Hoka Gaviota 6 Review
By Bach Pham and Matthew Klein
Hoka Gaviota 6Price: $179.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 10 oz, 283 g (men's size 9), 8.9 oz, 252 g (women's size 8)
Stack Height: 39 mm heel / 33 mm forefoot
Drop: 6 mm
Shoe Purpose: Premium Stability Trainer
Pros: Wider fitting, full-length high medial stability, light for a maximal stack height stability shoe
Cons: Heel bevel angled medially, slightly firm ride
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The Hoka Gaviota 6 is a maximal, high-level stability shoe for those who want a wider-fitting, rockered shoe with full-length stability. The engineered mesh upper continues to fit wide, with plenty of room in the toe box and a moderately thick, lower volume upper that holds the feet securely. A rockered ride and slightly firm midsole add to the stable and rolling ride that works best during recovery, daily and long miles. The redesigned H-frame provides strong full length medial stability that makes this shoe borderline motion control all while keeping the weight surprisingly low for a stability shoe of this size. An excellent, long awaited update, the Hoka Gaviota 6 will appease both runners with high stability needs and those needing an all-day, highly stable walking/standing shoe.
SIMILAR SHOES: ASICS Gel-Kayano 32
PAST MODEL: Hoka Gaviota 5
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
Matt: The Hoka Gaviota 6 fits me true to size in my normal Men's US size 10. Unlike most Hoka shoes, the Gaviota 6 fits wide. The volume is lower, partially thanks to the moderately thick engineered mesh upper. This does stretch, but still keeps the upper fitting close initially. The lower volume makes the width feel more normal in the forefoot but the stretch helps offset this. The midfoot fits normal to slightly wide, with a normal-height instep. I did have to tighten the laces to get a secure fit but did not have any security issues after. The tongue is moderately thick and not gusseted. It sits quite securely, and I didn't notice it wasn't gusseted until I checked for this review. The heel fits normal in width with a moderate amount of heel collar padding. The heel counter is mildly flexible and only comes up 2/3 of the way. There is well placed padding, so those with mild to moderate heel sensitivities will be fine. The flexible top part of the Achilles tab sat comfortably against my Achilles tendon and did not bother me. Thanks to the lower volume, the security is quite good. Even while turning, I had no issues with sliding. The inner liner is comfortable with a fairly mild toe guard, so wearing these sockless has been fine. I have preferred to wear socks with this shoe only to accommodate the wider fit.
Typical Size: Men's US Size 10
Shoes that have fit Matt well: On Cloudboom Strike, Asics Gel-Nimbus 27, Xero HFS, Topo Cyclone 3, Adidas Adizero Evo SL
Shoes that have fit snug: Hoka Arahi 7, Brooks Launch 11, Diadora Mythos Vigore 3
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon S/Lab Phantasm 2, Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra
Bach: The Hoka Gaviota 6 is one of the roomiest stability shoes on the market today. This edition fixes several things I had issues with in the past iteration, including a slightly higher heel collar which helps reduce the slippage. It is still a touch on the wider side in the heel, but I did not have real concerns on the run. The shoe still has fairly good width and volume without being too much all-around. If you tend to be a wide user, I would still go with a wide, but it should be a fairly comfortable fit. I didn't have to do anything particularly special with locking down the shoe in general. I did find the sidewall and insole to bump up slightly on my midfoot, which is a fairly common Hoka issue. I did not have any issues during testing, but sometimes can be sensitive to this because of my flat feet, so it is something to note.
I would be a touch wary for those with very narrow feet. They may either need thicker socks to achieve a good lockdown or look to the Arahi. For men with very narrow feet, it may be worth considering trying on the women's equivalent size to see if the fit is a little more in tune to their foot shape.
Typical Size: Men's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit Bach well: Nike Pegasus 40, Saucony Guide 17, Mizuno Wave Inspire 19, Saucony Endorphin Speed 3, Nike Structure 25
Shoes that have fit snug: Hoka Arahi 7, Asics Kayano 30, Puma Electrify Nitro, Brooks Hyperion, Hoka Clifton 9 GTX
Shoes that have fit large: Hoka Gaviota 5, Reebok Floatride Energy X
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: Yes
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: Yes
Is the Forefoot Flexible: No
How Flexible is the Shoe: Not Flexible
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Yes
Recommended for Haglunds: Somewhat
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: Not Recommended
Recommended for Sockless: Yes
Durability Expectation: Moderate to High
PERFORMANCE
Matt: The Hoka Gaviota 6 is a maximal stack height daily training shoe. The rockered midsole is full-length CMEVA with a firmer H-frame sitting under the foot. Despite the stack height, the ride is slightly firm underfoot. It is not an exciting midsole, but holds its form and integrates well with the rolling ride. This was quite surprising as other Hoka trainers, including the recent Arahi, Bondi and Clifton, have felt slightly mushy and dead underfoot. The weight is low for how large this shoe is and my size 10 comes in 0.2 oz lighter than the prior version. There is a 6mm drop and this is how it feels. It does not feel super low due to how rockered the ride is. While there is a large heel bevel in the rearfoot, it is medially biased. This makes for an initially clunky heel that smooths out as the midsole breaks in and the small lateral groove compresses. This continues into a smooth forefoot thanks to a long rocker underfoot. There is minimal toe spring, so those with toe mobility issues will do extremely well with this shoe. There is almost no forefoot flexibility, which is offset by the longer rockered ride.
The Hoka Gaviota 6 is meant as a daily and long run trainer. Although the cushioning is a tiny bit firm, the protective ride remains consistent over recovery, easy and longer efforts. I have done runs from 3 to 13 miles without any issue, and this shoe has quickly become my go-to daily shoe. I have done some gentle progression runs down to 6:30 min/mile pace and while it can do that due to the lighter weight, it does best at easier efforts, thanks to its easy rolling ride.
Durability-wise, I have 50 miles on my pair and both the midsole and outsole are holding up well. There is a tiny bit of outsole wear on the lateral-most sections of the heel and forefoot where the tread has worn down a tiny bit. The midsole has broken in and is keeping its slightly firmer but protective ride without much change. The traction is mostly fine on road and the cut outs in the outsole actually provide decent traction on smooth trail. On wet road the traction is fairly average and the grooves are deep enough that small rocks have gotten stuck. For those reasons, I would keep this shoe on man made surfaces.
Bach: Underfoot, not a ton has changed for the Gaviota from the past edition. The ride remains on the firmer side with CMEVA, which in my opinion is a fairly weather sensitive midsole. It has been unusually cold in South Carolina, and the midsole definitely reflects that. When I tested the Gaviota 5, it was during hot summer months which saw a fairly softer, slightly mushy ride. The winter running in the Gaviota 6 has been a solidly firmer experience which I don't entirely mind, but is noticeably different. I would be interested in running in the Gaviota during the summer months to see if the midsole feels very different. The shoe's relatively smooth ride, generous rocker, and lighter package than prior does help get past some of the firmness. The midsole isn't super responsive, depending on the lightness and rocker to do the work. I do find a bit of dullness when I hit the ground. As you warm up and get into miles where you melt into the rockered ride, it does get better. Overall, I find the shoe best for easy-paced mileage of any distance. I would not really love to take this for harder efforts.
The traction is okay for mildly wet roads, but I would not take it out in extremely slick conditions. It also is just okay on non-road terrains. It definitely performs best on pavement.
As a walking shoe, this is an excellent option and one of my favorites due to the generous fit. I honestly would take this over a Clifton or Bondi most days due to the stability and sizing.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
Matt: The Hoka Gaviota 6 is a higher level stability shoe. The H-frame is visible on the sides of the shoe and it runs thickly on the medial side and lightly on the lateral side from heel to toe. This is one of the few shoes that will provide full length stability/guidance, although there is more medial stability. The H-frame is thicker on the medial side and combined with the increased medial flare in the heel and forefoot. Combined with the side sidewalls and high torsional rigidity, this is a boderline motion control shoe. The medial H-frame provides a large amount of comfortable pressure into the heel, arch and forefoot. However, the lighter weight, well-balanced parts and well-rockered ride make this one of the smoothest high-stability shoes out there. The large amount of full-length medial stability has been incredibly comfortable for me and is on par with how much I liked the Kayano 32. The difference is the Gaviota has true full length stability from a more traditional firmer material and the H-frame acts more like a long, comfortable medial post. Those with stability needs throughout the length of the foot will do extremely well with the Gaviota 6 and the well-integrated lateral component of the H-frame keeps the foot from being pushed excessively laterally.
Bach: The Gaviota 6 is a very modern stability shoe. The H-frame is very prominent front-to-back underfoot, but not in a medial post kind of way. No matter where you land, you do get the stability helping guide you forward through the shoe. The underfoot is not really intrusive, but does work well to help make sure when you land you are carried forward into the rocker and moved along. I think this is a shoe that could work for both medial and lateral stability needs runners as well with the H-frame design and generous sole flaring and width to help support it. Those used to a medial post may get along well with the H-frame as it does similar things.
I do feel fit is important in this model. If you are spilling into the shoe medially, there's not a lot of structure in the upper medially. The lateral side has a large Hoka logo to help provide that support, but the medial side lacks much resistance. So fit becomes very important here, despite the good underfoot stability.
The Stigma of Stability Shoe Labels
By Bach Pham
The H-frame design from Hoka is an excellent addition to the stability market. It offers a good full-length stability design that I could see working for a large variety of runners. It's not entirely guidance-based like GuideRails from Brooks or the prior J-Frame design which controlled motion to a greater extent. It's also not aggressive like a medial post design which is becoming rarer, but still exists through models like the GT-4000 from ASICS or Topo Ultrafly. And it's also not like some mild stable shoes that solely rely on design elements like sole flare, firmness, and width to facilitate all the stability.
Something that gets misunderstood by the running community is that "oh, it's stability shoe, I just can't do that." While it may have been true ten years ago when almost all stability shoes were medial post designs, there are so many options today that the gates have flown wide open. There are many neutral runners who will like be able to get on with so many more stability shoes than ever before. Even the high level stability of the Gaviota 6 is integrated so well that I could envision many runners being okay with the design. The H-frame being full-length helps with that, instead of being a targeted area of the foot.
No, most stability shoes are not that exciting in comparison to neutral shoes today which have grown softer and softer (we're begging everyone, give us some fun stability options), but I do think the market has done a good job of modernizing the technology to a large extent and making these offerings more universal than ever before. The Kayano is a great example of a shoe that was given to a ton of reviewers who were surprised to find that the models were really runnable. The tricky part becomes gauging how well the shoe works for those who do have true stability needs, which has become both harder than ever before but also way more accessible due to the number of options on the table.
Like any shoe in the market, it really comes down to runners taking the time to simply be open to trying everything in order to find what suits them best. For once, that may include some of today's stability footwear.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Matt: The Hoka Gaviota 6 is an improvement in every way from version 5. I am enjoying this shoe so much it made the three-year wait worth it. The ride is light for such a high stability shoe, the stability is full-length and integrated so well, the upper fits wider with enough room for comfortable toe splay and the transitions are mostly smooth. My only suggestion is to consider changing the angle of the heel bevel to more laterally based. The lack of the lateral H-frame extension in the posterior-most part of the heel and the grooves do help the lateral wall collapse more. However, I have found myself landing farther forward (further confirmed by my wear pattern) to avoid the medial heel bevel. This will improve the heel transition, which if someone supinates to much, they will be guided back by the lateral extension of the H-frame. Outside of that, this is a great update that has put this shoe in an early lead for stability shoe of the year for 2026.
Bach: The Gaviota 6 from a fit standpoint has improved in a lot of ways over the past edition. The weight of the shoe is also a nice change, pushing the model in the right direction. There are a couple of changes I would like to see. The midsole lacks a bit of responsiveness for the price point. When looking at the competitors in this range, with shoes like the Kayano 32 and Hurricane 25 having some higher end foams, you can feel the difference underfoot. The other change would be to explore a little more structure on the medial side of the foot with possibly an overlay of some kind to help keep the foot more centered in.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
Matt: The Hoka Gaviota 6 is a high stability daily training shoe for those who want a wider-fitting shoe with full-length stability. The wider fit will work best for those with wide feet or those wanting an especially wide toe box. The ride will work best for those who want a maximal stack height with a slightly firmer, rolling ride. The stability will work best for those with high medial stability needs from the heel to the forefoot who also want a centered ride. While still using some older materials, this shoe is an early leader for a top stability shoe of the year. It is rare that companies will do full-length stability and that is also high almost motion control while also being light. This is the lightest stability shoe I tested in a while and further shoes that you can make high stability shoes that are not clunky or heavy. I'm not sure why I am finally vibing with this version of CMEVA as I usually find it boring, clunky, and slightly mushy in other models. It is not an exciting midsole, but it is getting the job done. It is also excellent for longer standing and walking.
I have used this in clinic (I work part time at Virginia Garcia, doing primary care physical therapy) it is an excellent shoe for all day wear, especially with the wider fit and rockered ride. So runners looking for a higher level but light stability shoe or healthcare workers / others that stand on their feet all day wanting a wider fitting, comfortable shoe, the Hoka Gaviota series is back.
Bach: The Gaviota 6 represents a good step up from the previous iteration, offering a lighter, still wider-fitting shoe that offers good full-length stability underfoot. Runners who enjoyed the Gaviota 5 will like this update as everything only got better. As a walking shoe, it's a great one in the stability genre with a more generous fit and good balanced stability underfoot providing all-day support. For runners, I think it is worth trying this along with the Hurricane and Kayano to see what kind of shoe you want. If fit is a big component for you, you may like the Gaviota, if midsole is a big deal, you may want the Hurricane which has some similarities in stability to the Gaviota or the Kayano which is different in its own way.
GRADES
Matt
Fit: A- (Wider forefoot with lower volume and easy-to-secure midfoot/heel.)
Performance: B+ (Lighter ride for a maximal trainer with smooth midfoot/forefoot transition. Best for easy, daily and long miles)
Stability: A [High Stability] (H-Frame creates full-length stability on both sides with a larger component on medial side. Well-integrated and highly stability ride for those with heel, midfoot and forefoot stability needs)
Value: A- (The lightest high stability shoe with a smooth ride that holds up well durability-wise)
Personal: A- (Comfortable ride with full-length stability that is not overly clunky/heavy, although heel bevel angle could be better. This has become my go-to training shoe)
Overall Design: A-
Bach
Fit: A- (A generous fit and easy to secure upper does a great job for the most part. Medial side could use a tiny bit more structure)
Performance: B (An easy-going ride that isn't highly responsive, but gets the job done. Midsole feels a little on the dated side and could be weather sensitive. Will update in summer months)
Stability: A- (Really well-integrated stability underfoot that will work for a lot of runners.)
Value: B+ (I think the shoe is plenty durable, but at the price point the midsole is maybe a step below some of its peers who are lower priced)
Personal: B (There's nothing inherently wrong with the Gaviota. It's a solid performer and if it was the main trainer I had I think i'd be fine, but the shoe lacks some versatility and the midsole is a little underwhelming)
Overall Design: B+
SHOP | SUPPORT DORHoka Gaviota 6Price: $179.95 at Running Warehouse
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