OT: most comfortable walking shoe?

[ColonelJLloyd]

I've been super pleased with my Altra Superior 4.0s. They feel like they weigh nothing. The zero drop, wide toe box design has been a revelation. I've dealt with wide model shoes that were fine in toe box, but loose in the heel. Really happy to have found the Altras.

FWIW, I don't run and have no intention of ever doing so.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by Likes2ridefar

Prefer natural foot shaped shoes and minimal to no drop and very little to no padding...

Lems and Xero shoes are what I mostly wear, but often wear Xero sandals or chacos.

For work I wear lems leather boat shoes most days. Zero drop, some protection so I can walk super fast without flapping my feet or landing carefully (what true zero drop no padding minimal shoes do to my stride) I’d like to try their other models but haven’t gotten around to it yet..

The Lems Primal 2 got outstanding reviews. And they look pretty cool, too. I'm going to grab a pair and hope that these will be "the ones." Thanks for the the heads up!

[paredown]

Originally Posted by Drmojo

Rated best walking shoes for decades.
Several models, but r pricey-240-300$

I have wanted to like Mephisto, ever since I first spotted them a hunnert years ago in a small German shoe store in Vancouver--I have tried them on over the years, and they never felt right on my feet.

Eccos OTOH--fit my feet--although a little hit and miss across styles. I can usually get a fit--still wearing the Track IIs, although they are not the same quality as they used to be. Not a light shoe though, but I've put on the miles in them.

Best trail shoes I have had were a pair of Tecnica (known mostly for ski boots, if at all)--and I have not found anything as good since.

[verticaldoug]

For walking, Mammut Hueco low. It's a real comfortable walking shoe. Not really an approach shoe. I have some Boreal Sendai which I really like, but these are hard to find in the USA. Lowa San Fransico might work for you. I think walking shoes and trail runners are just different. https://www.lowaboots.com/mens/every...Medium#product

[AngryScientist]

Ask your mail person!

Seriously I do have a good pal who is a mail delivery person in upstate NY and tells me he walks at least a half marathon a day and sometimes more: I should ask him what his preferred shoe is.

[martl]

Originally Posted by d_douglas

And this is the point that someone else made - It all depends on your feet. I owned a pair of these and they were uncomfortable as bricks. I dont know why I bought them (looks?)

True, they have to fit your foot; i was assuming that was obvious... I meant: for those who fit the Salomons, they are super-comfy because of their cushion-like supersoft thick sole. I know people who will wear nothing else
I myself walked half across the himalays in them.

[Ozz]

Originally Posted by martl

True, they have to fit your foot; i was assuming that was obvious... I meant: for those who fit the Salomons, they are super-comfy because of their cushion-like supersoft thick sole. I know people who will wear nothing else
I myself walked half across the himalays in them.

You're right...I had a pair of the Salomons and wanted to like them, but too narrow toe box and just never felt right.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

Ask your mail person!

Seriously I do have a good pal who is a mail delivery person in upstate NY and tells me he walks at least a half marathon a day and sometimes more: I should ask him what his preferred shoe is.

That's a pretty damn good idea, actually.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by Likes2ridefar

Prefer natural foot shaped shoes and minimal to no drop and very little to no padding...

Lems and Xero shoes are what I mostly wear, but often wear Xero sandals or chacos.

Thanks for the prompt. I just bought a couple of pairs of Xeros, the Hana and Prio. Found them on clearance at the Xero website due to discontinued color options.

The boots look pretty interesting too...

Wearing zero drop shoes is easy in the summer time, when it's dry and warm...starting to think about warmer winter shoes/boots...

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by Ozz

You're right...I had a pair of the Salomons and wanted to like them, but too narrow toe box and just never felt right.

I have severely fallen arches. I had to ditch the Salomons after a few months...

[C40_guy]

One other interesting thought...when I ordered my first pair of zero drop shoes, the Lems 9to5s, I spent some time on the phone with a knowledgeable customer service person. He had me measure both of my feet and I found that my size had changed over the years and my feet are a half size different...

I ordered a full size larger than I had intended to, and they are perfect.

[benb]

I have "fallen arches" too and I mostly can't seem to get out of my orthotics. I really have to make sure I don't get shoes that are too small.

I still kind of hate the modern trend towards "super high heel to toe drop" and I'm happy to get into shoes that are flatter.

I have also become really unhappy with wearing anything marketed for running as a walk around shoe. Brooks and New Balance in particular I've really come to be unhappy. It's a $125 shoe and they wear out incredibly fast for me. Because they are trying to play all kinds of silly games with asymmetric rubber stiffnesses in parts of the shoe and cushiony air games some part of the shoe always seems to fail before the other parts and it makes for a very uncomfortable & unstable shoe. Usually this happens in 3 months for me, and the upper of the shoe will still look brand new. But if I keep wearing the shoe walking ~5000+ steps a day I'll start having weird knee/ankle pain because I'm working to compensate for the shoe. Look at the bottom of the shoe at that point and you can see the rubber is totally shot.

I bought a couple pairs of "Abeo" walking shoes from the Walking Store.. they didn't really fare any better than running shoes. They still had air pockets or something that broke down and I ended up with a shoe that didn't have even support.

Vibram soles.. the tougher ones actually last if you walk a lot.

Honestly a lot of shoes are really crappy for the price. I tried on Ecco and Clark's recently. They are selling a lot of shoes that are $150-200 or more that don't even come in widths, or have limited availability in larger sizes. You've got some brands that don't have half sizes above a certain size. It's kind of ridiculous. At least New Balance and Brooks and such make widths!

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by benb

I have "fallen arches" too and I mostly can't seem to get out of my orthotics. I really have to make sure I don't get shoes that are too small.

I still kind of hate the modern trend towards "super high heel to toe drop" and I'm happy to get into shoes that are flatter.

I have also become really unhappy with wearing anything marketed for running as a walk around shoe. Brooks and New Balance in particular I've really come to be unhappy. It's a $125 shoe and they wear out incredibly fast for me. Because they are trying to play all kinds of silly games with asymmetric rubber stiffnesses in parts of the shoe and cushiony air games some part of the shoe always seems to fail before the other parts and it makes for a very uncomfortable & unstable shoe. Usually this happens in 3 months for me, and the upper of the shoe will still look brand new. But if I keep wearing the shoe walking ~5000+ steps a day I'll start having weird knee/ankle pain because I'm working to compensate for the shoe. Look at the bottom of the shoe at that point and you can see the rubber is totally shot.

I bought a couple pairs of "Abeo" walking shoes from the Walking Store.. they didn't really fare any better than running shoes. They still had air pockets or something that broke down and I ended up with a shoe that didn't have even support.

Vibram soles.. the tougher ones actually last if you walk a lot.

Honestly a lot of shoes are really crappy for the price. I tried on Ecco and Clark's recently. They are selling a lot of shoes that are $150-200 or more that don't even come in widths, or have limited availability in larger sizes. You've got some brands that don't have half sizes above a certain size. It's kind of ridiculous. At least New Balance and Brooks and such make widths!

I used to think that the "barefoot" movement was a bunch of hippy dippy BS. I no longer think that. Years of indifference and neglect (poor shoe choice and playing hours of basketball on concrete) have left me paying the price.

I've spent the past few years systematically undoing the damage. Making sure my calves (gastroc, soleus, post tib) are adequately elongated and doing exercises involving balance on one foot. And plenty of walking.

[p nut]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

I used to think that the "barefoot" movement was a bunch of hippy dippy BS. I no longer think that. Years of indifference and neglect (poor shoe choice and playing hours of basketball on concrete) have left me paying the price.

I've spent the past few years systematically undoing the damage. Making sure my calves (gastroc, soleus, post tib) are adequately elongated and doing exercises involving balance on one foot. And plenty of walking.

Ehhhh, it's not all sunshine and lollipops. I like "barefoot" shoes for walking around and such. But for long runs (~10+) and hikes, no way. I bought into the whole movement as well, thanks to McDougall, but left me limping for 6 months and getting worse.

Properly fit shoes will serve most people better. Visit a reputable running store. Don't skimp on inserts, either.

[Steve in SLO]

No specific recommendations on brand here, but would consider three things:

First, look at your feet and decide whether or not they are straight from the heel to the toes, or have a slight deviation towards the midline (metatarsus adductus). This will help you decide whether you need a shoe with a straight last or a curved last to match your foot shape. When you go shopping you can flip the shoes over and look at the soul. It will be evident whether or not that the soul is straight or curved towards the midline.

Second, hold the shoe in your hand and bend it to see if the ‘break’ in the sole comes approximately where your foot flexes when you stand up and lift your heel. In other words, the break in the sole should be under the ball of your foot for best comfort.

Third, make sure the standard insoles are very comfortable or find something that is that you can migrate between shoes. In many cases, a good set of insoles will outweigh the shoes themselves.