HOKA Napali

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

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.1 oz · 29/24mm stack · 5mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock.

How it ranks

The HOKA Napali ranks among the stronger daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and value are its strongest sub-ratings. Durability scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 13 runner reviews.

Good

Overall

Good 80

Cushioning

Good 88

Value

Good 85

Comfort

Decent 77

Appearance

Decent 74

Durability

Below average 69

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

Confidence

87 High

High 87

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Brand rating
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

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

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3

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

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3

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

4/5 Full review 45 mpw came from the adidas Energy Boost 4

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

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3

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

4/5 Full review 18 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3

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

5/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 11

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

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3

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

4/5 Full review 18 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3

“New mesh more prone to holes and blowouts.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the HOKA Clifton 3

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

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3

“After 26.4-mile run: awesome with tons of cushioning and comfort.”

5/5 Full review 80 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the HOKA Clifton 3

“After a few hundred miles, they hardly look worn.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Bondi 4

“For the amount of cushioning, seems light and fairly responsive.”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw came from the adidas Energy Boost 4

“They were light, oh so light.”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3

“Paint scratches off.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Bondi 4

Prefer this shoe over another

54% 7/13

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

It weighs 8.6 oz, and reviewers praise the cushioning at that weight.
Eight reviewers compare it to the Clifton 3 and call it lighter, cheaper or softer.
Four reviewers use it for long runs and tempo work alike.

Cons

Reviewers rate durability 3.9 out of 5, and three report the cushioning flattening between 250 and 320 miles.
Two reviewers report the thin mesh upper tearing or raising hotspots.

Napali rates 80. This shoe has high confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Runner Ratings

13 ratings

5/5 10

4/5 3

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 8.1 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 8.6 oz · Women's 7.5 oz
Release: 2017 Q4
Stack: 29/24mm
Drop: 5mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Hoka Napoli

5/5

Overall

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

Anonymous runner · Jul 28, 2019

35 mpw training for middle distance

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

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

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.

Anonymous runner · Jul 22, 2019

60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3

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

Hoka Napali Review

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.

Glide · Jul 8, 2019

45 mpw came from the adidas Energy Boost 4

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

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

Anonymous runner · Jul 4, 2019

18 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3