07/17/2026
We need to make one thing clear… This is NOT about good vs bad shoes.
We love Topo, HOKA, and every brand we carry. Each one does exactly what it was designed to do.
The issue is grouping shoes together just because they share similar weight, stack, and drop—especially for hiking and backpacking.
Those numbers are easy to compare, but they don’t answer the important questions:
* Who is this shoe for?
* What was it built to do?
* How does it behave under load?
After our cutaway videos, some people questioned the results because the shoes were altered. Fair point.
So we ran a new test with brand-new, uncut shoes under controlled off-camber load.
The results were the same.
The HOKA Stinson stayed stable and predictable.
The Topo Vista rolled much earlier and more aggressively at just 70% of the load. So much, that the bracket bent.
That doesn’t make the Vista a bad shoe. It’s built more like a Speedgoat—fast, light, and responsive.
The Stinson is built for something else: comfort, protection, and stability over long miles.
Less stable shoes simply ask more from your feet and lower legs.
We see it every Appalachian Trail season—new hikers choosing lighter, faster shoes without realizing the added physical demand.
So don’t stop at stack, drop, and weight.
Those numbers tell you what a shoe is.
They don’t tell you how it behaves.
And for hikers and backpackers, that difference can matter far more than the spec sheet.
We need to make one thing clear…
This is NOT about good vs bad shoes.
We love Topo, HOKA, and every brand we carry. Each one does exactly what it was designed to do.
The issue is grouping shoes together just because they share similar weight, stack, and drop—especially for hiking and backpacking.
Those numbers are easy to compare, but they don’t answer the important questions:
* Who is this shoe for?
* What was it built to do?
* How does it behave under load?
After our cutaway videos, some people questioned the results because the shoes were modified. Fair point.
So we ran a new test with brand-new, uncut shoes under controlled off-camber load.
The results were the same.
The HOKA Stinson stayed stable and predictable—even under significantly more load.
The Topo Vista rolled much earlier and more aggressively.
That doesn’t make the Vista a bad shoe. It’s built more like a Speedgoat—fast, light, and responsive.
The Stinson is built for something else: comfort, protection, and stability over long miles.
Less stable shoes simply ask more from your feet and lower legs.
We see it every Appalachian Trail season—new hikers choosing lighter, faster shoes without realizing the added physical demand.
So don’t stop at stack, drop, and weight.
Those numbers tell you what a shoe is.
They don’t tell you how it behaves.
And for hikers and backpackers, that difference can matter far more than the spec sheet.
We need to make one thing clear…
This is NOT about good vs bad shoes.
We love Topo, HOKA, and every brand we carry. Each one does exactly what it was designed to do.
The issue is grouping shoes together just because they share similar weight, stack, and drop—especially for hiking and backpacking.
Those numbers are easy to compare, but they don’t answer the important questions:
* Who is this shoe for?
* What was it built to do?
* How does it behave under load?
After our cutaway videos, some people questioned the results because the shoes were modified. Fair point.
So we ran a new test with brand-new, uncut shoes under controlled off-camber load.
The results were the same.
The HOKA Stinson stayed stable and predictable—even under significantly more load.
The Topo Vista rolled much earlier and more aggressively.
That doesn’t make the Vista a bad shoe. It’s built more like a Speedgoat—fast, light, and responsive.
The Stinson is built for something else: comfort, protection, and stability over long miles.
Less stable shoes simply ask more from your feet and lower legs.
We see it every Appalachian Trail season—new hikers choosing lighter, faster shoes without realizing the added physical demand.
So don’t stop at stack, drop, and weight.
Those numbers tell you what a shoe is.
They don’t tell you how it behaves.
And for hikers and backpackers, that difference can matter far more than the spec sheet.
