7 Best Skechers Walking Shoes

The Skechers walking shoe that stole our hearts during our rigorous testing process is the Skechers Max Cushioning Arch Fit. It’s a master of all trades from top-notch and all-embracing comfort to outstanding quality!

One of the sources of our elating walks in this shoe is its cool environment that always keeps our feet fresh. To shed light on this matter, we released smoke inside the shoe. As the upper did fantastic in expelling the smoke, we rated the breathability a 4/5.

This shoe also greatly put us above the flooring, providing us with a hefty and comfy cushioning for us to land and distribute our weight. We substantiated this by measuring the midsole with our calliper. The heel punched in a 36 mm height, while the forefoot is 27.4 mm thick. These are significantly higher than the average by 15% and 30.5%, respectively. As is evident, the stress on our feet is mitigated, thanks to the generous foam.

With respect to its ability to last, the odds are in its favour, especially when our Dremel wasn’t able to completely drill through the shoe’s upper, heel, and outsole. In fact, our tool depleted the outsole by only 0.2 mm, which is almost negligible or 87.5% lower compared to the average. Due to the tough and stable nature of the shoe, we were counting on it to be stiff during walks. As it turned out, it took 19.4% more force than usual, or 21.5N to be exact to bend the shoe. If you prioritise smooth foot movements, we recommend picking other shoes.

Of all the Skechers walking shoes we have donned in our long walks and scrutinised in our lab, the Skechers Arch Fit 2.0 set itself apart for its incredible arch support. Our feet found a haven in the cushioning of this pair as it maintains our neutral foot alignment while walking. The best part is it delivered comfort and stability throughout the day.

There is no sensation of stress in our heels with the Skechers Arch Fit 2.0. One primary thing that caused this is their elevation due to the high heel-to-toe drop of this walking shoe. We measured it to be 15.2 mm, which is 43.4% greater than the average. When it comes to bolstering our feet and arches, we avoid marshmallowy softness. Fortunately with Skechers Arch Fit 2.0, the midsole is on the firm side, registering 30.4 HA in our durometer. This even transcended the average midsole firmness by 21.1%. 

When we tested it under a winter-like environment, aka our freezer, we found that the hardness of the midsole turned to 33.4 HA, which is closely aligned with the average plus demonstrated a slight change of 9.9% from the ambient temp. On our walks, this also didn’t exhibit a dramatic change.

What worried us was the durability of the shoe. The outsole sustained a significant 2.4 mm depression when we applied our Dremel to it. This is deeper by 60% than the average. If you’re seeking long-lasting shoes, better opt for other Skechers selections.

Skechers Summits is god-sent in terms of on-foot sensation, which is why we designated it as the Skechers walking shoe with superlative comfort. Every time we travel with Summits, our trips are no less than electrifying because of how this shoe quenches our feet’s thirst for goodness. 

One major contributor to the relaxed state of our feet is the non-constricting toebox of the Summits. In our lab, we measured the widest part of the toebox at 98.8 mm, which provided us with 0.9 mm of additional space compared to the average.

The shoe also oozes softness and pliability. In fact, when we poked our durometer into the midsole, it reflected 21.1 HA, which is 16.3% more cloud-like than average. Summits is also not hard to move at all when we are walking. We bent it using our digital force gauge and our device detected a low opposing force of 6.6N, which made it 63.3% more flexible than others.

Our only concern is the poor ventilation of the shoes which led to a clammy feeling in our toes. This manifested in our breathability test, where the upper discharged only a small amount of the smoke we deposited inside, therefore receiving a 2/5 rating. We suggest checking out shoes with porous uppers if you desire solid airflow.

The top-performing Skechers slip-on walking shoe among the ones we laid our tools and equipment on is the Skechers GO WALK Flex. It delivers an unmatched level of convenience, comfort, and ease while we are out, ruling the world during our walks! And the usual features we look for in a superb slip-on are also present: a gusseted tongue and a heel tab.

We liked how this slip-on nicely housed our feet. We found the reason behind this in our lab: the widest part of the toebox has a 99.5 mm width, which is 1.6 mm more spacious than the average. The platform of the shoe is also noteworthy, as our acquired 112.5 mm measurement in the forefoot and 92.5 mm in the heel both exceed the averages by 2.6 mm and 4.4 mm. This allowed us to be surefooted on our strolls.

Moreover, we didn’t have a hard time carrying the shoe on our feet even for long-distance walks. With only 7.73 oz (219g) flashed on our scale, GO WALK Flex is certainly light, and also 14.4% lighter than the standard! However, this came at the price of stability. Apart from discovering that it doesn’t comprise stabilising features, we observed that it easily caves into twisting, which leads to unsteadiness. If you strictly require supportive shoes, we advise exploring other selections.

We are struck by the on-foot sensation of Skechers GO WALK 6 which we could only describe as magnificent. The upper of this shoe acted like our second skin, ensuring that our whole walking experience was as natural and as undemanding as ever. 

This walking shoe is moulded perfectly to our feet but constricting is something we can never call it. When we measured the broadest section of the toebox, we found that it surpassed the average by only 0.1 mm. Combining this with the stretchy upper gave us a good sense of what it feels like for our feet to be hugged nicely.

What blew our minds was the robustness of the shoe’s upper which we corroborated through our durability test. We employed our Dremel tool to see if the material would deteriorate but to our surprise, it didn’t break through the knit. 

Along with GO WALK 6’s sock-like characteristics is a weight that tricked us into thinking we are really wearing socks. The shoe registered 8.78 oz (249g) on our scale, which is 2.8% lighter than average. 

If there is one thing lacking in GO WALK 6, it’s a solid airflow. We looked at its upper under our microscope and it revealed that the material is tightly knitted, which is why air hardly passed through. If you desire a walking shoe to use in the summer, this isn’t it.

The Skechers walking shoe that takes the crown for the best lightweight category is the Skechers Gowalk Joy. It might be hard to believe, but its incredible weight comes with generous cushioning which then provides us with over-the-top comfort even for prolonged hours of wear.

We determined how much the shoe weighed using our digital scale, which read 6.17 oz (175g). This outshined the average as it’s 31.7% lighter! Despite its ultra-light construction, Gowalk Joy still beat most of the shoes in terms of cushioning. We recorded 32.7 mm and 23.2 mm heel and forefoot stack heights, which by the way, exceed the averages by 4.5% and 10.5%, respectively. This made us feel like we were wandering on clouds instead of the ground. 

What’s also fantastic about Gowalk Joy is the fact that it isn’t only true to size but is also accommodating. We realised that the widest part of its toebox is as wide as the average at 97.9 mm. More good news is the upper expands as the foot also expands through the heat, providing a comfortable, adaptive fit.

However, we don’t suggest getting this shoe if you have foot issues because this wouldn’t be of any help. It is very pliable and contains no reinforcing elements, as proven when we assessed its torsional rigidity and later cut open the shoe. 

Among all the Skechers walking shoes we scrutinised outdoors and inside our lab, the undisputed champion for all-day wear is the Skechers Gowalk Joy - Ecstatic. The shoe imitated the sensation of wearing slippers, that’s why our whole day trips are as easygoing as ever.

Advancing in Gowalk Joy - Ecstatic is such an unconstraining experience. This is very similar to the flexibility test we conducted where the shoe easily bent under the influence of our digital force gauge. It withstood the bending with a 15.2N force, demonstrating that it’s 15.6% more pliable than most and allows effortless striding motions.

What’s even more exciting is that the shoe doesn’t lose its flexibility in the cold. We dumped it inside our freezer and left it there for 20 minutes. We then re-recorded a stiffness of 22.7N, which is still 20.9% more flexible than the average in cold conditions. 

Another thing that sustained us through day-long on-foot adventures was the super-loaded cushioning. Logging 32.7 mm and 24.4 mm heel and forefoot stack heights, the cushioning exceeded the average stack heights by 4.5% and 16.2%, leading to comfort-filled outings from dusk till dawn! However, we discovered that this isn’t the case for people with foot-related conditions as the shoe doesn’t have stabilising confines. We evaluated its torsional rigidity and it showed no resistance to twisting, thus a score of 1/5. We suggest skipping this shoe if you have podiatric concerns.