Fluffy clouds. Pillow-top beds. Marshmallows. These are just a few places our minds went when we slipped our feet into the ultra-comfy HOKA ONE ONE Tor Summit Mid WP, our Top Pick for Lightweight Hiker. Since joining the footwear market in 2010, HOKA ONE ONE has been producing running shoes with a unique approach to midsoles. They are commonly known for their extremely thick midsoles aimed to promote stability, an energetic stride, and most of all, a cushy ride.

Providing tough competition within the lightweights were the Keen Targhee II Mid and Lowa Tiago GTX Mid. Neither match the Tor Summit in terms of comfort, but depending on your needs, one might suit you better. The KEEN model is very affordable and provides better traction overall on a variety of surfaces. The Tiago GTX Mid, with a higher collar, supplies more water protection and stability.

Comfort

We can’t express enough how great these shoes feel underfoot, even beating out the previous champs of comfort, the Vasque St. Elias GTX and Targhee II. Our reviewers agreed overall that these are not only the most comfortable boots in this review, but perhaps one of the cushiest pairs they’ve ever worn. HOKA ONE ONE’s signature oversized, injection molded EVA midsole is a large source of this comfort. Even without a shank in place, we were well protected from pointy rocks underfoot by the thick layers separating our feet from the ground. Furthermore, the midsole absorbs shocks very well, which is great when jumping through obstacles and heading downhill. The Ortholite insert is also spongy, especially in the heel. This combination all but guarantees an end to sore heels and feet after a long day of hiking. Comfort is our most heavily-weighted metric, and this boot takes the cake.

The outsole has a rockered design that is more dynamic than the other boots in this review, without going overboard. The Tiago GTX also features a rockered outsole, but the Tor Summit seemed to pull us forward by an invisible force. This, coupled with its very light weight, makes for a very energetic boot that resists standing still. Although this could take some getting used to, we think you’ll quickly learn to love this feature.

This product’s lacing system consists of four lower, one middle and two upper eyelets. The flat laces slide through the eyelets well, allowing you to tighten the upper around your foot all the way down to the first eyelet with ease. The upper hooks are well-placed to snug up the supple collar around your ankles.

Despite not having a midsole shank, this boot does have great torsional stability. The Columbia North Plains II Mid was the only other hiking boot in this review without a shank built into its construction. The veritable thickness of the midsole and moderately stiff outsole prevent this model from twisting very much at all, which is especially good news if you haven’t built up a lot of ankle strength. While this doesn’t provide the most ankle protection of all boots in this review, we found that it was enough for most trails we encountered. Only when we went off-trail and hiked through difficult terrain did we begin to wish for more stability.

The Tor Summit provides slightly above average stability, which is very handy when crossing unstable rocks in a stream of glacial run-off, such as seen here.

Traction

This product was one of the most trustworthy on wet rocks in our tests. The multi-directional Vibram lugs gripped slick river rocks when others slid, which gave us welcomed confidence when crossing streams and rivers. It also did well ascending and descending dry rock and slab. The Tor Summit submitted to the Targhee II in this metric, which was even better across the board in traction.

These boots did struggle during our test laps in the scree field, and slid around more than most when slopping through mud. Lastly, the HOKA ONE ONE didn’t take to scrambling or climbing very well, as the thick soles are too bulky and lack sensitivity.