Hoka Transport 2 Review

Our Hoka Transport 2 Experience

The Hoka Transport 2 inspired confidence from the moment we first put it on, confidence in that, no matter where the day brought us, we would have the footwear needed to tackle it. For a casual walking shoe, this felt like a tank.

But not in the sense that it was overly heavy or bulky — it's not. It just felt ready to step over or through whatever was in front of us. For our first wear, we walked down to our local farmers market and perused the baked goods and vegetables for sale. In all honesty, the Hoka Transport 2 almost felt like overkill on this casual weekend walk. The tread held traction without a hitch, but the tall lugs and rigid outsole made it feel like we were wearing boots. Plenty of people wear boots on pavement, so it's not a big deal — but there's an essence of hiking boot that emanates from this shoe. It feels sturdy and strong, which is more than it needs to be at the market.

But it was during our miles of mixed-terrain walking along the river and parks in our town where the Transport 2 really shone. That hardy tread proved tremendous at dealing with various types of terrain from cracked asphalt to leaf-covered dirt trails, gravel pathways, and a field of grass. The same can be said for the Cordura uppers — they brushed off wet grass and fallen branches like they were nothing.

That's not to say it performed poorly indoors, far from it. It's like seeing a Jeep Wrangler in the mall parking lot — you know it can handle tougher environments than this, but it's still practical to use for day-to-day tasks and activities as well.

As an all-purpose shoe that can handle a wide range of environments, the Hoka Transport 2 blends lifestyle comfort and functional performance. It's an everyday walking and light hiking shoe that looks clean enough for casual wear. The durable outsole provides reliable traction across varied terrain, while the upper materials maintain strong resistance to dirt, debris, and abrasions without sacrificing comfort. We were happy to wear it from town to trail and everywhere in between.

Our Analysis and Test Results

Comfort

Hoka listened to customer feedback and made the Transport 2 a bit more comfortable than its previous version. The sock liner is softer, and the collar received increased padding to prevent ankle irritation. Hoka also says the EVA midsole is now more forgiving, and structural changes have been made to improve the heel-to-toe flow and improve overall fit.

During our 10,000-step walking test, we noticed the improved comfort. Each individual change was difficult to detect, but the overall experience just felt more pleasant as we walked mile after mile.

Our measurements of the sole show that changes have indeed been made — we measured a 7 mm heel drop on the Transport 2 (previously 9 mm on the original Transport) and an overall 36 mm stack height (previously 39 mm). Though several comfort enhancements have been made, this is still not a plush shoe by any stretch. Each step has a bit of squish to it, but the overall impression is more supportive and firm, rather than soft.

There is now a fair amount of padding around the collar and gusseted Cordura mesh tongue, but it hasn't been overdone. This is still a versatile, performance walking shoe. It feels good while on the move. Plus, it's easy to step into and take off thanks to its rigid heel structure, heel pull finger loop, and quick-toggle lace system.

Some users report that the shoe feels tight around the midfoot. We felt this at first, too, but after walking a few miles, the uppers “wore-in” and our feet felt right at home with the fit.

Support

You'll find the Hoka Transport 2 to be quite supportive. The firm EVA midsole keeps your sole feeling stable and grounded. It's complemented nicely by the increased softness of the interior padding, which balances out the firm underfoot feel with enhanced comfort around the remainder of your foot.

And that updated padding, along with the well-designed quick-toggle lacing system, actually does well to lock your heel in place, keeping your foot where it needs to be in the shoe to get the most out of its supportive qualities.

The Transport 2 is not very flexible, but that is by design. The heel and midfoot are noticeably rigid — this, along with the heel lock, keeps your foot stable. Ultimately, this helps to prevent ankle rolls and keeps you feeling planted even on uneven ground. The forefoot does have a bit of flex, letting your toes bend and splay out as needed to maintain optimal grip and balance as your foot rolls forward through each step.

That redefined rocker guides your foot along a smooth heel-to-toe roll. Without the rocker, you would have to put more energy into each step, which would become exhausting on long walks or during all-day wear. A more aggressive rocker would feel as if it was pushing you forward with each step, which may throw you off balance when you're navigating loose or uneven terrain. Here, the rocker acts like more of a suggestion, or a helpful guide.

Shoe Exterior Shoe Interior

Durability

Think of the Hoka Transport 2 as if it were a coat of armor for your foot — it's tough and protective. Even though it might show a ding here or a scratch there with extended use, you can rely on its form holding up over the long term. The outsole is where this shoe is at its toughest, absolutely covered in Vibram EcoStep rubber. That layer of hardy protection rolls up over the front of the toe box as well, shielding your tootsies from stray rocks.

The uppers are also very durable. Areas that are likely to see the most abuse are layered with abrasion-resistant materials. The lacing eyelets are reinforced for added strength — doubly so for the top heel lock eyelets — so that no matter how hard you decide to lash down those laces, the lacing structure will be able to handle it.

A water-repellent finish has been applied to the shoe's surface to repel light rain, but this will likely fade the more you wear the shoe. Abrasions and dirt will remove the water-resistant properties of the shoe, so you'll have to reapply a DWR treatment eventually if you want to retain that feature. Otherwise, we were amazed at how well this shoe held up, inside and out, during our testing period.

Traction

Decked out with a high-quality Vibram EcoStep outsole, the Hoka Transport 2 latches onto just about any surface you put it against. Featuring aggressive lugs for a walking shoe, this rubber-coated outsole maintains grip on gravel and dirt just about as well as it does on pavement.

With an underside that looks more like a trail runner or hiking boot than a sneaker, the Hoka Transport 2 is ready to step off the sidewalk as soon as you are. The tall lugs provide a depth to the outsole that allows it to dig into soft surfaces, finding ample traction where smooth-bottomed shoes would surely slip. This is a large part of what makes the Transport 2 so versatile — it can go farther off the beaten path than most any other walking shoe could dream of.

The fact that this shoe has lugs means that a significant portion of the outsole is not touching the ground on flat, even surfaces. That could mean worse traction on perfectly flat terrain, but it's not much of an issue thanks to the grippy Vibram EcoStep rubber. It maintains a great hold on streets and sidewalks, even when wet. There is a bit of a sacrifice on polished or wet tile or linoleum, but the loss isn't significant. We found the traction to be more than adequate for walking around our local grocery stores, and it excelled on every other surface we traversed during our testing.

Weight

The Hoka Transport 2 men's size 10.5 weighs 12.62 ounces per shoe, or a little over 25 ounces for the pair. This is about .6 ounces heavier per shoe than the original Transport weighed in at. The added padding and focus on comfort are the culprits of the increased weight, with the rubber lugs and reinforced uppers adding fractions of ounces that make this shoe heavier than some other walking shoes.

That all being the case, we didn't feel that the Hoka Transport 2 was weighing us down during our testing. Some users report that the shoes feel chunky and heavy, but we're ok with the weight. We walked thousands of steps over various surfaces and didn't feel fatigued as a result of those extra ounces. The shoe feels sturdy and helps your feet feel planted. Very long walks may eventually become tiresome, but a few miles didn't leave us with a “heavy” feeling on our feet.

Should You Buy the Hoka Transport 2?

If you're in need of an all-purpose walking shoe, the Hoka Transport 2 is an easy pick. It's slick and versatile enough for a casual workplace setting, while offering the stability and updated comfort you'd want for long hours on your feet and frequent short walks. From there, it transitions seamlessly to city streets, park paths, or even a moderately challenging hike. That said, if most of your time is spent indoors, the rugged outsole and firmer ride may be more than you need, and there are softer, more cushioned options better suited for strictly indoor wear.

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