Walking on a treadmill is a fantastic way to get your daily steps in while safe and secure and away from the elements. You can plug in your headphones and listen to your favourite songs, an audiobook, or a podcast, safe in the knowledge that you’re not going to be in any danger.
But getting a treadmill is only half the journey, you also want to get the right walking shoes to provide comfort, support, and to help you avoid injury. In this article, we will be looking at five of the best treadmill walking shoes that are currently available to buy.
Best Treadmill Walking Shoes
In this article we will look at three of the best men’s shoes for treadmill walking and two of the best women’s shoes for treadmill walking. We’ll also look at whether they are the best shoes for incline walking, as this is often popular on treadmills.
Below you will see a table that rates the five shoes on a number of criteria:
- Aesthetics
- Comfort
- Breathability
- Support
- Value for money
Aesthetics is a pretty subjective criterion, so feel free to ignore this if you disagree, but many of you may find it useful. Comfort is vitally important for treadmill walking as a treadmill deck can be quite hard. Long walks can be a nightmare if your shoes aren’t comfortable enough.
Support will focus on the shoes ability to protect your ankles and heels, particularly when the treadmill is on an incline (or decline).
Value for money looks at whether the shoes are fairly priced. This does not mean that cheaper shoes will necessarily get better scores. You want a combination of durability, performance, and a price that reflects what the shoe is truly worth.
You may find that a more expensive shoe lasts you six years while a cheaper shoe only lasts six months. In that case, which is the better value? Obviously the first one, even though it is more expensive.
| Best Treadmill Walking Shoes | Aesthetics | Comfort | Breathe | Support | Value | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravity Defyer Walking Shoe | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 18/25 | Check Price |
| Hoka One One Gaviota Walking Shoe | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 20/25 | Check Price |
| Saucony Xodus Walking Shoe | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 19/25 | Check Price |
| Skechers Men’s Walking Shoe | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 22/25 | Check Price |
| Ryka Walking Shoe | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 18/25 | Check Price |
As you can see, we have a clear winner. Skechers men’s walking shoe is the highest performing walking shoe on this list, with Gravity Defyer and Ryka being tied for best women’s walking shoe with 18 out of 25 each.
We will now take an individual look at each of the shoes on this list, in an effort to help you find the ideal walking shoe for your needs.
Best Treadmill Walking Shoes #1: Gravity Defyer Walking Shoe
The first walking shoe we’re looking at is Gravity Defyer women’s walking shoe. It took us a while to work out that they’d purposefully misspelled “gravity defier”. It’s a bit of an odd name for a walking shoe, as the act of placing your foot back on the ground isn’t exactly defying gravity! But we get where they are coming from.
The shoes aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing, they are not the type of shoes you would want to wear outside of the house as a fashion item. But as a treadmill walking shoe? They are superb. Very comfortable, with VersoShock patented technology relieving pain in your joints, and a front rocker in the sole to prevent plantar fasciitis.
The shoes boast a very breathable upper, which will keep your feet cool and ventilated even during the most arduous of walks. Overall, the shoes are fantastic, the only downside is that they are quite high on the price range, which lowers the value for money score a little.
That being said, the shoes will last you years, and will provide amazing comfort and support throughout their use. Purchasing a pair is a seriously good investment for a treadmill walker.
Best Treadmill Walking Shoes #2: Hoka One One Gaviota Walking Shoe
Hoka One One is a walking and running shoe company that has developed a seriously good reputation for ridiculously comfortable shoes. The type of shoes that leave you feeling like you’re walking on clouds, or sunshine, or whatever metaphor you prefer!
The Gaviota Men’s walking shoe is of course no exception and scores a perfect 5 out of 5 on our comfort scale. They also look superb, one of the few shoes on this list that are as fashionable as they are practical.
These shoes are amazingly durable, and will outlast most of the competition. However, the price is higher than any other shoe on this list. Our score of 4 out of 5 for value for money reflects just how good they are, and how long they should last you. But they are undeniably expensive. If you have the budget for them, then definitely go for it.
The only area that they are a bit of a let-down is in breathability. While the toe end of the upper uses a fine mesh, this is not extended as far as it could be. This is just a minor complaint though, and this is certainly a walking shoe that will really deliver a great workout.
Best Treadmill Walking Shoes #3: Saucony Xodus Walking Shoe
If Hoka One One have a reputation for comfort, then Saucony has a reputation for performance, making some of the best racing shoes on the planet. The decision to make a walking shoe may seem a little out of left field, but you just know that they’re going to make an excellent product.
We scored the shoe quite low for aesthetics, this is partly because the colour combinations available are pretty poor (in our opinion). Also, the shoes tend to get beaten up pretty quickly, with some poor stitching towards the bottom of the shoe.
But Saucony is all about performance, and these shoes perform superbly on treadmills. There is a lot of support, thanks to PWRRUN technology, the cushioning is amazing, and the shoes are pretty breathable too. Though this could be a little better (hence our 4 out of 5 score).
As with the Hoka One One shoes, the Saucony Xodus walking shoe can be quite expensive (prices vary depending on size and availability) but due to the high quality design and durability they are still deemed an excellent investment.
Best Treadmill Walking Shoes #4: Skechers Men’s Max Cushioning Walking Shoe
If you’d told us a few years back that we’d be voting a Skechers shoe as number one on any list we’d have thought you were crazy. But the Skechers Men’s Max Cushioning Walking shoe dominates in nearly every category.
It’s insanely comfortable, and rivals Hoka One One when it comes to cushioning. A gorgeous midsole cushion and insole cushion helping you feel like you’re walking on air.
They look pretty decent too, not amazing. Not fashionable. But you could get away with wearing these out on the streets without being laughed at, which is impressive for a walking shoe! The seamless mesh fabric is designed to provide maximum breathability, though we’re not sure that its as breathable as you’d expect.
They are a great price, and considering how comfortable and supportive they are, the value for money is unbeatable. Worthy winners of this list.
Best Treadmill Walking Shoes #5: Ryka Women’s Walking Shoe
The final walking shoe on our list is the Ryka Women’s Walking shoe, it’s a great compromise, and very well priced. It may not look particularly cool, but it is inoffensive, and gets the job done. Considering the low price, the shoe is surprisingly comfortable. It will really help you to walk long distances on a hard treadmill without feeling any discomfort or pain.
They are fairly average when it comes to breathability but will do a decent enough job. Walking on a treadmill doesn’t require the same level of ventilation as running does in any case.
Where these shoes really stand out is in their price, they are comfortably the lowest priced walking shoes on this list, and yet they still retain enough quality to mix it with the other bigger name walking shoes.
Final Thought
Remember, many of the walking shoes on this list have versions for each gender. So, if you like the Hoka One One men’s shoe but are a woman you can still find yourself a similar version. Same goes for Skechers, and Saucony.
The best walking shoes on this list are Skechers’ ones, though this is because they are overall the best. The most comfortable are probably the Hoka One One shoes, and Saucony have the most breathable. But Skechers wins pretty much every other category. Our number one pick.
