On Cloud 5 Coast review

Let the On Cloud 5 Coast make your life feel a breeze if you're looking for:

• An incredibly breathable pair to show off during the summer that you can wear with and without socks.
• A super flexible and lightweight travel companion that will fit even your most cramped backpack.
• A very easy-on and practical walking shoe with a collapsible heel that's comfortable right off the bat.

Ghost the Coast if you've got high insteps and/or wide feet! The testers among us with one or the other didn't get to enjoy the wonderful comfort and practicality of this shoe. And that's a shame! If you identify with any or both of these groups, we believe you might find the On Cloudaway more comfortable. It's wider and it also has a slip-on design!

If you need some extra support, this shoe definitely ain't it. Click here to check the supportive walking shoes that have earned the VIP pass to our lab so far. And happy walking!

The On Cloud 5 Coast has a heel stack of 28.5 mm, which is lower than average.

But please, don't let this make you think this shoe is less comfortable than its other walking pals. A tall midsole does not always equal comfort! We can also tell you from our own experience walking with this On pair, that it feels really nice underfoot.

It features the brand's CloudTec cushioning, which made sure we were comfortable all day long, as well as a Speedboard. This technology offered us an energetic ride that kept us on our feet for hours. Talk about a good duo!

The forefoot is closer to the average at 20.7 mm, according to our caliper.

It protected us effectively against the town's lost pebbles and harsh surfaces. Just take into account that the outsoles of On shoes usually pick up rocks because of the big and deep grooves of their pattern!

After measuring the heel and forefoot's stack, we calculated the Cloud 5 Coast has a drop of 7.8 mm. Honestly, we were pretty happy about On's official statement being 7 mm, as this negligible difference sets a wonderful example for other brands with bigger deviations.

Just in case you want to know more about the drop, how we measure it, or why some brands have crazy big differences between the drop they announce and the one we measure at the lab, we'll leave our ultimate guide on the topic over here.

Despite being comfortable, we can't say the Cloud 5 Coast is a soft shoe per se.

Its midsole scored 38.3 HA when we pressured our durometer against it, making it a whole 32% harder than average. Despite this On Cloud ironically not feeling like a couple of clouds underfoot, we enjoyed its stable all-day-long comfort.

To know more about its performance when temperatures drop, we put this shoe in our lab's freezer.

When we measured its midsole softness again, our durometer returned 44.4 HA. Consequently, this shoe's foam only got 16% harder, which is definitely not much in comparison to the average.

Nevertheless, we believe the super breathable and thin upper of this shoe makes it way better for summer than for winter. Even though you can always try and wear it with thicker socks, its foot-hugging nature might not sit well with that.

In order to keep things light, On didn't go for an extra padded insole.

Our caliper marked 4.7 mm, making it comfortable enough despite being thinner that average. But don't worry, our feet really couldn't tell!

Even though On recommends going up half size in the Cloud 5 Coast, we don't find it necessary. Here is why.  

Having retrieved the gel mold of the shoe, we measured its dimensions with a caliper. As it turns out, this On shoe is just as wide as the average walking shoe. Its widest area returned a reading of 93.9 mm.

We found the same to be true for the narrower part of the shoe's toebox. In the big toe area, it showed a standard caliper measurement of 71.9 mm.

We also found no issues with the shoe's toebox height. At 26.2 mm, it is just as tall as the average.

Alright, this is definitely NOT the most stable shoe we've worn.

As you can see, our ankles could move around without much impediment. The easy-on, flexible, and travel-oriented design of this pair makes it lack support. Additionally, it doesn't feature any specific technologies to favor stability, and its speed-lacing system is not the best for surefootness.

In other words, On decided to go for a comfortable model in every sense of the word: use and feel. Consequently, it doesn't focus on stability.

As expected from our lateral stability and wear tests, this shoe's torsional rigidity is pretty low.

You can see it clearly in this video. We didn't have any problems bending and twisting this On pair, and the only thing that stopped us from almost making it a throwing ball was its midsole. Therefore, we've decided to give it a 2/5 on this test.

This goes hand in hand with what our feet felt during our wear tests. Walking around town with the Cloud 5 Coast was wonderful, and its easy design let us enjoy the experience from the very first minute.

Alright, the star of the show is here: the collapsible heel! Just look at how crazy soft and flexible it is:

We gave it a 1/5 on our heel counter stiffness test (which is the most flexible score), and in return it gave us a comfortable and easy ride. We could put this shoe on in two seconds if we had to run to the store, and it even feels nice without socks!

By the way, we didn't experience any kind of heel slippage whatsoever, so we really got the best of both worlds!

The lightweight design of this pair couldn't possibly include a wider midsole.

At 106.7 mm, it's narrower than average. Our standard-sized feet were okay with it, but we can see big feet people feeling that lack of landing area.

The heel follows the same logic, as our caliper marked 86.2 mm, which is also narrower than average.

We knew the Cloud 5 Coast would ace our flex test, but we also thought its not-so-soft midsole might hold it back a little. We can't wait any longer to tell you all about it, so let's check the results!

It was just as we predicted, and this On pair got a pretty low score: only 14.7N of force were needed! This makes it a whole 28% more flexible than average, explaining why walking around town with this shoe was so comfortable. It bent alongside our feet easily, which, alongside its collapsible heel and overall pliable structure, make it a wonderful travel companion.

It was time for the Cloud 5 Coast to take another power nap in our freezer. After waiting for 20 minutes, we measured how much force was needed to bend it all the way up to 90 degrees again. Our force gauge returned 18.7N, which means it stiffened up only 27.2%.

The overall pliability of this shoe at room temperature made us feel practically barefoot. And even though part of that feeling is lost when temperatures drop, this pair still feels quite comfortable.

We just don't think it's the best option for winter or cold seasons. Its upper is breathable and thin, and it might not accommodate thicker socks due to its narrow structure. In fact, our wear testers with a high instep didn't find it as comfortable!

Among the walking shoes we've tested so far, the On Cloud 5 Coast is definitely one of the lightest! Standing proud at the 4th position of our ranking (yes, Vibram Furoshiki, you and your crazy minimalist design still hold on to the gold medal!), this shoe felt incredibly comfortable and light during our wear tests.

At 7.6 oz/215.0g, our scale and our feet agreed on how lightweight this shoe is. When we walked around town with it, every step felt like a breeze (quite literally!): its feathery nature, flexibility, and breathability made us enjoy our summer evening walks more than ever!

In other words, we loved wearing this On pair when temperatures went up. It was also so easy on our feet that we could just rock it all day long.

This shoe's mesh upper had our expectations skyrocket as soon as we saw it. According to the brand, it's made using antimicrobial and 44% recycled materials, and it is designed to perform in warm and humid conditions.

We do trust every brand, but... we're shoe geeks, you know. We just need to verify all this!

First, our light check confirmed the see-through mesh has multiple ventilation holes that let the air get in and out. To illustrate this even better, we grabbed our smoke machine and got the smokey party started.

Look at that! A clean and continuous smoke column that comes right from the toebox. We didn't have to think about giving this On pair a 5/5 on breathability twice. Especially if we compare it with the poor Hoka Bondi SR and its 1/5 on this same test... it pretty much choked!

Our microscope revealed a changing pattern on the upper with thinner spots that favor airflow. This explains why it was so easy for the Cloud 5 Coast to let our feet breathe during our wear tests.

When a shoe gets a perfect score on our breathability test, we always wish we could perform the durability test blindfolded... as the results are usually pretty scary.

With 3.2N of force and at a speed of 5K RPM, our Dremel attacked this On's toebox nonstop for 4 seconds. As soon as we saw the black threads flying around, we feared the worst.

But when we put the tool aside, we realized the damage wasn't that bad. It hadn't managed to get through the mesh as, in all honesty, we thought it would.

That's why we decided to give it a fair and average 3/5. As you can see, the On Cloudrift, its brand and mesh partner, ended up with a big messy hole on its toebox. That's what a 1/5 on this durability test looks like!

As the own brand states, the On Cloud 5 features a no-slip, kick-down heel. In other words, this piece has to be flexible enough to be pushed down and still comfortable, and at the same time tough enough to get back up and grab your heel comfortably.

Regarding durability, after feeling how easily we could toy with it... our hopes were not very high. But our Dremel proves us wrong!

Once again at 5K RPM and with 3.2N of force, the tool drilled into the heel for 4 seconds straight. We could see the white material flying around, but we didn't let that scare us anymore! The Cloud 5 Coast had already proved to us it's definitely not a weakling. And on On we trust! (No pun intended).

Now, now, look at that! It's not bad at all! We decided to give this shoe a 3/5, surpassing our lab's average for its category.

It might not even look that different if we compare it to the Skechers Summits, which scored a solid 5/5 on our Durability test. Nevertheless, there are 2 clear holes on the Cloud 5 Coast, and both of them costed it a higher score!

As many other On walking shoes, The Cloud 5 Coast has an outsole with some exposed foam and some rubber coverage. Therefore, we measured the hardness of both materials in our lab, as they play a key role on this shoe's bottom durability and grip.

We first pressured our durometer against the rubber, and it returned a hard score of 86.5 HC. This means the darker compound focuses on being durable.

On the other hand, the softer foam scored only 55.5 HC when we put our durometer against it. This material is definitely less durable but, in return, it offers better grip and flexibility.

To keep our lab results comparable and easy to follow, we always perform our durability test on the same spot. This time, the one that had to suffer the consequences was the rubber, as our Dremel tried to get rid of it for 22 seconds.

With 3.2N of force but now at 10K RPM, the outsole ended up with a 0.9 mm deep dent. This score is way lower than average, making the On Cloud 5 Coast a solid 36% more durable than the average for its category.

Despite having a rubber compound that is more durable than average, On decided not to pinch pennies here. In other words, it went for an even thicker than average outsole, as our caliper returned 3.6 mm.

This means there's more material underfoot to wear away, so this pair should last longer than average.

Let us first show you a picture of this shoe's outsole so we all know what we're talking about.

So, what do we see here?

• Some exposed midsole (white parts).
• Some rubber coverage in the high-wear areas (black parts).
• Big and deep flex grooves.
• A long cut from the heel all the way up to the toes.

Regarding performance, we were pretty happy, to be honest. There's nothing special to point out here, we found the shoe gripped well on urban surfaces, and the rubberized zones made sure it didn't leave our side sooner than expected.

The Cloud 5 Coast follows the same price line as its siblings. We believe it being extremely travel convenient makes it worth every penny, as that design is also incredibly practical for the daily routine. What's more, we found its incredibly lightweight and breathable nature does not affect its durability negatively, as it got an average score on our Dremel tests.

Time to shine, baby!

We love the fact that On included some reflective elements on the Cloud 5 Coast. It's a wonderful detail that elevates the shoe's overall look and vibe!

Its incredibly thin tongue of 2.1 mm compliments the lightweight nature of the shoe, and we could totally understand the brand's strategy with this decision.

Nevertheless, sometimes thin tongues rub on the instep, especially if this part of your foot is kind of sensitive. You can use this shoe barefoot, but it's better to try the sockless wear out at home before going for a long walk. Better be safe than sorry!

The sock-like slip-on design of this shoe wouldn't be completed with a fully gusseted tongue.

Instead of having the regular one-piece upper, the On Cloud 5 Coast goes for a more traditional design, yet the effect is basically the same!

Alright, alright! Back to the star of the show: hello again, Mr. Collapsible heel!

This feature made every walk enjoyable, and even if we had to storm out of the house in two seconds, we didn't even need to worry about putting on this shoe properly! It feels just like walking with a couple of sturdy slippers.

Oh, and also, a heel tab? Not here, though. Who on Earth needs that with this crazy practical design?

The On Cloud 5 Coast does have a removable insole, and we love it!

It allows you to change it if you need or want to. Nevertheless, please keep in mind that this shoe is not very roomy, so a thicker insole might make the whole fit uncomfortable.

As we've mentioned before, some of our wear testers with high insteps couldn't enjoy it to the fullest even with its standard insole!