Skechers Summits review

We think that this basic walking shoe from Skechers is going to suit guys and gals who:

• want a slip-on shoe that's super quick to put on and take off
• need an exceptionally lightweight daily beater
• look for a no-frills budget-friendly option
• prefer plush cushioning with Memory Foam

There is absolutely no arch support in the Skechers Summits. If you struggle with overpronating feet or weak ankles, we definitely recommend reaching for the Skechers Arch Fit instead. This shoe comes in dozens of various styles and colorways.

And if you are willing to stretch your budget in return for higher quality, better breathability, and more lasting construction, consider the On Cloud 5 or the Cloud 5 Push.

Amazingly, for its super light weight, this Skechers shoe managed to pack more cushioning than average!

Measuring its heel stack with a calliper, we got 36.4 mm of height. This is about 5 mm thicker than average. Walking in the Summits, we indeed felt very comfy and well-cushioned.

Upfront in the forefoot, we found the midsole to be 20.6 mm thick. This is the same stack height as the average of walking shoes.

There is enough foam to keep the balls of the feet comfortable, while still letting the foot bend naturally as it transitions from heel to toe.

Comparing the difference in stack heights, we get a heel-to-toe drop of 15.8 mm. This is significantly taller than average, offering generous cushioning under the heel.

However, some of that drop gets lost as the Memory Foam insole squishes to take the shape of your foot.

Using our durometer, we measured the shoe's foam at 21.1 HA. That's a whole 21% softer than our lab-tested walking shoes.

Like most Skechers shoes, the Summits feels marshmallow soft!

The Skechers Summits uses a Memory Foam insole to make its wearers even happier. This material moulds to the shape of your foot to provide that customised padding. No wonder our insole measurement came out so big - the insole is nearly a centimetre thick (9.6 mm)!

But as much as we enjoyed the memory foam effect, it deteriorated way too quickly. We couldn't feel it as vividly after about a week of regular wear.

The Skechers Summits fits just as expected in our regular walking shoe size. Our toes had enough room in the toebox and the material had just enough give for a snug but non-restrictive fit.

Measuring the widest part of the shoe's forefoot with a caliper, we got 98.8 mm. That's nearly the same as the average.

The shoe's toebox remains spacious enough around the toes too. Measuring its width at the big toe, we got 77.3 mm. Less than a millimeter narrower than the average.

The shoe features a bungee-laced instep in place of a conventional lacing system. The bungee laces cannot be used to adjust the fit; however, they stay taut, providing a lockdown when the foot is inside, and stretch easily when the trainer is being taken off or put on.

The shoe grips dry outdoor surfaces pretty well. However, we recommend staying away from wet floors or wood as the lack of rubber makes this Summits shoe a slippery disaster.

Exposed foam never looks as confidence-inspiring as a full-length rubber outsole but the Skechers Summits proves that you can still expect a pretty good grip from it.

To test if the shoe can resist slipping upon heel landing, we measured its amount of friction by stomping the heel against wet concrete at a 7-degree angle and a 500N force.

The Summits returned a great coefficient of friction (0.47) confirming its solid gripping capacity on dry and wet urban surfaces.

The Skechers Summits has zero rubber which makes it extra lightweight, flexible, and soft underfoot.

If you are looking for support and stability in this Skechers shoe, we recommend looking elsewhere (hint: Skechers Arch Fit).

The Summits was made as a 100% neutral walking shoe. There is no added arch support or any other features that would help to stabilise the gait. This shoe is meant to move along with the foot naturally.

There is not even a bit of torsional stiffness in the Skechers Summits.

As our manual assessment shows, the shoe has zero resistance to bending and twisting. Thus, we rated its torsional rigidity with the lowest score of 1 out of 5.

The heel counter is just as pliable as the rest of the shoe. On a scale from 1 to 5 where 5 is the stiffest, we rated it as 1.

A firm foothold is not to be expected here.

The shoe has an average-width platform that is neither too narrow nor wide. We found its landing surface to be just right for a neutral walking shoe.

Measuring the widest part of the sole in the forefoot, we got 107.2 mm. 

As for the widest part of the heel, our calliper shows 88.6 mm. This is less than a millimetre away from the average measurement.

The Skechers Summits is a highly flexible shoe, even compared to its companions from the same brand.

According to our shoe flexibility tester, it took as little as 4.6N to bend the shoe to a 30-degree angle. That's almost 70% less than it takes a walking shoe on average!

The Summits shoe is definitely on the lighter side of the spectrum of Skechers shoes.

Weighing it on our scale, we got 8.1 oz (230g), which is an ounce lighter than walking shoes on average!

This is the kind of shoe that can make you feel like you forgot to put your shoes on in the morning.

This may come as a surprise, but this seemingly light and mesh-covered Skechers shoe really lacks in the breathability department.

Comparing the Summits to other walking shoes in our lab, we found that the air barely passes through its upper textile. In the video below, we pumped smoke through the uppers of both shoes at the same speed but you can see how the Skechers Summits is only letting out a tiny streak.

For that reason, we rated the shoe's breathability as only 2 out of 5.

To support our findings, we also put the upper through a transparency test. Holding the half-cut shoe against the light, we didn't see any perforations or pores that would be large enough to let the light shine through.

Looking at the upper through our microscope, it seems like the shoe's tightly woven fabric is the one to blame.

The shoe's slightly warm upper really paid off when it came to the durability test.

Applying our Dremel to the shoe's toebox material at a 5K RPM speed, we were surprised to find that it didn't leave a see-through hole! Because the tool only damaged the topmost layer of the upper, we rated this shoe's toebox durability as 3 out 5.

Not bad for a £70 shoe!

It was also nice to see that such a sensitive area as the heel padding stood up to the test just fine!

After applying the Dremel for 4 seconds at a 5K RPM speed, all we saw was a mere scratch. Thus, the heel padding received a solid 5 out of 5 score for durability.

Way to go, Skechers!

When it comes to the outsole, we wouldn't expect the same level of wear resistance from the Summits. The nature of the foam is too soft to withstand regular contact with asphalt and concrete.

Measuring its hardness with a durometer, we only got 53 HC, whereas walking shoes on average have an outsole hardness of 73.1 HC.

Quite expected, the shoe's "outsole" failed when we tested its abrasion resistance with our Dremel.

Having drilled the material for 22 seconds at a speed of 10K RPM, the damage was much larger compared to other shoes.

We measured the depth of the dent with the help of a tread gauge and got 2.5 mm. That's a millimetre deeper than average!

If you plan to wear the Skechers Summits outside daily, you will likely need a replacement after one season.

Because there is no outsole protecting the shoe's exposed foam, we expect a shorter-than-average life span from this walking shoe.

There are no reflective elements on the Skechers Summits.

As there is no tongue per se, we measured the thickness of the upper right above the instep. Our calliper returned 4.7 mm which is about the same amount of padding as the average.

As a slip-on shoe, the Skechers Summits has a fully integrated tongue.

This Skechers slip-on is pretty easy to put on in the first place. However, the brand still added a handy pull tab at the back to assist the wearer.

The shoe's Memory Foam insole is removable. This is a good thing given how fast its effect is wearing out. You can revive the shoe's underfoot comfort by replacing the insole.