Converse Run Star Hike review

You can't let this iconic pair get away from you if you're looking for:

• An incredibly stylish sneaker that looks awesome with pretty much anything you wear.
• An oldie but goldie with a futuristic and rugged vibe to conquer the streets.
• A height and confidence booster with a super high platform.
• A high-top pal that screams Converse and is on the affordable side.

If you're looking for a lightweight pair, FORGET about this one! It's crazy bottom-heavy, and if you're not used to heavy shoes, walking for a couple of hours might become a challenge. If you love this model's style and you wouldn't want to change, the Chuck 70 High Top is still heavier than average (at 17.0oz/482g), but it's lighter than the Run Star Hike by a lot!

You can also have a look at our lightweight trainers catalogue and find a pair that matches your vibe.

During our wear tests, we tried this shoe on wet surfaces, and the experience was... unforgettable. In the worst sense of the word! We slipped, the outsole squeaked... yeah, let's not remember that again. If you're looking for a high-top icon that is also inspired in hiking, try the Vans Sk8-Hi MTE-2 as it proved to be quite grippy!

Once again, this Converse rises as the highest of them all!

At 50.5 mm, our calliper indicated it's the shoe with the highest heel stack we've ever seen. Just wow, another record for the Run Star Hike!

We felt really tall with it, which didn't only boost our height, but our confidence too! But that's not it, as this big heel also makes the whole shoe more comfortable. Hooray!

At 27.9 mm, the forefoot stack is an incredibly 48% taller than average.

Once again, we found this incredibly comfortable for our walks and nights out.

After measuring both stack heights, we were left with a crazy high drop of 22.6 mm!

You can clearly see it in this picture: steep it is! Before you think about it, no, we didn't feel uncomfortable with it. There's no such thing as a "good" or "bad" drop, it's all about personal preference!

Our durometer marked 31.3 HA, so this shoe's midsole is pretty much as soft as average.

Still, we found its ride super comfortable. Why? Well, wait for the insole section and you'll find it all about it!

We didn't make you wait for long, did we? Look at our calliper reading and try to close your mouth!

At a crazy 14.2 mm, the only insole thicker than this one out of all the shoes we have reviewed so far is the Hoka Restore TC's at 16.9 mm.

To sum up, this means comfort, comfort, and comfort again. The best part is that this is not your average insole, but an OrthoLite one! And we're loving it.

Regular Converse Chucks are pretty notorious for their narrow and pointy toeboxes but luckily, the Run Star Hike isn't as punishing on the foot offering notably more wiggle room.

As evidence, we created a gel replica of the kick's interiors and measured its dimensions with a calliper. In the widest part of the mould, the tool recorded an above-average reading of 95.5 mm. This explains the added in-shoe space.

Looking at the wide and rounded shape of the Run Star Hike's toebox, we are pretty sure that Converse used a totally different last for this chunky kick!

When we measured its width near the big toe, our calliper returned a whopping 75.9 mm! That's one of the widest toeboxes we've comes across by far in our lab!

The only potential area of concern is the shoe's relatively shallow toebox height. At 24.5 mm, it is lower compared to most trainers.

We didn't experience any issues but people with toe-related issues like black toenails should be careful.

This shoe's lateral stability wasn't bad at all!

As a high-top model, it stands its ground against our wobbly ankles. If you want to feel even safer, you can lace the whole shoe up to the top. We say this because some people (us included) tend to leave the last eyelet empty and tie the laces around their ankles.

So, hey, this Converse is all about style. And there's no better style than the one you're comfortable with!

Our thumbs had it tough in our torsional rigidity test, this shoe didn't want to give in!

As you can see, its extremely big platform wouldn't bend. This translated into great stability during our wear tests, which we appreciated a lot. It's normal to think that tall shoes make your ride lose some balance, yet this Converse pair proved itself to be different!

Just by looking at the Run Star Hike upper, you can most likely tell it doesn't have the roughest build out there.

Look at that! Just as flexible as Simon Biles, ain't that right? Our heels felt happy and comfortable, and as it's a high-top model, we didn't really miss that structured heel of other shoes.

To sum up, we gave it a 1/5 in our heel counter stiffness test. But trust us, we would've given it a 0 if we could!

Our calliper had to do some stretches before measuring this shoe's midsole width in the forefoot.

At 114.9 mm, it's a fantastic 6% wider than average. Our standard-sized feet were pretty happy with the space they had to dance around. Also, a wider platform means a more stable ride.

Thank you, Converse!

At 87.7 mm, this shoe's midsole width in the heel is also higher than average.

We didn't find any problems here. Our feet were pretty happy with this shoe's overall wider platform, and so were we!

With its chunky (and lovely) platform, we didn't expect this shoe to be super pliable.

It took us 60.5N to make this shoe bow, its stylish self didn't feel like going all the way up to 90 degrees! You might not believe it, but it's an incredible 151% stiffer than average.

However, this didn't make the shoe any less comfortable. When we walked around town with these pretty pals during our wear tests, we felt confident in every sense of the word. It wasn't like this model didn't bend well with our feet, but a higher result in our stiffness test is what big platform pairs like this one can't help!

We hope you're reading this comfortably on a chair, because you might not be ready to hear about this shoe's weight. Honestly though, when we saw the number on our scale we thought that maybe we had stepped on it, but... nope.

At 20.5 oz/581.0g (yes, you read that right) the Converse Run Star Hike is one of the heaviest models we've seen in our lab. By far, it's the heaviest sneaker, but the most incredible part is that its weight is comparable to that of hiking boots! BOOTS!

And obviously, we felt it during our wear tests. Here, in RunRepeat's lab, we try many different types of shoes (such as basketball, hiking, trekking..., etc.) so we're used to models that are on the heavier side. Still, when we walked around town with this shoe, we felt it was dragging our feet down and back to the ground.

So, if you're not used to heavier pairs, you might not find this Converse super comfortable to walk in. Additionally, when a shoe is heavy it implies that your feet will get tired sooner. The Star Run Hike is pretty comfortable overall, but this might be a breaking point for some people.

When we took this beauty to our lab and had a quick look at its upper, we already knew the breathability test would be tough for it.

We grabbed this Converse pair (left) and the Adidas Astir (right) and put smoke into both using our smoke machine. You can clearly see it in the video, our candidate lost the battle, but it did put up a fight! After all, there's some smoke coming out of it, but mainly through the tongue.

Before giving the Star Run Hike our final score, we wanted to ask a couple more questions.

Our light agreed, there isn't a single pore or ventilation hole around! The material of the upper is solid, and even though we can see some brightness, we can't say that makes the shoe breathable. It's just the white colourway!

And the microscope just confirmed it. Look at that, there's no way the air can get through its iconic canvas upper.

With a 2/5 in our breathability test, don't expect to feel the air running wild through your toes when you wear this Converse!

If you want your feet to wear icons but you'd like to brag about your shoes in the summer, you should have a look at the Vans Knu Skool and its everlasting popularity.

What's a Converse pair without its extra iconic toecap? Well, our Dremel wasn't very fond of it. Let's see if its efforts are enough to break these 2 pieces apart!

It felt like it was snowing in our lab, all the white rubber was flying around after touching our tool! Nevertheless, when we put it aside to see the result... it wasn't so bad! What's more, it was pretty good!

After all, our Dremel couldn't get through that rubber protection, so the shoe's integrity was completely fine.

The Star Run Hike (on the left) scored a well-deserved 4/5 in our toebox durability test. In the image above, you can compare it with the New Balance 480. As you can see, the NB model had it tough, and our abrasive tool almost made a full hole! It scored a 2/4, you can even see a black dot at the top that indicates the fabric was almost ripped apart!

After our experience with the Converse Chuck 70, which is like the Run Star Hike's cousin, we didn't expect its heel padding to be incredibly durable. Yeah, we're not gonna lie here!

Our Dremel created a snowstorm once again! When we saw the white fabric dancing around, we knew the results were not going to be the best.

And we were right. The tool obliterated that first layer, bye-bye!

All we could give the Star Run Hike in our heel padding durability test was a 1/5, the lowest score. Just in case you're wondering why, we believe it's easier to understand with a comparative picture.

On the left we have our contender, the Converse Star Run Hike, and its 1/5 in our abrasion test. On the right, the Adidas Ozelia, and its "Excuse me, did you say something?" 5/5 in this same test.

As you can see, this shoe's outsole is quite unique. We always put our durometer in the very same spot because it allows us to compare and understand better the differences between every model that gets the VIP pass to be a member of our lab.

At 88.1 HC, it's just slightly harder than the average sneaker outsole. But take into account that it's the black rubber that we're analysing! We also have the brown compound and the white section, which is basically the midsole.

Still, don't worry about it too much. The white part doesn't necessarily touch the floor, as we noticed after our wear tests walking around town.

Last but not least, our Dremel could shine one more time!

Now fighting against this Converse's outsole, we expected it to be fine, honestly. Why? Well, first of all, its hardness was higher than average, even if it was just a bit. Second, it's a model inspired on hiking, its outsole has to be durable!

Right...?

Well... our tread gauge might disagree on this one. At 1.5 mm, this shoe's dent was an incredibly 50% deeper than average!

So yeah, even though the material is not soft, its resistance to abrasion is definitely not the best. This might mean the overuse of this Converse or if you wear it constantly on tough surfaces might make you see signs of wear pretty soon.

Note: signs of wear do not equal this shoe becomes unwearable! 

You might have expected us to say: "Don't overuse this shoe" or "Don't wear the Star Run Hike on abrasive surfaces for long" after this Converse's awful score in our outsole durability test, right?

Well, you would have read our minds if it wasn't for our calliper!

Just look at that, the big black chunk of an outsole got a result of 12.5 mm! This is, by far, the thickest outsole we've ever seen in our lab. Wow!

We believe Converse decided to go for a super thick outsole in order to compensate for the lack of durability of its material. In other words, the cool chunky vibe of this shoe is not just for show!

Now, now... brace yourself cause a lot is coming! The Run Star Hike's outsole is like a new celebrity, and it caused a sensation all around the world.

It features two big rubber pieces, in the ball of the foot area and at the heel. These protect the white section, which is basically the midsole material.

During our wear tests, we went out to have a coffee and for a walk around the park, and we felt this shoe was fine traction-wise. We didn't have any big problems... as long as the floor wasn't wet or slippery. OH. MY. GOSH. This Converse could as well work as ice skaters, to be honest.

Run away from wet floors. Wait, no, don't run, you'll end up falling on your bottom!

And one more thing: this shoe squeaks! Yeah, we know, it's not the best news. But, at least in our case, it did occasionally, not all the time!

You're the one shining in these pretty pals, not them! No reflective elements here.

We've got some more groundbreaking records here, or so it seems!

At 1.2 mm, it looks like our calliper claws are touching. This shoe's tongue is an outstanding 87% less padded than average. On the one hand, we liked this because it meant less weight in an already heavy shoe, and it also helped with the breathability! On the other hand, thin tongues usually equal less comfort; but we didn't really feel that with the Star Run Hike.

It did slip to one side when we were walking though, typical from Converse!

As you can see in the video, following the tongue's dynamic, this shoe's upper is not extremely padded. All its weight comes from its bottom!

As it's typical of the brand, the Run Star Hike features a non-gusseted tongue.

Like, imagine that you have not only to remove the laces from their eyelets, but also deal with a fully-gusseted tongue! Your feet would have such a hard time getting in.

Faithful to its style and heritage, this Converse has a wonderful finger-loop at the top of the heel collar.

By the way, we are OBSESSED with the star logo on the medial side and in the midsole coverage as an extension of the outsole! We think it looks incredibly cool. Nice one, Converse!

This shoe doesn't have a removable insole, but as it features an OrthoLite one, we didn't even think about changing it.