It took a long time for me to admit that my go-to sneakers had finally lost their luster. I was rotating between several pairs that made my feet hurt after miles of walking and hours of pickleball matches when I finally decided it was time to try something new—and started eagle-eyeing everyone’s feet for inspo. Hoka was definitely the brand I spotted on strangers most often, and when one of my best friends started raving about hers, I decided it was finally time to invest. Walkers and runners alike have relied on Hoka sneakers for years now (we’re huge fans of them here at SELF), so I was curious to see if my opinions lined up with the hype around their super-chunky sneaks.
I went with the Bondi 8 ($165, zappos.com), the newest iteration of Hoka’s popular sneaker. This version has a softer foam footbed and an increased stack height (the amount of material between your feet and the ground), which gives it a cushier feel than its predecessors—more on this later.
Although the Bondi was created as an “everyday running” shoe, board-certified podiatrist and foot and ankle surgeon Sanjina Sanghvi, DPM, tells SELF that, thanks to its significant cushioning, “the Hoka Bondi 8 are [also] perfect for long walks and long periods of standing. They really eliminate stress and fatigue on your lower leg and foot.”
I wore my pair pretty much everywhere: I walked around my neighborhood, played pickleball, went sightseeing, wandered around theme parks on 10-hour days, jogged, and ran errands in them. All this is to say: Now, I finally get what all the Hoka fuss is about—here’s why.
The design
The Bondi 8s come in lots of colorways, but I chose the neutral Harbor Mist/Lunar Rock option because it seemed like it would match most of my wardrobe.
The first thing I noticed right out of the box was just how big they were, which is a Hoka hallmark. The ultracushioned sole has an unusual shape—the heel sticks out beyond the back of the shoe, with a wavy design running down the length of it. It caught my eye immediately.
