Hoka Transport X review

The Hoka Transport X is a tricky shoe to recommend, but we believe it suits the following people well:

• Those who want just one shoe for absolutely everything, from running and CrossFit to going to work.
• Gym aficionados looking for a premium-quality shoe that can also handle occasional runs.
• Heavier folks who want a lot of cushioning for all kinds of sports activities or even just walking.

One of the main issues with this shoe is its steep price tag. At $200, you could pick up an ASICS Superblast, considered by us as one of the best cushioned daily trainers on the market. And if running isn't your main focus, the Hoka Kawana is a less expensive option that works great for the occasional run.

If running isn't a priority for you, the Hoka Transport is a great all-around option for those with narrow-to-medium width feet. For a max-cushioned walking and neutral shoe, we also recommend the Hoka Bondi SR as an excellent alternative.

For a shoe that's designed to be worn throughout the year—like the Transport X—breathability is key.

The Transport X exhibits excellent breathability through the tongue

We put this one through our lovely smoke test in the lab and were thrilled to give it a perfect score of 5 out of 5.

Our light test just confirmed what we had already observed—the upper is super thin and allows air to flow easily. But we wanted to dig deeper to understand how they achieved this level of breathability.

Using the microscope we discovered that Hoka didn't just rely on making holes in the upper, like many other brands do, which can weaken the shoe.

Instead, Hoka used an ultra-thin engineered mesh that lets air pass right through.

However, keep in mind that this upper isn't as flexible as you'll find in some other everyday shoes—it's quite the opposite, actually.

While this shoe excels in breathability, we found that it doesn't hold up as well in durability. During our dremel test on the toebox in the lab, the Transport X didn't perform too well (1/5).

Hoka is aware of this issue. That's why they've added a larger-than-average plastic overlay on part of the toebox. This helps to prevent damage to the toe cap.

We found that, like many other shoes, the heel also scored low in durability—just 1 out of 5 in our second dremel test.

While it sounds alarming, it's mostly a concern for those who usually wear out the heels of their shoes. For most runners, we don't think this will be a problem.

We measured the outsole hardness in the lab and found it to be pretty average at 80.5 HC.

It seems like Hoka's goal is to strike a balance between durability and grip.

For the third and final round with the dremel in the lab, we checked out how durable the outsole really is.

We ended up with a 0.8-mm dent in the rubber—a pretty average outcome.

However, we were disappointed when we found out just how thin the outsole is. Measuring only 1.8 mm, it's clear that Hoka was more focused on making the shoe lightweight than on making it last.

Durability definitely took a backseat with the Transport X.

At only 9.7 oz (274g), we can confirm that the huge Transport X feels light and it's... really light!

This is a very big shoe. In the lab, we measured a whopping 40.2 mm in the heel.

That's one of the highest measurements we've ever seen. So, if you're looking for lots of cushioning, you won't be disappointed.

The forefoot is also quite thick, measuring 30.8 mm in our lab tests.

This pretty much means you won't get any ground feel. And that's not surprising because, like all Hoka shoes with an "X" in the name, it comes with a built-in carbon plate...

We measured a 9.4-mm difference in height between the forefoot and the heel, which is known as the heel-to-toe drop.

For many running shoes, this would be a pretty standard number. But here's the catch: Hoka claims this shoe has a 5-mm drop, which is almost half of what we found in our lab.

We can't say how Hoka does their measurements, but we can tell you they're not using the same World Athletics guidelines that we follow.

We measured the insole of the Transport X and found that it's only 4.5 mm thick. There's really nothing special to note about it.

In the lab, we checked the foam's softness and got a 22.8 HA reading. 

These shoes don't offer the ultra-soft feel you might expect from other Hoka models. And since there's a carbon plate inside, you should expect an even firmer ride.

We put the Transport X in the freezer for 20 minutes to see how they'd hold up in cold weather. After taking them out, we measured their softness again with the durometer.

We found that the reading was 27.5 HA.

The measurement only went up by 20.9%, which is really impressive!

Designed to be the ultimate do-it-all shoe, the Transport X aims for rock-solid stability. After putting it through our tests, we can confirm it's really stable.

Most versatile shoes aren't super stiff, but they also usually don't have carbon plates.

We're not sure why Hoka put a trail-style, dual-forked carbon plate in the Transport X. But we do know that the shoe is extra-stiff and scored a 5/5 in our tests.

Maybe they should've named this shoe the Hoka Stiff X. It clocked a 5/5 in another one of our tests, this time for having a really rigid heel counter.

While this design adds a lot to its stability, we found that it could make the shoe less comfortable during runs or even walks.

We discovered that the Transport X has a midsole width of 118.5 mm. That's wider than most running shoes on the market.

The wider landing platform tells us the design is, again, geared toward stability.

We found that the heel is also quite wide. This makes it an excellent pick for heel strikers who often have trouble with stability in other all-around shoes.

We've mentioned that this is a stiff shoe, but we wanted to put some numbers to it.

After testing it in the lab, we found that the shoe scored 53.4N in our 90-degree bend test. That's almost twice the average!

So how does the Transport X perform in cold weather? We found that, like most shoes, it becomes stiffer. We measured 65.5N in the same 90-degree bend test we did in the lab.

We found an impressive 22.7% difference between the room temperature test and the cold-weather test. This is actually an excellent result.

The smaller the difference, the more consistent and reliable the shoe performs in various conditions!

Hoka advertises the shoe as being 270 mm long, but we measured it and found it to be slightly shorter—265.4 mm for a standard US size 9.

One big problem with the non-plated Hoka Transport was its super snug toebox. That feature turned away a lot of people, making it a good fit only for those with narrow feet.

The Transport X fixes this with a more roomy design. We measured its toebox at 99.8 mm in its widest point, making it a comfy fit even for some people with wide feet.

We also measured the size of the area around the big toe, which was 78.3 mm.

We do this because one measurement alone doesn't give us the whole story. Based on what we found, this shoe is a great fit for people with wider feet.

The shoe's tongue is semi-gusseted, helping to keep our foot securely in place while running. Honestly, we'd find it surprising if a shoe that costs two hundred bucks didn't have this feature.

During this review, we mentioned that this shoe is pretty light for its massive stack height.

One big reason for that is the super-thin tongue. We measured it at just 1.7 mm, making it more like what you'd find in a racing shoe rather than in typical cross-training or easy running shoes.

We noticed the shoe doesn't have a heel tab, but getting your feet into it is still pretty easy. So the lack of a heel tab really comes down to personal taste, rather than being a big issue.

We found that removing the insole was easy. Plus, since the shoe isn't super narrow, it can comfortably accommodate insoles from other shoes or custom orthotics.

Hoka promotes this shoe with "360-degree reflectivity," a feature that's pretty rare in running shoes.

We've got to say, we're big fans! It has multiple shiny, reflective strips that really catch the eye. This is an awesome safety feature that we absolutely love.