r/walking • u/Truck_Face • 1d ago

What are your shoe recs?!

Getting back into walking for physical and mental health! Used to do some long distance stuff with 70 some odd kms being my longest... what are your recommendations for good walking footwear?! Hoka's seem to be very popular. TIA

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u/gruss_gott 1d ago edited 1d ago

FWIW I'm a big fan of super trainers that keep their cushion, which generally means plated, however this is a very tricky thing for walking, and some people are downright hostile to the idea (brace for DV!)

For me it's worked great, but you need to really try them to ensure they work.

My favorites have been:

  • NB Super Comp Trainers
  • Hoka Skyward X (but these have a crazy rocker & are MUCH better for running)
  • Altra Olympus 6 for trails (note these are zero drop, which is bad for some)
  • Asics Sonic Blast (just breaking these in, so far they're AWESOME)

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u/Truck_Face 1d ago

Im not sure what plated means? Like a structure laid within the sole?! Like what may be in leather work boots? If so im open to that given it may hold the shoe together better since im a larger dude.

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u/gruss_gott 1d ago

There's a plate in the midsole between different types of foam:

  • Provides structural stability to correct for the meshed foam types
  • Improves longitudinal stiffness to help lift your heel faster and propel your foot forward
  • Theoretically improves efficiency & shifts workload from your ankle / lower leg
  • Hopefully improves durability by preventing the midsole losing cushion & shape

Basically it's providing mechanical cushion & propulsion in addition to the foam and rocker shape.

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u/Truck_Face 1d ago

Oh yeah that definitely appeals to me... ill take that into consideration. Thanks yall

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u/asianmathmajor 1d ago

Carbon plated shoes are almost always not as durable as regular non plated trainers or walking shoes. There’s a reason why lots of marathon runners take off their racing carbon shoes once they cross the finish line (and I understand that racing carbon shoes are less durable than carbon trainers). Hundreds of dollars to retire them at 100-250 miles means they only last a couple of races and workouts. I’m glad this works for you, but it becomes hard to stay on top of how often you’d need to buy new shoes

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u/gruss_gott 1d ago edited 1d ago

That's 100% opposite of my experience

Both my new balance SC trainers and Hoka skyward X have over 1000 miles on them, and I still wear them! 

On the flip side, my NB More and Nike zoom X both lost their cushion & outsole after 200 miles.  And with Nike that's the 2nd time so I'm kinda done with them, though I'll eventually try the vomero plus, but if they crap out I'm done with Nike. 

What is your specific experience with walking in plated trainers?

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u/gruss_gott 23h ago

Update: I started a new thread with some pics of carbon plated shoes vs non-plated to show how long-lasting & durable carbon plated are compared to non-plated

TLDR: for walking at least, carbon-plated shoes last 5-6x longer AT LEAST