Home
/
Brands
/
HOKA
/
Napali

HOKA Napali

Name: HOKA Napali
Brand: HOKA
Rating: 4.8 (13 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.6 oz · 5mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock.

How it ranks

The HOKA Napali rates in the 94th percentile overall among daily trainers. Its strongest dimension is cushioning (95th percentile); its weakest is durability (41st). Of 11 runners who came to it from another shoe, 6 preferred it to what they ran before.

Based on 13 runner reviews.

Exceptional

96/100

Overall

Exceptional 96

Cushioning

Cushioning rating

We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely rating range.

Better Shoes Rating

Exceptional (97/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 95% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

Exceptional 97

Comfort

Comfort rating

Better Shoes Rating

Very good (88/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 84% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

Very good 88

Value

Value rating

Better Shoes Rating

Very good (89/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 84% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

Very good 89

Appearance

Appearance rating

Better Shoes Rating

Good (75/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 49% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

Good 75

Durability

Durability rating

Better Shoes Rating

Good (72/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 41% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

Good 72

What runners say

“Fit like a glove, snug with a wider forefoot, perfect length.”

5/5 Full review

“Lighter, cheaper, faster, and cushier than the Clifton 3.”

TigerCrunch 5/5 Full review

“Only 250 miles before cushioning bottomed out, particularly in forefoot.”

Glide 4/5 Full review

“Wore quickly (around 320 miles) due to minimal upper and exposed midsole.”

5/5 Full review

“Upper is rough with overlays; causes hotspots and blisters on big toe and foot arch.”

4/5 Full review

“Light yet cushioned enough to handle higher mileage (80+ a week).”

Jaygrainger9 5/5 Full review

“Soft, unlike the flat and bulky Clifton 4s.”

5/5 Full review

“Enjoy the cushioning and have no foot or leg pains, especially calves/Achilles, even after longer runs.”

4/5 Full review

“New mesh more prone to holes and blowouts.”

4/5 Full review

“A bit lighter with same great cushion and ride as the Clifton.”

5/5 Full review

Prefer this shoe over another

54% 7/13

Where to buy

We may earn a commission on these links. It never affects our ratings.

No offers available

Pros & Cons

Pros

Most reviewers like this shoe more than their last shoe.
Popular shoe among LetsRun.com readers.
Rated among the top 5% of shoes overall.
Rated among the top 25% of shoes on comfort.
Rated among the top 5% of shoes on cushioning.

Cons

Rated among the bottom 10% of shoes on durability.

Reader Ratings

13 reader ratings

5/5

4/5

3/5

2/5

1/5

Runner reviews

Write a review

Hoka Napoli

Anonymous runner · Jul 28, 2019

5/5

Overall

Great shoe for a distance or tempo runs. Enough cushion and stability to use on the trails.

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 2/5

The Best Shoes I've Run In So Far...

Anonymous runner · Jul 22, 2019

5/5

Overall

Although the Napalis were a limited run and will not be continued, I ran through three pairs and they will be missed. I stumbled upon them by accident while looking for a pair of shoes to replace my Clifton 3s. I bought a pair of the Clifton 4s as well as a pair of the Napalis just to have a second pair to rotate through. However, I ended up falling in love with the Napalis and wanting to run every run in them. First of all, the Napalis fit me like a glove, they were snug, had a wider forefoot, and the length of the 10.5 sized shoes was perfect for me. Secondly, they were light, oh so light. The reason was most likely due to the simplicity of the shoes. Unlike the heavy and more robust Clifton 4s with many different overlays and seams, the Napalis used a simple mesh upper with minimal logos or busy patterns. Lastly, the Napalis were soft. Whereas the Clifton 4s felt flat, firm, and even bulky at times, the Napalis reminded me of the Clifton 3s or even the Clifton 1s (but not quite). My only complaint was that they wore quickly (around 320 miles) with a minimal upper and a light and mostly exposed midsole. This, however, is a price I would willingly pay for a pair of shoes as good as these. I am now in the Clifton 6 and although a little narrower than the Napali, they are an improvement upon both the Clifton 4s and 5s. Luckily, Hoka has listened to its customers and the Clifton 6 brings back a little of the cloud like feel of its predecessors and I look forward to trying the new Hoka Rincons that seem so similar to my beloved Napalis.

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 5/5

Hoka Napali Review

Glide · Jul 8, 2019

4/5

Overall

Tried this shoe while coming back from a foot injury and the cushioning and rocker motion were helpful, although it took a couple of weeks to get used to them. For the amount of cushioning, the Napali seems light and fairly responsive and the upper is comfortable. However, the durability is disappointing. I'm not that heavy and am typically not hard on shoes, but could only get 250 miles or so out of these before the cushioning bottomed out, particularly in the forefoot.

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 2/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 3/5

Excellent cushion but upper is a bit rough impacting confort

Anonymous runner · Jul 4, 2019

4/5

Overall

I have been running on the Napali for the past 3 months in a total of ca 70 Km. Boght the Napali after the clifton 5 gave me blisters on the archs so i returned it. I use the Napali for recovery and long runs and really enjoy the cushioning and the fact that I have no foot or leg pains (specially calfs/achilles which typically affect me) even after longer runs. However... I think the upper is to rough, perhaups due to the overlays and I do feel hotspots and sometimes blisters on my big toe and foot arch which limits longer runs I still dream of a hoka that will not give me blister since I had same issue with Clifton 3 and Speedgoat 2. The Napali is better, much better, but still not ideal. I also have the Napali ATR - love it for light trails but... also experience blisters on this shoe

Comfort: 3/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 4/5