7 Best Nike Walking Shoes

How we test Nike walking shoes

To know which of the Nike walking shoes are deserving of the “BEST” title, we get into the nitty-gritty shoe details by doing the following:

• We buy Nike walking shoes with our own funds. Here at RunRepeat, we strive hard to remain loyal to no one but our readers.
• We test the shoes on our test walks. Basically, all the things we usually accomplish in a day, we do in these Nike walking shoes. We get first-hand experience in the shoes while walking, travelling, going to work, or even low-impact exercising. 
• We test the shoes' breathability, durability, stiffness, and outsole hardness. We also cut the Nike walking shoes in half to precisely measure their stack heights and foam softness. 

Check out our testing methodology to know more about the various methods we use to test shoes.

How to choose the best Nike walking shoe

Style and visual appeal of Nike shoes is undeniably important but if you want to feel truly comfortable and supported all day long, you have to consider the following factors too:

• Cushioning: There should be enough midsole foam to buffer your feet from prolonged impact with hard surfaces.
• Support: The shoe must provide sufficient stability to prevent undue wobbling of the foot and ankle. This is especially important if you have conditions like flat feet and overpronation.
• Season: Nike shoes range from highly breathable to warm and waterproof options to meet different weather conditions.
• Durability: Choosing Nike shoes with more hard-wearing components will keep you from getting a replacement pair every other month.
• Size and fit: The right size implies that there is a thumb’s width of toebox space in front of your longest toe and the right fit means that the shoe isn’t too tight or too loose.
• Price: You don’t always have to pay more to get a comfortable Nike walking shoe. There is one in every price range!

Cushioning: What is a well-cushioned Nike walking shoe?

Are you in search of a Nike shoe for clocking up daily miles (be it outdoors or on a treadmill) or for long hours of walking and standing on your feet? Either way, you will benefit from a shoe that offers a generous amount of shock absorption.

That means at least 30 mm of stack height in the shoe’s heel. That includes the insole, the foam midsole, and the rubber outsole.

As you can see, stack heights vary greatly in Nike shoes - from as little as 15 mm all the way to 40 mm and beyond! The right image shows a well-cushioned Nike shoe which is excellent for spending long hours on your feet.

The left image, on the other hand, demonstrates a Nike sneaker with very little cushioning foam. Shoes like that don’t provide the necessary comfort and impact protection, so it’s better to avoid them for all-day wear. Some of these shoes include the Nike Court, the Nike SB, the Nike Blazer, and the Nike Dunk. We recommend saving these kicks for a casual night out.

Minimalist shoes like the Nike Free and the Nike Flex also have a minimal stack of 20-25 mm. However, they features a better quality EVA foam and are meant for people who specifically look for this grounded and flexible type of footwear.

Cushioning softness is another important characteristic to consider. A comfortable Nike walking shoe will be either plush or balanced (moderately soft), depending on your personal preference.

Based on the HA durometer reading, each shoe falls into one of these categories:

• Plush: 20 HA or less
• Balanced: 20-30 HA
• Firm: 30 HA or more

Example of a plush Nike shoe (15 HA)

Does this mean you can use Nike running shoes for walking? Yes, absolutely!

Because so many running shoes from Nike meet the cushioning parameters mentioned above, they double as fantastic walking companions. Just be sure that you choose from the brand’s everyday running shoes and not race-day super shoes like the Vaporfly and Alphafly. Think of these as Formula 1 race cars - not something you would drive to work on a daily basis.

Support: Which Nike walking shoes offer more support?

Nike is not the most acclaimed brand when it comes to supportive walking shoes. It doesn’t have the same distinguished stability shoe series as ASICS (Kayano, GT) or Brooks (GTS).

But luckily, the company revived its Structure series in 2024 bringing shoes for flat feet and overpronation back on the map.

The Nike Structure 25 proved to be an effective stability shoe.

However, if your foot and pronation type don’t call for highly supportive shoes and motion control, you can get away with some of Nike’s neutral walking shoes. Our comprehensive lab testing showed that even neutral shoes can have some degree of arch support which makes them inherently stable and suitable for mild overpronation.

We gauge each shoe’s stability based on a series of tests:

• Torsional rigidity: We twist the shoe manually to assess its midfoot stiffness on a 1-5 scale (5 being the stiffest). And when the shoe is hard to twist, it prevents the foot from rolling over as well.
• Heel counter stiffness: We also rate the shoe’s heel counter on a 1-5 stiffness scale depending on its resistance to pushing and squeezing. When this shoe part is solid, it doesn’t let the heel and ankle shift and wobble, stabilising the gait from the very heel strike.
• Midsole width: We are particularly interested in the shoe’s heel width and measure its widest part with a calliper. More stable Nike shoes have a width of at least 90 mm.

Below is the overview of Nike’s most supportive walking shoes. But if you need more serious support for moderate-to-severe overpronation or other foot conditions, please take a look at our guide on the best walking shoes for flat feet.

Season: Nike walking shoes for every weather

Considering the differences in their upper designs and fabric types, Nike walking shoes vary in the level of breathability they provide. We developed several breathability tests in our RunRepeat lab to let you know which Nike shoes have better ventilation capacity and which ones are warmer.

Our primary test involves pumping smoke through the shoe’s toebox and assessing its breathability by the billows passing through. Shoes with the best airflow receive the highest score (5/5) – these are your best bet for hot summer days.

On the other hand, you may prefer a moderately breathable upper for the unpredictable temperatures of the transitional seasons. In this case, a Nike shoe with a breathability score of 2-3 is recommended.

And if you want to stay active in the cold season, there are several warm and even waterproof (Gore-Tex) options from Nike.

Durability: How to spot a durable Nike walking shoe?

Having tested hundreds of walking shoes from dozens of brands, we noticed that most visible wear-and-tear occurs in the following areas:

• Toebox fabric
• Heel collar lining
• Rubber outsole

To mimic the abrasion of long-term use, we came up with a few in-house durability tests using sandpaper and Dremel.

We apply sandpaper to the aforementioned shoe parts at consistent Dremel speed and pressure for a set amount of time. Once the drilling is done, we asses the damaged area on a 1-5 scale where 5 implies the highest abrasion resistance. We also use a tread gauge to measure the depth of the outsole dent precisely.

*MSRP: We also listed each shoe’s retail price to show you that there are durable Nike shoes in every price range.

Size and fit of Nike walking shoes

Because athletic brands don’t follow the same approach to shoe sizing, your Nike size may differ from the one you get in other brands.

To minimise the change of error, we highly recommend the following:

• measuring your current foot length precisely following this simple 3-step guide
• checking your Nike size in the brand’s official size chart
• checking the Size and fit section of a specific Nike walking shoe review on RunRepeat (some models deviate from the official sizing scheme which requires sizing up or down)

But even if you get the right size length-wise, that doesn’t guarantee a perfect fit width-wise.

Having poured hundreds of shoe moulds in our lab, we couldn’t help but notice the sizable differences in toebox dimensions of different Nike shoes in the same size and width!

The photo below shows the narrowerst and the widest mould of the Nike shoes we tested. Measuring them in the widest part (between the big toe and the pinkie), our calliper returned a whopping 7.3 mm difference! Let us remind you that both shoes were measured in the same size (men’s US 9) and width (D medium).

The photo also demonstrates how different the two shoes’ toebox shapes are - one is more pointy whereas the other one is more rounded and accommodating for all five toes.

That’s why we take a second measurement in the big toe area of the mould. This gives us an idea of how much tapering there is in the shoe’s forefoot.

Based on their toebox width in the widest part, each Nike walking shoe falls into one of the three categories:

*These accommodating Nike shoes are a special treat for people with wide feet given that the brand rarely offers its shoes in alternative widths.

Price: Nike walking shoes for every budget

The average retail price of Nike walking shoes hovers around £120 ranging from only £70 all the way to £180.

There are pros and cons to each price range but our lab tests have repeatedly shown that true value for money doesn’t always correlate with the higher price tag. We are also happy to see that Nike implements new materials and technologies in its more affordable options making them look and feel more premium than their price suggests.

In the table below, we list both the retail price and the audience score for each Nike walking shoe. Sorted by the score, the list shows how cheap shoes can also be highly favoured by the wearers.