Hey guys, Drew Rice here of Rice Running and today we're reviewing a brand new hiking shoe from Hoka 11. Today we're looking at the Hoka 11 Sky Caja backpacking and hiking boot. This is a new hiking shoe that's been put out by Hoka 11 and it was provided to me by RunRepeat.com where I post written reviews and video reviews on different running and hiking shoes. If you are interested in reading those, you should go and check those out. I'll post the link in the description of the video. So to start off with the pros of this shoe, I think that initially they look great. I did jokingly say that they looked like moon boots the first time I saw them because in comparison to the trail running shoes that I normally use, the socket paragrands, you can see there's a, you know, they're much heftier. And so while jokingly saying that, I think that the aesthetics of the shoe, especially in this, with that Hoka calls the black gray color way, I think is very nice. I think the, I think the red bottoms are very cool and the orange accents do a really good job of just making the shoe pop, which normally hiking boots and shoes tend to be very drabs. So I think that's a huge plus with this shoe. The main focus that Hoka has on these is that these are a lightweight backpacking and hiking shoe. And lightweight, they are. They come in at 17.9 ounces, which if you're coming from a trail running background, maybe that seems like the, the little high compared to a trail running shoe, but compared to a hiking boot, these are about half of the weight that a normal hiking boot would be. That makes them a absolute joy to put on your feet. You don't even notice that they're there, which is what you want in a hiking boot. Additionally, they have a stack height in the heel of 33 millimeters and in the four foot of 27 millimeters with a six millimeter offset total. This is great. I really like that in a hiking boot because it makes for a much smoother ride and transition. And it doesn't feel like you are being forced so much on your toes. And it really just lets your feet kind of relax and you know, forget that you're even doing the work. Essentially, it just disappears on your foot and lets your foot work the way that it's supposed to. And for me, that was a huge plus. Another big problem differentiating factor of the Kaha is the upper, which Hoka is calling a event upper. This is a patented full grain waterproof leather upper. As you can see inside, whether the event monokers are. And it does a really good job. It's very supple. It's very smooth on the inside. I actually wore these straight out of the box to do half-dome and had no issues whatsoever. Having a leather and waterproof upper is great because it's very durable. I don't see this upper failing anytime soon. It is amazing to have a shoe where I don't have to worry about, you know, going through snow, going through water. It's just been great overall. Also, the way that they integrated the tongue with the upholstered material here. And the event interior where it allows it to breathe really well. So actually, I feel like comparing these to say like a Gore-Tex model running shoe that I would normally use as a waterproof option for hiking. These actually breathe better than the Gore-Tex. And in the same vein as the upper, the lacing system is absolutely awesome. They have this paracord lacing, which is great. It's very secure. It's very easy to grab onto. You're always going to be able to get a hold of it very easily. Flat laces sometimes can be a bit of a pain for that. So I really like the paracord lacing system. And then also, I love that it has the different hook options so you can tighten it up as much as you need to. And honestly, as long as I've had it at least one of these, I've had no issues with any rocks getting inside. I can't complain at all with that. As you can see, the laces are pretty long. So normally what I do is, I don't know what they're doing, but they do a great job of giving you these little loops. And so what I do is I just take the laces and tuck them into the loops. And that does a sufficient job of keeping them out of the way and keeping them from getting tangled and caught on a brush when you're cutting through it. The loops on the back are great for grabbing onto. Pull on. Like it a lot because that's one pet peeve with some hiking shoes and running shoes is not having it something to grab onto. The mid cut of it is really good. It gives a lot more ankle support than I'm used to in a trail running shoe, but at the same time it's not. It's not too aggressive. It still feels. It still feels very reminiscent of a trail running shoe. The midsole and outsole is made up of three different layers. The top layer is a EVA top foam layer. Then there is a ranger bottom foam layer. And that's this red part you can see. Then there is a V-brum mega grip outsole. And that outsole is made up of these orange pieces of rubber on the bottom. I think that the combination of the three is really good. It's very, very plush. Cushion between the ranger bottom and the soft EVA upper layer foam is very, very nice. It feels like you would expect from a hookah. Very, very soft, very cushioned, and just make sure foot feel like it's kind of on a cloud. I mean, it's very, very comfortable. Despite the high stack height, it has very good ground feel because of the V-brum mega grip outsole. And it feels pretty agile still. And realistically, while the stack height looks high from the outside, at 33 millimeters and 27 respectively, it's roughly close to a Brooks Ghost running shoe. So if you're used to normal cushioned running shoes, this is not going to feel abnormal on your underneath your foot. I think they did a good job of minimizing weight on the outsole by putting the V-brum in the different spots where there's going to be higher contact. Each of these lugs is 5 millimeters deep. And I found them to have a very, very grippy. Like I said, the first time I used them was a half dome. Didn't have any issues on the slick granite there. Use them at Whitney, Cactus to Clouds. It's a really, really solid shoe, but we do have a few coins. So as for cons at the Hocus-Kai Kaha, the only real one is that durability wise, it looks good everywhere, but there is that one concern because Hocus has a tendency to have midsoles that, you know, don't last as long as you would like for them to. And the Rangy Bottom Foam seems to have a little bit faster degradation than I would like to see. Like I said, 200 miles, rough terrain. It's not the worst, but that is definitely going to be the part that's going to degrade the fastest. The V-brum outsole looks like it's going to last for well over, you know, 700 to probably a thousand miles, depending on the terrain and how nice I am to them. The upper doesn't show any signs of degradation. It's still in top form, but the Rangy Bottom, it might start to feel dead a little earlier than I'd like. The only other real con is the price. These right now are priced at $220 MSRP, which is on the higher end of hiking shoes. I think that is just a little bit higher than I would like them to be. If I have to make a pick, that's where I'm going to. So for my final thoughts on my Kocuskeye Kaha, I have to say this is definitely the best all around hiking and backpacking shoe that I've ever worn. It has a running shoe feel to it almost with the Loesrop and the soft plush cushion and the nimble and surefooted ground feel that you get from the V-brum mega grip outsole. It just feels right on my foot as someone who's coming from a trail running background and I absolutely love it. I've had no issues with any discomfort and it's just really been able to disappear on my foot on some really long hard arduous hikes. Overall, it's a great shoe. The only thing, like I said in the cons, is that the price is a little high, but I do think that at $220, if you're someone who's a very avid hiker like myself who's going to be hiking or trail running every week or you're someone who's going on like say the Appalachian Trail or the PCT, I think that this would be a really good option because it's not going to fail you anywhere. It's got the waterproof aspect you want. It's still breathable. It's super cushioned so it's going to keep your feet feeling fresh at the end of the day as they were at the beginning. And the grip is as good as you can expect with something with this type of a stack height. Overall, this is just an amazing shoe. And let me know down in the comments if you've tried it, if you have any experiences with the shoe, or if you have any questions or suggestions for me to do reviews or videos in the future. Also, if you want to read the written review, it's at RunRepeat.com and I will have the URL in the description box below. In the meantime, stay out on the trails and I will see you guys next time. Bye.