggle?
On the player part we know it is a proven performer as Ludo Pommert wore exactly this shoe to move from 50th place to 5th at the 2024 UTMB on the “smoother parts” of the trail and wore a modified version to win Hardrock in 2025. Jim Walmsley wore them from Michigan Bluffs to the finish in 2024 to run the second fastest time in Western States history.
We dig deep and share our findings in the review.
Pros:
Very light for the stack height and cushion: Jen/Sam/Jeff V
Breathable upper is great for hot weather: Jen/Sam/Jeff V
Generous amount of superfoam in the midsole: Jen/Sam/Jeff V
Big rebound off the broad 125mm front: Sam/Jeff V
Effective and not overly aggressive carbon plate: Sam/Jeff V
Adequate low profile outsole with aggressive lug shapes is also smooth on road: Sam/Jen/Jeff V
Cons:
Fits half size small: Sam/Jeff V
Not the most stable on technical terrain due to very high stack height and broad platform: Jen/Sam/Jeff V
Stats
Approx. Weight: men's 9.2 oz / 261g US9, women’s oz / g US8
Sample Weights:
men’s 9.4 oz / 267g US 9.5 (fits like a US9)
US M10.5 (fits like US M10.0) 9.6 oz / 276 g
Women’s 8.8 oz / 250 g US9
Midsole Stack Height: 42 mm heel / 36 mm forefoot
Full Stack Height 50 mm heel / 44 mm forefoot (approx. measured)
Platform Width:
Rocket X Trail 100 mm heel / 85 mm midfoot / 125 mm forefoot US9.5
Tecton X3 100mm heel / 80mm midfoot / 120mm forefoot US10
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
Jen: After highlighting the Mafate X just a couple months ago at Western States, HOKA is back with another long-distance trail shoe. The Rocket X Trail is lightweight, features a carbon plate and superfoam midsole, and was apparently designed for gravel racing, a niche that differentiates it from last fall’s Tecton X3 (a racer for more technical trails) and the aforementioned Mafate X (an ultra-distance tank).
The Rocket X Trail is a big shoe. I dug out my Tecton X3’s for comparison, a shoe that had seemed massive when I first got it, and was struck by how much larger the Rocket X Trail is.
Granted, I was sent a half size up from my usual US W8.5, but the Rocket is a full 10 mm wider in both the heel and forefoot and 5 mm wider in the midfoot in my samples.
While the difference in stack height is only 2 mm according to specs (42/36 mm forefoot/heel in the Rocket X Trail and 40/35 mm in the Tecton X3), it feels like more. Still, it’s light: even with the extra width and height, it’s only about 10 g heavier than the Tecton X3 (and again, the comparison is between a US W9 vs. US W8.5, so the true difference is likely much smaller).
The upper is designed to be light and flexible, with a breathable engineered mesh upper over flexible neon reinforcements. A patent is pending on the “dynamic vamp”, though it doesn’t seem to stretch as much as the name would suggest. The tongue is minimal with a flexible, stretchy gusset. I found that the upper locked down quite nicely for a secure hold through the midfoot, even with the half size up.
Sam: The Rocket X Trail is huge in all dimensions and at the same time incredibly light for its stature
The approximate 50mm heel height matches the Adizero Prime X 3 Strung with the upcoming Vomero Premium at 55mm the only other shoes in its stratospheric class.. and they are road shoes. Obviously I was worried about such heights on trail but the very broad platform gave me some comfort (stability and for sure cushioning)
My US9.5 (equivalent in fit to a US9) weighs a mere 9.4 oz / 267g and this on the broadest forefoot trail platform I can recall at 125mm (110-115mm most common). The heel is also broad at 100mm (few shoes are over 90mm) with the midfoot 85mm, more conventional for an ultra type shoe.
The intent is to use the very reactive A-TPU foam as a front launch pad with the H shaped carbon plate which is essentially two parallel plates connected at the front with a bar stabilizing all that foam while keeping the 50 mm heel broad enough to keep things under control on landing. It all works very well on the right “terrain”.
The upper is a thin non stretch engineered mesh with lots of pliable midfoot yellow underlays with somewhat more substantial white ones forming a quite pliable but extensive toe bumper.
Combined with the thin tongue and the “dynamic vamp”, the idea here is to closely conform the upper to the foot at the lightest possible weight without suffocating or rigid structure.
It works surprisingly well for the intended smooth trails purposes. And speaking of suffocating this is one breathable upper as all of my runs have been in high heat and humidity and comfortable. This is clearly an upper designed for warm conditions
The heel counter is rigid and quite low at the Achilles, but in a smart move given it is low its rear collars are more deeply padded than usual for a race shoe for a great hold even in my oversized pair.
I was sent a full size up from my normal 8.5 and.. with thicker socks. The sizing works with correct length and generous but not crazy sloppy volume so for sure they run a half size small for me. Given the volume (more than length) in my oversize pair I have to cinch the laces quite snuggly but have had no lace bite issues. And we have crinkle cut laces which hold tension well.
Jeff V: Out of the box, I am struck by the combination of stack, overall size and overall light weight. The upper is exceptionally minimal for such a big, high stack shoe, but upon initial step in, it is evident that it is quite well held and effective.
The thin engineered mesh is pliable, flexible and quite breathable, but I am impressed that it is so comfortable and provides an excellent foothold for the less technical intent of the shoe. The heel is well structured, well padded, well held and comfortable, with the crinkle cut laces providing very good lockdown.
There is not much of a toe bumper, as it is pretty much just a thicker, more reinforced section of the forward part of the toe box.
While the “toe bumper” is thin, it is not an issue given a) the shoe is not really meant for trails that are technical enough for that to really matter and b) your foot is riding higher and unlikely to bang a rock.
The tongue is paper thin and gusseted, but it lays well over the foot with minimal adjusting and is quite comfortable.
The heel collar is low, fitting perfectly below my ankle bone.
Hoka appropriately sent me a size 10.5 without any questioning or conversation ahead of time, knowing that I typically wear a size 10. At a half size up above my normal size, they fit me perfectly, with a secure lock down in the heel, midfoot and toe box, with almost a thumbs width of space forward of my big toe. I wouldn’t call the toe box spacious, but has ample room for foot swell, splay and overall comfort for longer runs (the thin nature of the upper allows for some forgiveness here). If you are usually borderline on sizing up in other shoes, wear thick socks or just prefer a bit more room, you may consider going a full size up above normal.
With the fit caveats out of the way, I find foothold to be very good and in line with the purpose of the shoe. I have tested on my usual steep, rocky, technical trails in the foothills above Boulder and considering the stack and minimal upper, they performed better than I expected, as my feet did not slide or waver, though I felt like the overall size, stack and stiffness had me more limited in technical terrain, feeling somewhat tippy. While running on less steep, smoother trails or dirt roads at high speed (or any speed), then the upper really shines, feeling quite confidence inspiring, breathable and I had no hot spots or constricting points.
Midsole & Platform
Jen: The superfoam A-TPU midsole here is light, firm, and bouncy. In an A/B test run with the Tecton X 3, the midsole of the X3 was much more compressible, while the Rocket X feels stiffer especially under the forefoot with its higher stack than Tecon X height and plate.
The ride is as energetic as you would expect from 42 mm of superfoam, especially on flat gravel, non-technical singletrack, or roads. I actually liked it much more than expected on the road sections of some road-to-trail recovery runs.
Stability was a key question for me, as with all of the recent high-stack trail supershoes. The carbon-fiber element here morphs from the parallel plates of the Tecton X3 to an H shape, perhaps to stabilize via the crossbar. I didn’t find a noticeable difference in stability, however, meaning that I had a moderate likelihood of an ankle roll on any given day when things got technical.
The combination of width/height/rigidity makes the Rocket X feel fantastic when picking up the pace on flatter terrain, its intended use case. When you can really open up your stride and not worry about footing, this shoe is a lot of fun.
On the flip side, the lack of groundfeel and flexion makes it less well-suited to anything rocky.
Although the Rocket X made a notable appearance in Fuzhao Xiang’s Western States performance (2nd in 16:47) this year, she didn’t switch into it until after the more technical high country and canyons sections, suggesting that she may have felt similarly.
Sam: One giant of a shoe. To go with heights we also have a very very broad platform at 100 mm heel / 85 mm midfoot / 125 mm forefoot US9.5 which clearly can help stability as well as potentially a H shape carbon plate. I say potentially as a rigid carbon plate in such a giant stack height shoe likely would be a no go on anything other than road. Fortunately, the shoe and plate have some flex.
Trail “feel” one has to forget about it here. The massive stack of very reactive, decently firm foam is in no way mushy and is incredibly protective of the legs. The A-TPU foam is in my view the best of the current foams for its highly reactive and springy, decently soft and pulled together feel. Not overly bouncy feel or for that matter overly firm either. Super fun and manageable
This midsole and platform is all about maximum due to the height and breadth of the 125mm platform up front with a distinct sense of rebounding on more mellow surfaces for many hours. There is enough stability due to the parallel plates connected with an H bar upfront (and so much more than say the road Adizero Prime X or even for me the Terrex Speed Ultra or MetaFuji Trail) to navigate easier trails.
The broad 100mm heel landings are commendably stable. When combined with the very light weight for so much shoe the turnover is surprisingly quick and exciting if not exactly agile, helped by the front and rear rockers, the light weight and the dynamic A-TPU foam.
Yes, it is a trail shoe but the paved road and gravel ride is fantastic as all that foam can be fully leveraged and the shoe tracks straight and smooth at a very wide range of paces and without having to have “special” focus as for example the Adizero Prime X road shoe required.
Jeff V: The A-TPU midsole is remarkably good here. While the stack is very tall, it is firm, responsive and bouncy without being overly so. The feel is quite energetic and propulsive, well cushioned without any mushy feel and quite stable when going fast on less technical trails and even performs surprisingly well on moderately technical trails.
As I mentioned in the upper section, the Rocket X is out of its range on technical terrain, which I knew going in, but still had to push the limits to see what they could do. With great care, I could negotiate steep, rocky technical trails at moderate speeds for a short while without any real issues, but because they are so stiff and with such a stack, they just are not conforming or agile enough to push in this sort of terrain.
Running fast on less technical trails, particularly on smooth singletrack or dirt roads, rolling on moderate inclines, declines, this is where the Rocket X really shines. They have a light feel and are very responsive, stable, well cushioned but on the firm side and are well equipped for runs of any length at faster speeds.
Outsole
Jen: The zonal rubber outsole features 3 mm lugs primarily in the forefoot, with just a smattering in the midfoot and heel. While the Tecton X3 outsole featured a nearly-full-coverage Vibram outsole with 4 mm plus Traction Lug min lugs, the outsole here is towards the minimal side. It provides traction that’s completely adequate for gravel roads, but a little lacking on steep or loose trails. I haven’t tried it in wet conditions yet.
Sam: The outsole is for sure low profile at 3mm and with quite minimal coverage in line with the goal of reducing weight. That said because of the wide platform at the ground and the sharp angular lugs the grip on light gravel, hard dirt and pavement in dry conditions to date has been excellent and is quiet on pavement. Further the outsole plays well with the foam above not over stiffening the shoe, there is actually some flex despite the giant stack height.
Jeff V: The 3mm lugs here are in line and appropriate for the purpose of this shoe. They are very much adequate on packed trails, dirt roads, roads, hard surfaces and in most circumstances where conditions are not particularly steep or loose. I have tested on steep, loose terrain and they actually gripped reasonably well, where the tread pattern is versatile and the rubber is sticky. The tread is laid out strategically to optimize weight, so there is a fair bit of exposed foam, but have not found that to necessarily be an issue in either traction or durability (and also allows for some flex).
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
Jen: The Rocket X Trail is a truly fit-for-purpose shoe. Designed for gravel racing, it shines on non-technical hard surfaces where the superfoam/carbon plate can fully deliver. It’s fast, but not particularly agile. Still, runners who have a flat, fast ultra on deck or who do a lot of speedwork on gravel roads may find it a perfect match.
Jen’s score: as a trail shoe *.15/10; as a road/gravel shoe 9.5/10
Ride (30%): 7.5 (lack of stability on trail, feels a bit big and clunky for my taste) - 9.5 on road/flat gravel
Fit (30%): 8.5 (very comfortable, good lock down through the midfoot, but sizing seems a little off)
Value (10%): 8, higher if road/gravel given better performance there and comparison to other trainers with this much superfoam
Style (5%): 8.5
Traction (15%): 7.5, 10 if considered a road/gravel shoe
Rock Protection (10%): 10 (I barely feel the ground through that much superfoam and plate)
😊😊😊 (trail), 😊😊😊😊.5 road/gravel
Sam: I have run the Rocket X Trail more than usual for a review shoe as a) I liked its energetic protective and propulsive ride so much and b) most of my recent running has been on gravel roads and paths, smooth forest and lots of road, all areas where it shines. In fact, of all the recent super max road shoes such as Skyward X, Prime X Strung, Hyperion Max, and even Sonicblast, it is my favorite. Why? Light weight, huge dynamic cushioning, forgiving carbon plate, smooth on road, big grip outsole which makes terrain versatile and easy to roll slow or fast.
This exact shoe with a bit less outsole could be called a Skyward X 2. Its upper is superior, its foam and plate package yet better integrated and even, as is, we are 42g lighter.
Wait, this thing is called Rocket X Trail. Right?
Yes, it is also a fine trail shoe for very moderate terrain for me. It is plenty stable but its sheer height and relative softness make them at least, in sensation, tippy as soon as surfaces get more irregular. I have yet to push them hard on technical terrain and probably won’t as I have many other choices for that and their strength is elsewhere. My New Hampshire trails are rocky, rooty and irregular so it is not my first pick for there but I can’t wait to get them to Park City smooth groomed single tracks where they will for sure come into their element.
It is for me the best gravel type shoe of the year and one the best if not the best road super max shoes of 2025 given its pace and terrain versatility, supreme cushion, and fun bold energetic ride.
Sam’s Score: 9.6 /10 ( despite its “Trail” naming I am scoring it as a gravel, easy trails and road shoe for now)
😊😊😊😊😊
Jeff V: The Rocket X is certainly one of the most fun and exciting shoes I have run in this year. While not ideally suited for my day to day runs on steep, technical trails, they are a real blast for less steep and less technical trails, when I want to push fast, or, just wear a maximal shoe that runs particularly light and moves along very easily and efficiently, no matter the pace. I could easily see picking the Rocket X for any race that is mid to long distance as long as it is not too technical, or they really just work great as a daily uptempo moderate to light trail, or gravel, door to trail trainer. While the stack is tall and I find them to be a bit too stiff for technical terrain, they are surprisingly stable if not leaping and balancing rock to rock for example, as they just eat up and steamroll the smaller rocks, bumps and undulations. The upper is very minimal, breathability is excellent, yet comfortable and effective at keeping the foot well planted and secure. Overall the Rocket X Trail is an impressive max stack, very versatile supershoe that can balance a wide range of paces and terrain.
Jeff V’s Score: 9.6/10
Ride: 9.5 - Fast, smooth, efficient, cushioned
Fit: 9.75 - sizing confusion aside, once you get your size, fit is amazing
Value: 9 - $250 is just the going rate for carbon plated super shoes. These are so versatile.
Style: 9
Traction: 9.5 - for the intended purpose of the shoe, very good
Rock Protection: 10
😊😊😊😊😊
4 Comparisons
Hoka Tecton X 3 (RTR Review)
Jeff V: I personally find the Rocket X to be faster, more propulsive and a more fun, dynamic ride, but more door to trail, gravel, moderate trails. If you favor more technical trails however, the Tecton is more trim and agile, with better traction and a very helpful built in gaiter (one of the best out there).
Hoka Mafate 5 (RTR Review)
Sam: Much heavier at 10.85 oz / 308g US 9 and more aggressively 5mm MegaGrip lugged the latest Mafate has plush mostly supercritical foam underfoot, a plastic ¾ plate and a similar fitting (although TTS unlike Rocket X Trail) somewhat more rugged upper. While the Rocket X Trail is the long run on smooth and even pavement option, the Mafate is the long on the most technical terrain Hoka option.
Jeff V: Agreed with Sam. Mafate 5 is heavier and more geared towards more rugged, technical trails with a more beefed up and protective build, superior traction. Rocket X much better for going fast on less technical terrain.
TNF Vectiv Pro (RTR Review)
Jeff V: I find the Vectiv Pro to be more rigid and does not do as well on varied terrain (which is saying a lot). The Rocket X is more propulsive, better cushioned and more friendly for longer runs and faster paces.
VJ Ultra 3 (RTR Review)
Jeff V: The Ultra 3 is much more appropriately designed for more technical terrain, as it is much slimmrt, agile and stable in technical terrain, with far superior traction. The Rocket X is better for less technical terrain at faster paces.
Index to all RTR reviews: HERE
The Rocket X Trail will be available September 2025
Tester Profiles
Jennifer Schmidt found trail running in her mid-20's and began dabbling on the roads a few years later. Trail 50k's are nearest and dearest to her heart, and she recently took the win at the 2025 Way Too Cool 50k and placed sixth at the 2025 Black Canyon Ultras 50k. These days, you can find her primarily on the sweet California singletrack around Auburn, chasing competitive and personal goals over a variety of surfaces and distances. Depending on the season, she also competes in the USATF road and XC circuits for Sacramento Running Association's racing team, with a marathon PR of 2:41.
Jeff Valliere loves to run and explore the mountains of Colorado, the steeper and more technical the better. He has summited all of the 14ers in the state, many 13ers and other peaks in Colorado and beyond, plus, he has summited his local Green Mountain over 2,300 times in the past 20+ years. He can be found on mountain trails daily, no matter the weather, season, conditions or whether there is daylight or not. On the side he loves to ski (all forms) bike and hike, often with his family, as he introduces his twin daughters to the outdoors. Jeff was born and raised in New Hampshire, but has called Colorado home for nearly 30 years. He is 5’9” and 145 lbs.
Sam is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run. He is in his 60’s with 2025 Sam’s 54th year of running roads and trails. He has a decades old 2:28 marathon PR. These days he runs halves in the just sub 1:43 range if he gets very, very lucky. Sam trains 30-40 miles per week mostly at moderate paces on the roads and trails of New Hampshire and Utah be it on the run, hiking or on nordic skis. He is 5’9” tall and weighs about 160 lbs, if he is not enjoying too many fine New England IPA’s.
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