7 Best Walking Shoes For Men

How we test walking shoes for men

RunRepeat is a brand-loyalty-free space. Not to say that some of us don’t have personal preferences but you could never tell because each shoe goes through a meticulous lab-testing process that eliminates bias and lays out the facts:

• We buy every pair of shoes with our own money (no sponsorships)
• We wear-test each walking shoe for hours (because we spend at least 8 hours on our feet every day keeping the RunRepeat lab going)
• We measure dozens of shoe parameters using callipers, durometers, and fun tools like a smoke-pumping machine (and cutting each shoe in half to measure even more!).

As a result, you get an objective picture of exactly how cushioned, wide, breathable, supportive, etc. each walking shoe is.

How to find your perfect pair of men’s walking shoes

If you are a practical guy, you probably want just one pair of walking shoes as your go-to daily beater. So let’s take a closer look at your context and personal needs to get you one asap.

Consider the following:

1. Intended use: Where do you see yourself wearing this pair of walking shoes 90% of the time? Is it day-to-day wear, walking for fitness, travelling, or specialised work use?
2. Health conditions: Any special recommendations from a podiatrist? Or maybe you hope to alleviate some sort of discomfort (i.e. excessive inward rolling of the foot)?
3. Walking surface: Is it mostly pavement and concrete or do you plan to step out on a trail? Or maybe there are some wet tiles involved?
4. Season: Do you need breathable or waterproof shoes? Or something in between?

Best men’s walking shoes for day-to-day wear, fitness, travel, and work

It is possible that one pair of walking shoes can say “bingo” because it fits all of these categories. However, some nuances should be considered when choosing footwear for each context.

Shoes for walking and standing all day

Having enough underfoot cushioning is essential if you want to walk comfortably all day long and not feel beaten up afterward.

We highly recommend that your daily walking shoe has at least 30 mm of heel stack height. This amount of midsole foam will ensure that your feet, legs, and body overall receive enough impact protection for hours of pounding on concrete, asphalt, and other urban surfaces.

And if you think that a few millimetres less is not a big deal, the photo above shows how much difference 7.6 mm of foam makes in walking shoes!

When it comes to cushioning softness, the choice depends on your personal preference. However, some foot conditions like plantar fasciitis call for a firmer platform to prevent pain aggravation (explained in a section on foot conditions below).

To measure how soft the shoe’s cushioning is, we press a Shore A durometer against its half-cut midsole. The lower the HA reading on the durometer, the softer the foam:

• Soft: less than 20 HA
• Balanced: 20 - 30 HA
• Firm: 30 HA or more

Softer cushioning gives you that walking-on-clouds sensation.

Firmer cushioning offers the benefit of support and stability.

Shoes for walking, running, and athleisure

Some men can’t imagine their life without staying active throughout the day. When the goal is to clock up those steps and mix some jogging into your daily routine, we highly recommend looking into daily running shoes that also double as walking shoes.

Most of these shoes are packed with the latest cushioning technologies which help you cover longer distances (up to 10K and beyond) much easier. Running or walking - you decide. And if you don’t mind their athletic look, these shoes are also perfectly suitable for daily wear.

Shoes for travelling and commuting

A pair of lightweight walking shoes will help you get from point A to point B much more comfortably. That’s why our travel shoe catalogue doesn’t include shoes that weigh more than 10.5 oz (300g) in a men’s US size 9.

These shoes also have a heel stack of at least 25 mm to provide sufficient support for standing in long airport lines or meandering along the duty-free for hours.

It also makes sense to choose more breathable shoes for travelling to avoid sweaty situations. We make sure that our selection of travel-friendly shoes has a higher breathability score of 4 or 5 out of 5.

Additionally, you may appreciate a shoe that is easy to take off and put back on, especially when there is a long bus/plane/train trip ahead. A slip-on shoe is a reasonable choice in this case.

Work shoes for men

Men who work in healthcare, food and restaurant industry, warehouses, delivery, and many other demanding jobs rely heavily on a good pair of work shoes to get them through the shift.

That’s why cushioning and support are of utmost importance in this footwear category. Here are some of the must-haves of walking shoes for work:

• at least 30 mm of heel stack
• high torsional rigidity (hard to twist the shoe)
• stiff heel counter (firm heel and ankle hold)
• formal visual design and subdued colours
• special requirements if any (slip-resistant outsole, leather upper, etc.)

Choosing the best men’s walking shoes for various foot conditions

If you experience foot pain or discomfort, we strongly recommend consulting a physician before purchasing your next pair of walking shoes.

In this guide, we are looking at the most common foot and health conditions and the type of men’s walking shoes that could help alleviate the discomfort associated with them.

Flat feet and overpronation

Walking shoes for flat feet and excessive pronation (inward rolling of the foot) are the most common searches when it comes to problematic foot conditions.

However, studies show that only about 50% of people can determine their foot arch and pronation type correctly, so it is best to consult a professional for the best assessment.

But if you experience any of these symptoms, there is a high chance that you need a pair of stability walking shoes to address the problem:

• your foot arch completely disappears when you stand barefoot on the floor
• you always feel like your feet are about to roll over the edge of the shoe
• your shoes wear off on the inner side much faster and look lopsided

Stability shoes for men have a firm and supportive construction as well as special stability components to minimise excessive lateral movement of the foot.

Can you see the difference between a neutral walking shoe and a stability shoe in the two videos below?

Neutral men's walking shoe

Stability men's walking shoe

In our lab, we assess each shoe’s torsional rigidity on a 1-5 scale. The harder it is to twist, the higher the stiffness score. With flat feet and overpronation, you want as little wiggle in the shoe midsole as possible.

We also assess the stiffness of the heel counter on a 1-5 scale. A structured, unforgiving, and well-padded heel counter provides a very secure heel hold which contributes to foot stability as well.

Last but not least, we use a calliper to measure the shoe’s platform width in both the heel and the forefoot. You want the landing area to be nice and broad to feel surefooted.

Plantar fasciitis

Experiencing pain in the heel and foot arch does not automatically mean that you have plantar fasciitis (inflamed plantar fascia) but here are a few surefire symptoms:

• severe heel pain in the morning or after a rest period
• heel pain that gets worse with weight bearing 
• pain might spread from heel to the midfoot 
• soreness when palpating plantar fascia 
• discomfort when you bend your big toe by hand (passively)

If you are already diagnosed, your doctor most likely advised you to look for walking shoes with the following features:

• rigid platform: stiff and hard-to-twist shoes provide the necessary stability
• stiff heel counter: minimises heel and ankle shifting inside the shoe
• well-cushioned: at least 30 mm of heel stack for impact protection
• moderately firm: plush shoes are less stable and cause excessive foot motion
• higher heel-to-toe drop: elevated heel puts less strain on the foot
• broad midsole: contributes to stability

Not many walking shoes for men can meet all these criteria, right? That’s why our list of walking shoes for plantar fasciitis is very carefully selected.

Bunions

Most people imagine bunions as large bulging bumps on the side of the big toe but in reality, the condition starts even before that! Symptoms like joint pain or swelling can be the first signs of this condition and a signal to you that a more spacious shoe is necessary.

For bunions, we recommend finding walking shoes that have a wide toebox. To understand whether the toebox is wide, we create a gel mould of the toebox interior and then measure its width. 

Pouring a gel into the walking shoe and freezing them together to create a gel mould 

When the gel mould is ready, we take it out of the walking shoe and then measure the width of the toebox in 2 places. 

Here are a few recommendations to help you find the best-fitting men’s shoe for bunions:

1. Ask someone to outline your foot on paper. Then, find the two most prominent points on the outline (one at the bunion and the other under the pinky toe) and measure the distance between them. This will help you understand how much forefoot space to look for in a walking shoe.
2. Choose from shoes with wide and rounded toebox shapes. Brands like Allbirds, Altra, Lems, Topo Athletics, and Xero Shoes are known for making large foot-shaped toeboxes as part of their foot health promotion. You can also look at our lab reviews for exact toebox width measurements. 
3. If none of the medium-width shoes meet your needs, consider wide and extra variants for men - 2E (EE), 4E (EEEE), or even 6E. Brands like Brooks, Hoka, New Balance, and Skechers release nearly all their walking shoes in multiple-width options.

Your toes may also need more vertical room, especially if you've been dealing with bleeding or black toenails. If this is the case, look for a high toebox in walking shoes. 

Heavy weight / obesity

To feel their best in a pair of walking shoes, heavier guys should look for the following features:

• thick midsole (at least 30 mm of heel stack)
• balanced or firm cushioning (less compression = more support)
• wide platform (especially in the heel)
• accommodating toebox

Consider a walking shoe with stability elements if you also experience excessive inward foot rolling (see Flat feet and overpronation section above).

Diabetes

Men who have been diagnosed with diabetes are unfortunately at risk of developing complications like neuropathy, calluses, or even foot ulcers due to poor blood circulation in the feet.

However, a recent study showed that only 36% of people with diabetes were wearing proper footwear for their ulceration risk class. With amputation being the worst-case scenario, it is critical to follow your doctor’s advice on the footwear choice.

Look for walking shoes that are marked with the A5500 code which means that they have been approved for diabetes and are subject to compensation by Medicare. New Balance and Brooks are some of the few acclaimed shoe brands that offer diabetic-approved men’s walking shoes.

TIP: When trying on the shoe, make sure that it has enough space to accommodate your foot and your custom orthotic (if needed). There must be NO tightness, pressure, or irritation at all.

Consider the surface when buying walking shoes for men

Most men’s walking shoes are designed for urban use and city streets. However, surfaces like concrete, cobblestone, wet tile, and trails can be more demanding of both your footwear and your feet.

On the bright side, a few quick considerations now can save you trouble in the future pair of shoes.

Walking shoes for concrete

If you spend hours walking on hard and unforgiving concrete, you will appreciate the following features in your walking shoes:

• more cushioning (at least 30 mm of heel stack)
• more durable rubber outsole

We measure two parameters to test how much longevity we can expect from the shoe’s rubber outsole - its thickness and resistance to abrasion.

The former is measured with a calliper and we are looking for at least 3 mm of rubber thickness to recommend the shoe for concrete.

For the latter, we apply a Dremel with a sandpaper tip to the same spot on the outsole for 22 seconds. The speed (10K RPM) and pressure (3.2N) remain the same.

We then use a tread gauge to measure the depth of the dent - the smaller the number the better the wear resistance. Shoes with exposed foam and dents deeper than 1.2 mm don’t make it to our catalogue of shoes for concrete.

Shoes for walking on cobblestone

Most city streets and pavements in Europe are made of cobblestone which makes some shoes less suitable for leisurely promenades. Here are some types of men’s walking shoes that you want to AVOID on cobblestones:

• minimally cushioned shoes (won’t mute out the hardness of stones)
• very plush and flexible shoes (feel wobbly and can even lead to ankle twists)
• shoes with exposed foam on the bottom and (easily damaged and slippery when wet)
• slip-on shoes (better to choose lace-up designs for a secure lockdown)

Slip-resistant walking shoes for smooth and wet surfaces

Did you know that slips, trips, and falls cause nearly 700 fatalities per year in the USA and many more dangerous accidents in the workplace? Sounds dramatic but sometimes the right pair of shoes can save your life!

If you are dealing with smooth floors like tile or linoleum, especially if there is a high risk of liquid spills, it’s worth investing in a pair of slip-resistant shoes.

Make sure that the shoe’s outsole has a certification mark from a third party (like SATRA) confirming their slip-resistant capacity.

Men’s walking shoes for trails

While these are not proper hiking shoes, some walking shoes have a more tangible treading, making them suitable for stepping out on the trail. These lugs are not toothy enough to tackle technical terrain or mud but they work just fine for light and moderate trails.

Men’s walking shoes for every season and weather

To make sure you are fully equipped all year long, we test each shoe’s breathability level and group them by the corresponding season.

We perform a few tests to get a full picture of the shoe’s ventilation capacity. These include pumping smoke through the shoe’s toebox material, hovering its half-cut upper over the LED light, and investigating the fabric up close through a microscope.

Hot summer

Men’s walking shoes with the best airflow make it to our summer catalogue. They received the highest score of 4 or 5 in our breathability assessment.

Moderate weather

Temperatures can be unpredictable in the transition period between summer and winter so it’s best to have a moderately breathable shoe for this season. These shoes are rated as 3 out of 5 in our breathability tests but you can easily regulate the in-shoe temperature with different types of socks.

Cold and rainy season

The warmest walking shoes for men receive the lowest breathability scores of 1 and 2.

This category also includes waterproof options which are essential for people who often walk in rain, snow, puddles, and slush. Gore-Tex (or GTX) is the most acclaimed waterproofing membrane but some brands also use their proprietary waterproofing technologies.