Hoka One One Speedgoat 3
My footwear journey has arrived at its next stop: Hokas. The most ridiculously padded outdoor shoes of all time are also what my mom wears, as well as some other folks in my circle. Nobody has anything bad to say about them (at least in casual use), instead, they sing their praises. When I realized I had to give up my Scarpa Spin Ultras due to sizing, I also noted that I really enjoyed what they claimed to be an excess of padding (the Ultra in the name is for ultra marathon i.e. long distance use). Getting a larger pair of Spins would’ve solved the size problem, but it wouldn’t have put more foam under my feet. I decided to replace them with Speedgoats.
I’ve become more budget-conscious in my outdoor purchases over the years and make an effort to try to pick up gear when it’s out of season or in last year’s colors. This time around I decided that, rather than spend $145 on the latest Speedgoat 4, I’d try to find a used pair or maybe go with the previous model. In a lucky find on eBay I managed to tick both boxes and got a very lightly used pair of Speedgoat 3s for around $80.
They are a revelation.
Not only is the padding ridiculously comfortable, but the toebox is much roomier than the Spins despite being only a half size larger. Serendipitously, the color scheme matches my hiking socks exactly. I’ve done some short runs and spent multiple days in them and the feeling is just incredible. I’m pretty sure Person B is tired of hearing about how much I love them by now. I wish I had tried them sooner.
($80 used, 306g per shoe in size US Men’s 10.5)
Upcoming
My vest shopping landed me on the Ultimate Direction Mountain Vest 5.0, which should arrive on Tuesday – I’ll update this post once it’s in my hands. It’s explicitly targeted towards mountain running, including hauling an ice axe around for snowy summits. And during the current 25% off sale the price wasn’t too bad either.
I’m also looking into picking up a bike. I’m going to put together a dedicated post on my research progress so far, but if I decide to pull the trigger I’ll get that added here as well.