Hoka Rocket X Trail Performance Review

The Hoka Rocket X Trail is a super exciting race-day option from Hoka, and a completely new shoe in their trail lineup. While it’s been spotted on Hoka athletes’ feet over the past year or so, the market-ready version of the shoe released in September 2025.  I got plenty of miles on this shoe, including a 50k trail race. Let’s dive into what it’s good at, and what it might lack.

What is the Hoka Rocket X Trail?

The Hoka Rocket X Trail is a race-day, high performance trail shoe. According to Hoka, this shoe is designed for smooth terrain and fast turnover.

Cushion/Midsole/Support

The Hoka Rocket X Trail uses 42mm of dual-layer ATPU super-foam, a new compound for Hoka. Much of the midsole is inspired from the Rocket X road racing line. That includes a pronounced rocker for shape to increase propulsion. Integrated in between the two layers of foam is an H-shaped, full length carbon plate. The shape of this plate is supposed to provide added stability as it allows for flexion on off-kilter terrain.

I think it’s important to note here that Hoka’s own description of this shoe is a “gravel-eater”, as this shoe runs a lot like a road shoe. There is quite a bit of midsole underneath you in this foot; I found that, although the foam is denser than the Tecton X 3 midsole, it still provides a bounce and enough cushion to feel comfortable. The ride was never too stiff. Similar to the Rocket X 3, this midsole is super snappy and super fast.

Jim Walmsley sported a prototype of this shoe during 2024 Western States, and I think that use case is a pretty good example of where this midsole excels: smoother, wider and forgiving trails. I like the thickness and dense feeling of this midsole as it indicates that the lifetime of the shoe will probably be longer than other super shoes. A lot of PEBA-based or supercritical foams can lose their luster quickly. I have put around 100 miles on this shoe and haven’t really noticed a change in the ride, other than the midsole is a bit softer, which I like.

While the dense foam provides some positives, it also comes with some caveats. I feel that the Rocket X Trail is a somewhat one-dimensional shoe in terms of terrain adaptability. I took it out on technical terrain and was fine, but the stack height coupled with the stiffer midsole makes for an unstable or jarring ride on rockier and uneven terrain.

In a day and age when so many shoe options are available, it’d be hard to select the Hoka Rocket X Trail as your go-to (unless you have a revolving shoe quiver where each shoe has its own purpose). While this shoe excels on mild terrain and gravel roads, it might be too much for an all-arounder.

Traction

The outsole is a zonal rubber pattern with 3mm lugs. Five different zones make up the outsole, allowing for greater flexibility and weight savings. The lug shape is aggressive and holds well, but the general depth of 3mm doesn’t lend itself to be super grippy.

Again, the Hoka Rocket X Trail is well suited for less technical paths. When you’ve got it on the right trail, the outsole is super smooth and allows for seamless transitions. A lot of Hoka’s language around this shoe and outsole describes gravel conditions. This outsole is perfect for that and meant for those types of trails.

Upper

The upper consists of a lightweight engineered mesh. It’s got some overlays that run underneath the mesh layer [Editor’s Note: doesn’t that make them underlays?] for some added support. A minimal toe bumper is included, and the heel is comfortable and beefed up. The tongue is gusseted and light, with some minimal padding over the top of your foot to avoid lace bite.

The upper on the Hoka Rocket X Trail is soft and light. I was able to get a snug fit and lockdown without feeling like any of the materials were too rough. The shoe breaths super well and is great for hot and dusty conditions. It remains roomy through the vamp and toe box, similar to how we’ve seen most of Hoka’s shoes this year offer a little more room up front.

All in all, I found this upper to be great and didn’t have any issues with it. One thing of note is that Hoka recommends you size up a half size for this shoe. Not sure why they don’t adjust the sizing, but go a half size up if you’re grabbing yourself a pair!

Is the Hoka Rocket X Trail wide foot friendly?

It’s not designed to fit a wide foot and I wouldn’t say it’s low volume. Just average sized. It’s wide foot friendlier.

Is the Hoka Rocket X Trail worth $250?

$250 is a pretty high price tag. The technology in this shoe puts it at a $225-275 range. However, unless you’re building out a shoe quiver, I’d grab the Tecton X 3 for a similar price as it’s more versatile. If you want a super shoe specifically for gravel or smooth trails, this is worth the cost.

How to use the Hoka Rocket X Trail

Use this shoe for fast days on smooth terrain. If you’re a trail runner who typically sticks to mellow trails and you often find yourself racing on similar terrain, this shoe would be a good investment. The midsole should last longer than other super shoes (both road and trail), so you’ll get good use out of it.

Hoka Rocket X Trail Summary

The Hoka Rocket X Trail is an aggressive race-ready trail or gravel bomber. With a high stack, accentuated rocker, and carbon plating, this is a trail shoe that functions physically more like a road shoe. The minimal outsole holds well on smooth stuff, but I would avoid more technical terrain.

How does the Author Run?

Sam Lohse (age 28, 6’0″, 170 lbs): Runs daily, sometimes morning/night doubles, with one rest day a week (typically). Hangs right around 40-50 miles a week in general unless in race-specific training. Races distances from 50K to 100 miles, almost always on the trails.

Disclosure

While Hoka did provide a pair of the Rocket X Trail to facilitate this review, the company had no involvement in this review, didn’t receive an advance look at it, and has not attempted to influence it.