We love a good collaboration. When great minds come together with one goal it's a golden opportunity for something new and innovative to be born. Our friends over at Hoka One One, Cotopaxi and REI have done just that. But before we get into what they’ve made, allow us to introduce you to the players involved:

Hoka One One is a popular running and trail shoe company that is known for its innovative and lightweight designs. If you spend a day out on the trail you’d be hard-pressed to not see at least a few pairs out and about. 

Cotopaxi is an outdoor brand that makes everything from windbreakers to fanny packs and always brings bright colors into their products. When you see a piece of Cotopaxi gear it’s hard not to smile.

REI, you know ‘em, you love ‘em. The best place on earth to pick up your gear for all of your adventures. 

Hoka One One and Cotopaxi have teamed up to create a limited release of gear available at REI for a limited time. Using upcycled materials and post-consumer plastics the two companies released the Batac 16L Del Dia Pack and the Torrent 2 shoes. REI was kind enough to send us the new gear to take for a test drive!

Though this blog post was made in partnership with REI, the opinions are entirely our own.

Please note: The links provided in this blog post are affiliate links. If you end up purchasing some of these pieces of gear we get a very small portion of the sales. Thank you as always for supporting us and our life on the road, it gives us the opportunity to share so extensively with you all!

HOKA x Cotopaxi Batac 16L Pack

For a long time I’ve struggled with finding the right day pack for me. Up until this Batac 16L pack arrived, I was using a 14L pack. By the time I put my hydration pack in it, there was hardly enough space left for a sandwich, let alone the rest of the gear I like to carry on a day hike (extra layer incase of a weather change, snack, camera, binoculars, etc.). This HOKA x Cotopaxi Batac 16L is the backpack I’ve been looking for. Inside the main compartment of the pack is a sleeve for a hydration bladder, but it still has plenty of room for the extra supplies I like to carry. 

When we first got this pack I was a little concerned that the lack of a frame inside would make it uncomfortable to carry without it being completely full. After over a month of hiking multiple times a week with it, I have yet to feel uncomfortable regardless of what, or how much I’m carrying inside.

Here is a list of all the pros and cons we’ve found in our time with the Batac 16L Pack:

The Pros:

• Plenty of space even with a hydration pack

• Convenient zipper pocket inside of the main compartment (great for keys and/or wallet)

• Comfortable without a frame

• Lightweight and packs down to be VERY small

• Tight water bottle pockets on the sides that don’t dump your bottle when you bend over

• Easily accessible phone pocket in small zipper compartment that can be reached without taking pack off

• Comfortable when camera clip is attached to shoulder strap

• Plenty of exterior loops to attach things with a carabiner

• Made of upcycled materials

Cons:

• No waist belt

• Mesh on water bottle pockets tears on rocks

• Loud design** (this is a personal preference)

All in all, we’re very impressed with the Batac 16L pack. I wasn’t expecting to find what I’ve been looking for, for so long in this pack. I love that it’s comfortable and easy to wear all day, while still being able to fit all the things I like to bring with me to hike, climb, or take to a hot spring. This pack will be my go-to for a very long time to come!

**One of the few downsides I personally feel it has is that it's a little “louder” than I tend to dress in the outdoors. However, I do feel the need to touch on the safety aspects of wearing bright colors in the outdoors. As counterintuitive as wearing bright colors that standoff your surroundings out in nature can feel, it can be really important that you’re visible from a long way off. In the event that something happens and you get lost or need to be rescued, the bright colors will help you be spotted! Just something to keep in mind when shopping for gear, never be afraid of adding color! If you need a little extra color in your outdoor gear, it seems like this collaboration is just what you need! ;)

The colorway is also a result of using upcycled materials making each pack unique. Every bag is made by employees who are given creative control to determine its one-of-a-kind colorway motif, so no two are alike! And if that isn’t cool, I don’t know what is?! You can find more info on the materials here and on the REI product page.

HOKA x Cotopaxi Torrent 2

I’ve always wanted to try a pair of Hoka trail shoes. People who have them, swear by them. As a person who wears trail runners for long-distance hiking and road running, I was curious to see how they stacked up against my beloved La Sportiva Bushido II trail runners. After just a few trails, I get why people love them so much. These Torrent 2 trail shoes are very versatile. Not only were they dreamy to hike in, but they also have incredible traction on rock during scrambles AND they’re comfortable for running on cement. If you are looking for a crossover shoe, these are winners!

Here’s a list of all the pros and cons we’ve found with the HOKA x Cotopaxi Torrent 2 trail shoes:

Pros:

• Super comfortable on trail and for running on the road (not often that you can check both of those boxes)

• Great traction on rock

• Lightweight

• Cushy insole 

• Made of post-consumer plastics

• Breathable

Cons:

• Long shoelaces that can be easy to trip on if you don’t secure them in some way

• Soft tread, depending on terrain they could wear out easily

Again, we weren’t expecting to like these shoes as much as we did. Turns out, there’s a reason that so many people trust Hoka for their running and trail shoes. In my opinion some of Hoka’s trail runners have a little too much material in the sole, to the point where I would be concerned I wouldn’t be able to feel the terrain beneath my feet, but these have the perfect amount. The tread pattern provides nice and even traction for just about every condition you could find yourself in. Over the last month, we’ve worn these shoes through the desert, over granite rock scrambles, for road runs, and even to some hot springs. It’s safe to say you can “color me impressed” with how they’ve performed and felt. Yes, the pun was intended!

Head to a store or to REI.com to check out the Hoka X Cotopaxi X REI collaboration for this limited release if you’d like to add some color to your adventures!

Thanks for reading and we’ll see you down the road!

Love, MAK