Hoka One One Stinson B/Combo XT Review

I dream of running an ultra marathon.  I love to run single track technical trails, I get so in the zone that I forget I am even running. Unfortunately at this point in time my injuries have all but fettered my ability to even train for an ultra. Right now, I  have to keep my total mileage under 30 miles a week and less than 7 miles a run  to keep the tendon pain in my foot/ankle from shutting me down from running all together.  I have tried everything I could get my hands on to help with the pain: yoga, orthotics, compression socks, new shoes, etc.  All have helped to a degree but I am still looking for the magic tool to get me off the ground and running. 

So I was excited when I started seeing some of my favorite ultra runners trying out a new shoe on the market the Hoka One One.   It is an uber cushioned shoe that made adrenaline race through my body when I first saw it and thought that it could be exactly what I needed.  It is claimed to have three times the cushion of an ordinary running shoe and yet it is still super light weight.   Most people claim if feels like running on a cloud and that it has allowed many people to extended their mileage without impacting their body. They do look a little silly, like clown shoes, but hey if they do the trick I couldn't care less.   The only thing that held me back was the thought of dropping $170 on a pair of shoes, especially without being able to try them on first to see if they would actually even work for me.

So when I was out West on a trip I stopped by one of the very few stores in the U.S. that actually carry this new shoe line.  I tried on the Mafate (trail) and the Bondi B (road) and was totally amazed at how great it was to run in them at the store. They felt like I was running on marshmallows that would spring me forward and made it feel like I had zero ground impact. They didn't feel like a beefy over-engineered shoe, but actually made my foot feel like I was running barefoot on a marshmallow cloud.  I only got to play with them for about ten minutes at the store at this point in time.

I was leaning towards the Bondi B mainly because here in central NJ it really takes a lot of effort to get to a trail to run, so most of my running is a mix of road and trail.   The Mafate's cleats were very aggressive and I didn't think they would work so well on the road.  The salesman at the store told me Hoka had come out with a new shoe that was a mix between the Mafate and the Bondi B, it was called the Stinson B/Combo XT.  He didn't have any in stock but told me to look online and that I might be able to snag a pair.

So I went online and found a pair of the Stinsons in my size and promptly ordered them. I took the salesman's advice and order a half size larger than what I normally wear, since the shoe supposedly runs small.

The shoes arrived and I was very glad I ordered the half size larger, they fit perfectly. They even fit very well with my custom orthotics, which is a rare thing in the running shoe world from my experience. I took them for a short jog and they felt great just like they did in the store, but I did notice that I didn't feel as stable in them when running across uneven ground.  I wrote this off as my just not being use to them and that I would give them a long run to see how things went.

The next day I decided to take them on a six plus mile run, I inserted my orthotics and laced them up and away we went. The first mile flew by and I felt great, but still a little unstable. At mile two I started to get some light foot pain that I attributed to new shoes needing to be broken in.  However at the three mile mark I was crippled with foot pain.  The tendon on the outside of my foot used for stabilizing the foot/ankle was on fire  much to my dismay.   I stopped and took stock of my situation, realizing that I was already three miles away from home and that I needed to get back.  So I decided to experiment and took my orthotics out to see if were the cause of the stability problems I was having in the shoe.   This seemed to help a little bit, but I still noticed it felt like I was close to twisting both my ankles any time the ground was not level underfoot.  During the long walk/jog home I studied how my feet were landing in the shoes and I noticed that neither foot was landing exactly the same with each step. Instead  the shoe seemed to magnify  how my ankle/foot would rotate in and out depending on the terrain.  I am a neutral runner with  high arches and had not experienced anything like this before.  I almost started to wonder if I really need stability shoes given how much pronation and supination I was experiencing with each step.  Needles to say the thought of returning them really killed the new shoe buzz.  I decided, not to be hasty and that I would need to give them a few more chances before writing them off.

The next day I decided to try them again, but as I got out of bed that morning I could barely walk, the tendon pain was still there.  I decided to take it easy and gave my feet a couple of days off.   By the third day I was feeling good and gave them another shot, needless to say I was back in pain within 200 meters of easy jogging.  This cycle of trying them on and doing a quick jog went on for a week or two, before I finally decided that for some reason they were not going to work for me.   I got hold of the group who I had purchased them from and they took them back with no questions asked, even with the miles I had put on them. This was a bittersweet moment, since I was torn with the decision of exchanging them for the Bondi B road model.  However the store rep didn't seem to think that there was a difference in the shoe other than the tread pattern and that it would probably not help.

So where does that leave me now?  I have no idea, all the shoes I have tried on since the Hokas seem ordinary and I am hankering for the feeling of floating on marshmallows.  I really want the shoes to work for me, especially since I have not read a review online that is anything less than extraordinary.  No one seems to have mentioned any stability problems in the shoe, or given any hint as to why I may have struggled with it.  I still have a nagging thought in my brain that I should give the Bondi B's a try to see if they would be better.  However, since I don't seem to be able to see any documentation proving it is not the exact same sole/footbed on the shoe I haven't pulled the trigger.

Until then, the search continues.

Five Finger Oxymoron: Orthotics in a Minimalist Shoe

I may catch some guff from the minimalist barefooters, but I tried prescription orthotics in my Five Fingers and I liked it.

I purchased my Five Fingers back in August of 2007.   I was intrigued by the marketing and their unique look, more than I was about running in them.  I have put a lot of miles on them over the last few years, but have developed a love-hate relationship.   I love how fast and free I feel while running in them.  I hate the toe separation, my toes just don't separate.  I hate that the balls of my feet become bruised after wearing them for any extended period of time.

Even with that I have kept them around and will pull them out when I am feeling a minimalist urge. However,  last fall I was told my minimalist footwear days are a thing of the past.

I went into a foot and ankle specialist, due to pain in my ankle and outside arch, after a long run. I hadn't been wearing my Five Fingers, but had been using a pair of traditional cushioned running shoes.  The doctor decided I had some tearing in my tendons and took some measures to help fix it from cortisone shots to casts. In the end he decided what I needed was orthotics.  He thinks I have a minor level of cavus foot and that as I started to push my mileage up and do long runs 10+ miles that I was slowing damaging the outside of my foot.

I was resistant to getting orthotics and to any perceived quackery coming from him, especially when he told me to stop running and pursue cycling. He also told me that from here on out I needed to where super cushioned shoes.  I ended up giving in to the orthotics if it meant that I would be able to run again, but have not bought into the idea of moving away from minimalist shoes.  I have always had an inkling in my mind that if I build up the strength in my feet and lower legs that I might correct any problems I had naturally.

After a few months of wearing the orthotics I have noticed a difference and feel they have helped me heal and also seem to have helped with the cavus foot.

I was digging in the closet today and saw my old Five Fingers and was hit with the wild idea of trying to fit my prescription orthotics into them.  They fit beautifully and felt amazing, the pictures above are with me wearing the shoes with the orthotic. I definitely noticed how it helped fill out the heel of the shoe and made the overall shoe fit my foot better.  These are an old version, so I am not sure if the newer models will work the same way. The orthotic runs from the heel to the end of the ball of my foot, so I had a little more cushioning/protection with them in, something that felt really nice.  I did some sprints in them on the front lawn and driveway and didn't find any pain or problems.  In fact it actually made me want to keep trying them out going forward.

I felt like I was doing something taboo and wrong.   They still had the minimalist feel and light weight, but with the support my arch needs.  The heel is a bit raised and so they feel like a more traditional running shoe.   I can only imagine my doctor would be crapping bricks if he saw me wearing them,  but what he doesn't know won't hurt him.

I will keep wearing them and see what comes of the experiment.

Anybody else try this?

Double Layer Hammock Pattern

Here is a pattern I have put together to build one of my favorite hammock styles.  It is fairly straightforward if you know how to sew.  I am sure the directions could even be more simplified by an expert.  I am not a DIY expert, I don't pretend to be, just a hobbist.  These instructions have no guarantees of perfection or safety, they are published for your consideration and reference.

Materials needed to build one hammock using these directions:

Quest Outfitters:

• #1202 NO-SEE-UM MESH , (Black) --------------4yds
• #2032 GROSGRAIN RIBBON - 1 inch Black------12yds
• #5030 #5 COIL ZIPPER by the yd BLACK-------- 4yds
• #5043 #5 COIL NL REV ZIPPER TAB BLACK---2 eaches
• #2400 1/8 shock cord--------------------------------2yds

ArrowHeadEquipment

• Polyester Tree Straps-------------------------------- 30ft yields two 14 foot straps with 3 inch loops
• 7/64th Amsteel -------------------------------------- 25ft

Other Suppliers

• Ripstop/Taffeta Nylon or Polyester 58 in+ wid-------12yds (8yds for body + 2 12ft x 6in wings). This will leave some leftover to make a hammock stuff sack and a ridgeline organizer.
• Home Depot Mason Line for Whipping-------------- One Roll
• REI SMC Decending Rings-------------------------- 4 eaches

Directions:

1. Cut two pieces of fabric (rip stop nylon, nylon or polyester taffeta) for the base layers. Dimensions: 11 feet long by 58+inches wide.

2. Cut two pieces of fabric (rip stop nylon, nylon or polyester taffeta) for the wings. Dimensions: 11 foot long by 9 inches wide

3. Sew a 1/2 inch rolled hem on one side of the inner base layer; see green line in figure below. This will be the finished inner layer that you will see and feel when you enter the hammock.  This hemmed edge will be next to the zipper and the rolled portion of the hem will be down.

4. Attach wings and zipper (if you are building a Black Bird clone,  use the shelf/footbox piece in place of the right wing).

5. Hem ends with a 1 inch channel.  The hem will go across the wings, zipper, grosgain and base layers.  Once hemmed the overall length of the hammock will be about 10’ 6” or 126”.

6. Cut a piece of rope that has a 300lb + working strength for the structural ridgeline of the hammock.  I personally like to use Amsteel or LashIt and use a splicing method to develop an adustable structural ridgline (ASR).  To learn more about how to build an ASR, see the following link:
http://www.whoopieslings.com/

To learn more about structural ridgelines for a hammock see the following:
To the Woods

If you are unfamiliar with splicing then good old fashion knots work well and you can build a static ridgeline very quickly and without much hassle.   To build a knotted static ridgeline,  measure the length of your hemmed hammock (about 10’ 6” or 126”.)  The rule of thumb is  that your finished ridgeline would be about 83% of your overal hammock length, about 100-103”.  Then tie loops into each end of the ridgeline rope, I tend to use a figure-eight knot, since they are easy to undo in case I need to readjust it at a later time. The end product should look like this:

7. Run a piece of small diameter rope (mason line, ZingIt, LashIt) through each of the hemmed end channels and use Knotty’s method in the video below to whip the hammock.  This method is similar to the Warbonnet Black Bird whipping method, and is one of the most comfortable I have used.   The only thing I do different is whip the hammock around the structural ridgline that we created in the previous step. This means that loops we tied into the ridgeline are poking out of the center of the whipped mass when complete.  I think this gives a more finished look and works better with an attached bugnet.  I will try to get a picture of this posted so that it makes more sense. 

The following tutorial was put together by Knotty from HammockForums.net.

Do not tie the knots  in the whipping that you can't undo. Also do not cut the excess of the whipping rope.   We will need to undo this to attach the bugnetting. This is just a dry run to make sure it is comfortable before attaching the bugnet.

8. Attach your favorite suspension to the whipped ends.  This becomes a very subjective area for most people as they all have their favorite type of suspensions.  The one I like the best is the webbing and ring buckles, others perfer to use whoopie slings or a cord variation.  See the following videos on the different types of hammock suspensions.  They can all be purchased or done by DIY methods.

These tutorials were put together by Grizz from Hammockforums.net, check out his other videos to learn more about hammocks.

Webbing:

Cord:

Whoopie Slings (Constriction):

There are vendors that sell the DIY materials and also finished product for the suspension, here are a few that I have used:

Arrow Head Equipment

Backwoods Day Dreamer

Jacks R Better

Once you have attached your suspension,  hang the hammock and try it out. Make sure the lay is comfortable, if not adjust the ridgeline length until you are happy with the lay. Once you have it dialed in, it is time for the bug net.

9. I like to fold my bug netting fabric long ways and then cut out the following basic shape. I know there are a few more complicated ways to determine exact lengths of the cuts, but I have found that the most simple for me is to actually just measure the exact size I need based upon my hung hammock.  The critical points to measure are shown below:

a. Determine where you want the tie-outs on the hammock (line Q end points)**; their purpose is to pull the bug netting away from your face. I like the WBBB method that uses two points instead of just one.  I determine where I want them by laying in the hammock and having someone pull the fabric out away from my face at different points.  Once you know the position of the desired pullouts, then use a right angle to determine where at on the ridgeline the tie out would intersect. Once you have those four points indentified you can quickly measure the distance for the (Z, ZZ, Y, and Q values). Then from there it is as simple as cutting out the basic shape.

** If building a Blackbird clone, you will use the measurements on the shelf to determine where the tie outs would be on each side.

b. Once you have the basic shape cutout, you need to shape the edges of the bugnet by cutting an arc into each side. These arcs are called catenary cuts, they help make the bug net stay uniformly taut.

I do catenary cuts that are 4-5 inches deep at the center on the long side and 2-3 inches deep at the center on the two shorter sides.  To find the center measure the length of the edge you want to shape and divide by two.  Find that point on the edge and measure the depth you want to cut to.

I like to use a long piece of flexible wood to model the curve so that I can mark where to cut on the bugnetting.

10. The last and final step is to attach the bug net onto the wings using the grosgrain ribbon.

• While the hammock is hanging, pin the bugnet securely onto the hammock, just like it would be when sewn.
• Remove suspension and undo the whipping so that you can sew all the way to the ends.
• Start at the tie out points and sew the bugnet directly to the hammock wings, sewing toward the ends. Sewing towards the ends pushes out any of the puckers or excess to the ends where it can be trimmed.
• After sewing the bugnet directly to the hammock,  finish the edge with one inch grosgain ribbon.

11.  Sew loops using the grosgain to the predetermined points where you want the bugnet/wings pulled away from your face.

12.  Attach cord/bungee cord to the tie outs,  I usually use three foot piece of cord tied between the two tie outs on each side. To this cord I attach a four foot piece of bungee cord.  The bungee piece attaches to the stake.

------------------------------------------------------------
Optional Step to build a WBB Shelf and footbox piece.

Here are the approximate measurements and shape. It is all one piece. If you go this route remember you will use this piece in place of the non zipper side wing.

The red dotted line indicates a second layer of heavy nylon sewn on to serve as a patch to help strengthen the neck between the footbox and shelf. It is critical to put it there as to help absorb the strain.

The finished BlackBird Clone should look something like this:

Good luck,

~C

Hiatus

I realize I have not made any updates to this blog in a long time.  I am still playing in this realm, but my attention has been pulled in other directions over the last year.   With winter finally coming to an end, I hope to be able to get back outside and start making more regular posts. 

Thanks,
~C

Tarp Doors

I really like my OES Deluxe Spinn tarp. It is really light and works extremely well to keep me dry. The only issue was that I wished I could seal it up better against the blowing rain we get here in NJ. I also wanted to seal it up a little better in the winter to help trap the warm air from escaping. I have played around with different ways to do this, but the Spinnaker fabric the tarp is made from is very light and I am too scared to sew actual doors on it and damage the integrity of the tarp.

So when a member on the hammock forums website showed his idea for an attachable vestibule, I jumped on the idea and created one immeaditely. He has since updated the design and now a cottage manufacturer is building them and can be purchased here, it is called the Grizz Beak.


My beaks are somewhat similar to the design that is being sold now, but definitely don't have the same tolerances and quality sewing. I also did not cut them to the same dimensions that Grizz had suggested. This was one of my first official sewing projects that I did all by myself. I can honestly say the beaks/vestibules work well but my sewing is pretty ugly. So I won't have any close ups on the seams. In hindsight I think this is the easiest project someone can undertake. The hardest part is cutting the nylon to the correct dimensions, after that is just requires a simple hem around all four sides and some grossgain tabs to hook the beak to the tarp.


I built two beaks and used about 7 yards of 1.1 oz DWR from Wal-mart and reused some grossgain I recycled off an old pack. This ended up running me about $10 in materials to build two off them. This is a lot cheaper than what they are going for now, however, when you factor in the time it may be worth it to buy them.


With that said here are my pictures of the first setup. I have used them on one trip so far and was really happy with how they worked and blocked the wind. They take about 10 seconds to clip onto the tarp and only require one extra stake.

I have some future modifications planned, but am still working on the design. My goal with the future changes is to reduce the amount of overlap of the beak and tarp so as to save weight.

New Under Quilt

This fall I decided I wanted to upgrade my gear a bit and build an underquilt for my hammock. I spent a few months sourcing materials and ended up building a 2/3 length under quilt using once piece of 5 oz Climashield XP.

Each of the four sides has a channel for shock cord to run through. This allows for a better fit of the under quilt against the hammock body.

Material Lists:

• 1.1 oz DWR Ripstop from Wal-mart. ($1.50/yd. I used about 6 yards total)
• 1 piece of 5oz Climashield XP from a member of Hammock Forums ~ 2 yards for $20.
• Shockcord from outdoor store ($5 for about 25 ft)
• Outdoor Polyester Thread (free, due to it being leftover from previous projects)

---------------

Total: $35-40 Dollars

To have purchase a comparable underquilt like this would have ran me over a hundered dollars, so I am really happy with how cheaply I was able to make a quality piece of gear.

It took about 4 hours of actual sewing and a few weeks of me trying to figure out how I wanted to do it. My plan was to make it multi-purpose so I could use it as a underquilt in the cold and as a top quilt for the summer months.

I have been able to test it out at about 30 Degrees Farenheit and was toasty warm.