Hoka Rocket X Trail Review | A Gravel Racer With Ultra Potential

There is a lot to like about the Hoka Rocket X Trail: it is fast, propulsive, and surprisingly stable for such a maximally-cushioned shoe.

I found the fit and lockdown to be superb on my feet.

Even I was a bit surprised to find myself reaching for this shoe over “more capable” trail super shoes in my closet day after day. Those who give this shoe a chance will be rewarded with heaps of performance and happy legs over longer-distance runs. 

I’ll dive into the details below, but this shoe is a high-stack, high-performance ultra racer that chews up miles without chewing up your legs.

Although Hoka has marketed the Rocket X Trail as a gravel shoe, it does more than gravel. A lot more.

All that said, I think it is also worth mentioning that there is a group I would clearly steer away from this shoe too. Namely, newer runners who do not have a lot of experience with high-stack race-day shoes, or those prone to lower leg injuries like shin splints or ankle rolls.

The Rocket X Trail is a tall ride, and it lacks the ground feel and connectedness to promote natural balance and stability—both of which are essential to preventing lower-leg injuries.

If you do not have hip stability and ankle strength to manage these monsters, you are going to find yourself getting into trouble at some point.

Hoka Rocket X Trail Overview

Although Hoka has billed this shoe as a “gravel racer” (and it definitely excels on dirt roads and buttery trail), it rides a lot more like a true trail super shoe and has a fit and feel that is reminiscent of several shoes billed for more technical trails, like the On Cloudultra Pro.

There is a lot that goes into making this shoe work as well as it does, and it all comes together to work as intended. 

There were a couple of things I would love to see improved in future versions (more on that later), but none of those were deal breakers for me.

Case in point: since the Rocket X Trails entered the house, my Hoka Tecton X4’s have started collecting dust. Crazy, right?

Although the stack and weight render the Rocket X Trail a bit too boat-like for the most technically demanding trails and sub-ultra courses, this shoe is a real race-day option for a lot of folks at the 50-mile distance and beyond.

Hoka Rocket X Trail Fit

Length: True to size
Width: Standard
Toe Box: Narrow
Arch: High
Volume: Medium

It’s light. It is breathable. The lockdown is great. It just works.

Overall, the Rocket X trail has everything it needs to fit well and nothing that it doesn’t. That ethos has really helped to keep the weight down too.

I know some reviewers have complained about the tongue bunching up (it is definitely thin and lightweight), but that was not an issue for me on any of my test runs. 

I also found the lockdown and overall fit to be significantly better than the Hoka Tecton X4.

When I took the Rocket X Trail for a hot lap of Mt. Elbert (the tallest peak in Colorado at 14,439’), I was happy to experience zero heel slip going up or toe-bang going down.

Very few uppers have performed this well for me, and that is saying a lot for a shoe that is not marketed for some of the places I was taking it.

The overall breathability of the shoe is phenomenal, and so is the drainage when it comes to water crossings.

The 100% engineered mesh upper helps save weight and tends to shed moisture too. This is a huge plus when it comes to the functional weight of the shoe a few hours into an ultra, when sweat and water would otherwise be soaking into the materials, tending to weigh shoes down.

It happens less in the Rocket X Trail than in many other shoes, and that helps to keep the shoe feeling dry and light after hours on the trail

The Rocket X Trail also comes with notched laces which make it easy to dial in the fit, tension, and keep your shoes from coming untied.

In this day and age, I am still surprised there are shoes out there that do not come standard with notched laces. They make a difference, and it is a pleasure to have them on this shoe too.

Hoka Rocket X Trail Feel

When it comes to the feel of the Rocket X Trail, the midsole is where the magic happens. A beefy stack of 43mm of supercritical ATPU in the heel and 36mm in the forefoot (6mm drop) provides ample protection, loads of “pop”, and a lot of cush on the legs to help you go the distance.

Overall, it is just a fun shoe to tick off lots of miles in. 

The Rocket X Trail does have a fairly late-stage rocker in the forefoot and a rockered heel too. That may sound like a lot of rocker, but I would not characterize it as extreme by any means.

It is noticeable and serves its purpose of facilitating a smooth gait cycle and faster turnover rates. 

In the forefoot, the late-stage design engages further forward toward the toes and provides a nice smooth transition through the push-off phase of the gait cycle.

The heel rocker also worked well, particularly when running fast on steep downhills. The heel rocker is also surprisingly helpful when power hiking steep gradients, allowing for longer strides and a smooth roll from heel to forefoot.

The biggest complexity when introducing so much stack and rocker is stability.

However, Hoka has done a great job of building a platform that gives this shoe what it needs here too.

An H-shaped carbon plate provides a lot of lateral stability to the huge stack of foam without being overly stiff or noticeable underfoot.

Ultimately, the plate does its job without stealing the show. 

Hoka has also provided a generous base width to the shoe with a 124/87/97mm width in the forefoot/midfoot/heel (measured from outside lug edge to outside lug edge with digital calipers).

Together, these design elements come together nicely and just work. I never felt unstable in the shoe unless I was really pushing the pace on steep technical trails where I probably should not have taken this “gravel shoe” anyway… but where is the fun in that?

As for the foam itself, with the Rocket X Trail you get more supercritical ATPU than any other trail shoe on the market.

It’s a luxury you can feel. ATPU is extremely lightweight and provides a highly responsive ride with more stability and durability than you get with PEBA. It is quite a cool feeling. 

One area I do think Hoka could improve on the Rocket X Trail is the outsole.

Although it is not ‘bad’ for a gravel shoe, the small lugs and linear orientation do leave something to be desired for those who really enjoy the overall ride of the Rocket X Trail (like me) and want to take it into bigger terrain and on more technical trails.

Similarly, the small lugs lend themselves to premature wear, which is definitely going to be the limiting factor in the lifespan of this shoe.

Even at a little over 60 miles, I am seeing some wear and starting to lose what precious traction the rather minimal lug pattern offers.

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