Hoka Infini Hike TC review

The HOKA Infini Hike TC (TC stands for 'trail' and 'camp' by the way) was made for outdoorsy folks who:

• want the best imaginable comfort and cushioning in a hiking sandal
• need a fully-adjustable open-toe option
• is ready to shell out for high-quality materials like Vibram outsole

This HOKA sandal doesn't give any solid reasons for disappointment, but there are some cases where we see people opting for a different model:

• Price: If you are on a tight budget, consider the Teva Hurricane XLT2.
• Open toe: If you are worried about bumping into rocks or damaging your toes, get the closed-toe HOKA Hopara 2.

Having experienced HOKA's cushioning goodness in dozens of shoes, our expectations were set pretty high for the HOKA Infini Hike TC. But...we didn't expect it to exceed them THAT much!

The sandal's heel returned an insane shock absorption measurement of 140 SA, which is only second to the brand's top-level race running shoe! The Infini Hike TC offers even more impact protection than the Hopara 2 (123.2 SA), HOKA's other max-cushioned sandal, but a closed-toe one.

This means pure comfort for long hours of walking, reduced post-hike fatigue, and potentially alleviation of the pain and discomfort associated with foot conditions and injuries.

But this HOKA sandal's amazing cushioning properties don't end there.

We also recorded a pleasantly high energy return of 65% in the Infini Hike TC! Exceeding the average of hiking sandals, it makes the ride pretty lively and dynamic. We found that it helped with quicker and smoother steps, and was easier on the feet and legs by requiring less muscular effort to take each step.

Even though its cushioning feels taken to the max, our caliper showed that the HOKA Infini Hike TC doesn't have the most towering stack height.

Measuring its heel, we got a pretty reasonable reading of 30.2 mm. While it's higher than the category average and the Hopara 2 (26.2 mm), it is on par with most other cushioned sandals.

But you can feel the difference in the forefoot stack of this HOKA sandal.

At 23.3 mm, it feels significantly cushier under the toe joints and the ball of the foot than the typical sandal. And consequently, way more disconnected from the trail than the latter.

HOKA typically sticks to a moderate heel-to-toe drop (4-6 mm) in its footwear, and the Infini Hike TC sandal is supposed to show a 5-mm offset, according to the specs.

But based on our own measurements (following the World Athletics standards), the sandal came in at a slightly higher 6.9 mm. This is a notable discrepancy, but we believe that most people will not have issues with the extra 1.9 mm (unless they are specifically looking for that drop, of course).

With 7 mm, you can expect a pretty ergonomic foot placement, which elevates the heel slightly above the toes to take the stress off the feet, Achilles, and calves.

HOKA relies on a dual-density CMEVA midsole to provide that comfort-first underfoot experience in the Infini Hike TC.

The sandal's topsole (or the top foam layer) proved to be exceptionally plush with a 13.0 HA reading on our Shore A durometer! Being in direct contact with the foot, it offers a very soft step-in feel and maintains a cushy ride throughout the hike.

Curiously, the sandal's bottom sole (or the carrier foam) also turned out to be much softer than average! At 15.5 HA, it is only a tad firmer than the topsole.

But thanks to the foam's responsive nature (aka high energy return), this midsole setup doesn't feel mushy at all.

The HOKA Infini Hike TC offers a pretty relaxed fit for a medium-width foot like ours.

The extra midsole space around our toes allowed for a comfortable toe splay and never made us feel as if they would overhang. Even if we decided to wear thicker socks with this sandal.

The W-strap design has three points of adjustability (including a speed buckle),  allowing us to fine-tune the fit pretty effortlessly and making the on-and-off quick and easy. However, we do think that hikers with skinnier feet might have trouble getting a locked-in experience because the Velcro is limited, and the toe and ankle straps might end up hanging loose.

No matter if it's attached to a hiking boot or to a hiking sandal, our lab tests have repeatedly shown that the Vibram Megagrip outsole provides superior grip on smooth and slick surfaces!

Measuring its coefficient of friction on the Infini Hike TC, we recorded a pretty high reading of 0.68 in the forefoot. This expands the sandal's habitat to smooth granite slabs, stream-polished river rocks, and shale, among other tricky rock surfaces.

But don't expect this HOKA sandal to bite into any loose terrain or deep mud because we measured its lug depth at a moderate 3.2 mm. This is true to the brand's promise of 3.5 mm.

Shallower treads like these are better off on light terrain, feeling most at home on hard-packed trails as well as urban surfaces.

The Infini Hike TC features a full-length rubber outsole, but it has pretty large cutouts to keep the sandal's weight down. Its chevron lugs vary in shape and size to provide a mix of string bite and smooth contact area where they are most needed.

Even though it's not the bendiest of sandals, the HOKA Infini Hike TC has a decent level of forefoot flexibility for its stack height.

Our shoe stiffness test showed that this model required only a bit more force to bend by 30 degrees (11.1N) than the average hiking sandal. So you can still expect some decent forefoot pliability, and there is no break-in period to expect.

But let us not forget that this HOKA sandal has a curved up toe area, aka the MetaRocker, which contributes to its buttery smooth heel-to-toe transitions.

Now hear this out...HOKA just dropped the most cushioned outdoor sandal, and it also proved to be one of the lightest ones in our catalog! How cool is that!

Tipping the scale at 10.2 oz (289g) in a men's US size 9, the Infini Hike TC is the living proof that comfort doesn't always have to come at the expense of extra ounces!

As far as strappy, open-toe sandals are concerned, the HOKA Infini Hike TC is a fairly stable option.

The sandal's deep heel cup with a raised midsole topline is the primary source of stability here, cradling the heel pretty securely.

It's not the best option for people with moderate-to-severe overpronation, but it keeps the foot sufficiently supported in most cases. Unless you go hiking on a very hilly terrain and carry a heavy backpack with you! Because that's not what this sandal was intended for.

Considering its open upper design and the lack of a stiff midsole shank, the torsional rigidity of this HOKA sandal is rather moderate.

Assessing it on a 1-5 stiffness scale, we couldn't give it any higher than 3. But this is by far the highest score that any sandal got in our manual test.

But the broad landing area of its chunky platform gives the Infini Hike TC an edge in lateral stability.

The widest part of its midsole showed a standard reading of 119.5 mm in the forefoot but it's the heel that makes the real difference.

At 96.8 mm in the widest area of the heel, this HOKA sandal proved to be notably wider than the category average, along with the Hopara 2 (98.4 mm).

Having such extended contact points with the ground made us feel planted and surefooted on the trail.

There was no disappointment in the durability department either!

The sandal's Vibram outsole stood up to our demanding Dremel test of 18 seconds at a 10 RPM speed, showing only 1.0 m of damage! This is notably shallower than the average dent we saw on the other hiking sandals.

That's why we weren't so worried about a slightly below-average outsole thickness of 1.9 mm on this HOKA sandal.

It is, in fact, one of the few sandals that is eligible for a re-sole by an official Vibram cobbler! So if your pair shows serious signs of outsole wear, you can have it fixed in one of your local Vibram shoe repair services.

Our dark room test confirmed that there are no reflective components on the Infini Hike TC.

A layer of soft Ariaprene material buffers the foot from the straps.

At 3.6 mm, it is a bit thinner than the average strap padding on a sandal, but it gets the job done. We didn't feel any pressure, hot spots, or rubbing on top of our feet.

A little pricier than the Hopara 2, the HOKA Infini Hike TC is one of the pricier hiking sandals. But we believe that the price point is 100% justified. You get the cushioned goodness of a full-on HOKA running shoe in an open-toe setup.