06/14/2026
Shining a little light on the fact that the running brands we buy our hiking shoes from want to produce good RUNNING shoes. Previous Stinsons have flown under the radar because most shops that focus on trail running shoes for trail RUNNERS, are well aware of the niche running shoe that it has been. Takes a special person to enjoy running in the older Stinsons. But in hiking world, this shoe is a sleeper. It gets overlooked because it’s not attractive aesthetically or on paper. The truth is that this has been a BRILLIANT hiking platform for so many people. If you’re a thruhiker who’s trying to adapt your feet to the trail, combining discipline and a safe shoe to allow that process to happen should be a high priority. Many people need predictable, stable and safe. This checks the boxes for those people. But Hoka wants it to be a better runner - and they should. They’re a running shoe brand. This update does not compromise the hike-ability of the Stinson… but a great example that the brand focus behind some of our favorite shoes is to make them better RUNNERS. For some models, this focus has already pushed the shoes out of the “hiking” silo. Follow us as we continue to break down some of the myths and the things that many hikers misunderstand when it comes to selecting your single most important piece of gear.
