footwear

[DrFitt]

What shoes are we all using?

Paved walking/running - Adidas AdiZero's ....so light and comfortable

Off road running walking - New Balance Trail Runners

Hiking/Backpacking - Scarpa Rangers

[Dominique]

I walk and run on dirt roads, asphalt and (now) packed snow. I use running shoes sold under the little known brand "Crivit", which is carried by Lidl (German hard discounter that has stores in many European countries, including mine, Finland). They have a summer model like this one (for ladies, but they have a similar one for men) and a winter model. Both cost either €19.99 or €15.00 (when on sale). I find they are very good for the price and I usually grab several pairs when I see them at €15.00. I ruthlessly discard them every 1000 km or so. The price is low enough so I don't feel too bad about it; if they were fancy and expensive brand shoes, I'd probably keep them well past their best before date

I have been averaging 20,000+ steps per day for the past 10 months and I have had no injury whatsoever, so I guess these shoes are pretty good. Highly recommended to European Fitbiters, if Lidl is present in your country.

[WendyB]

I get fitted every now and again

But my Feet like

Ascics
Brooks

I can not wear New balance

[gerrymcd]

For a while I wore Nike Free trainers while walking, working out, or even when I took the dog  to play inthe park.  I really liked the 'barefoot' feeling.  But, I made the mistake of running on a treadmill wearing them. A mistake since I'm pretty sure it was the root cause of me getting plantar fasciitis.  Besides being painful it took a long time to recover completely and made working out a pain (literally).  

I'm now much more dilligent about the shoe choices.  I wear walking shoes for walking (Columbia brand), running shoes (New Balance or Nike) for hitting the treadmill, Nike or Adidas cross trainers for general gym workouts, Sidi cycling shoes and Asolo hiking boots.     

Working on advice from my Dr. I switch around the shoe brands I now wear for running/workouts.  Wearing a single brand, or shoe type can endup putting pressure on the same parts of your foot/leg every workout, increasing the chance of injury.  Since I started doing this a couple of years ago I've not had any problems. 

[mikeproctor]

I'm hooked on the Vibram 5 finger shoes.  I would make sure you get a model with the thicker soles.  I wore a hole through the first pair I bought in about 4 months of walking.

[Jaime75035]

I have Asics and Saucony

[SunsetRunner]

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@DrFitt wrote:

What shoes are we all using?

Paved walking/running - Adidas AdiZero's ....so light and comfortable

Off road running walking - New Balance Trail Runners

Hiking/Backpacking - Scarpa Rangers

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I have found Merrell's are the best for me.

Paved/Sidewalk - Merrell Barefoot Road Glove 2

Trail Running - Merrell Bare Access 2

[smhermione]

I also wear Merrell's as they have very strong, supportive arches.

[Bryan_B]

For hiking/backpacking I hands down recommend North Face Hedgehog 3 GTX XCR Light Hikers.  Did some mileage on the Pacific Crest Trail earlier this year and they were amazing, and very light.

For walking my wife and I go on 8+ mile walks a few times a week.  I was having some pain with my old shoes so we went to the Walking Store and got fitted with Abeo SmartSystem 3750s.  They are like walking on pillows!

[grammy2mcj]

The shoes I wear in the summer are very lightweight.  My feet really get cold in the winter with them.  What shoe is best for winter wear?  

[Dominique]

I live in Finland, so it can get cold in winter. I’m using shoes in which the top part is waterproof. The coating used to achieve this makes them warm enough for me.

[grammy2mcj]

What is the brand of shoe you wear?  thank you for posting

[Dominique]

@grammy2mcj: if your question is aimed at me, I’m still wearing the same cheap shoes from Lidl I mentioned in 2014. I just bought new ones. I have separate models for winter (heavier, waterproof) and summer (lighter, "breathing", but not waterproof). I recently bought a pair of more expensive (about 75 euros, after discount) Salomon X-Pearl GTX, with the idea to make them my winter shoes next winter. Haven’t tried them in cold weather yet, but I’m sure they’ll fit the bill. I was also interested in a sole that would be better for slippery roads, as it can be a problem on some days (icy roads) over here.

[grammy2mcj]

Thank you for the information.  I saw the shoe on Amazon.  Does that particular shoe have the slip resistant sole?  

[emili]

I am a Nike Free 5.0 girl. the only thing different is the color. black for walking- blue for running and whatever other thing I do at the gym.

[grammy2mcj]

Is this a winter shoe?  I have the Saucony and it's very lightweight and not a shoe to wear during the winter.

[lyndielou]

Anyone dealing with bunions that have found shoes that work? I need something for 10+ km walks and not having much luck.

[GershonSurge]

Bunions are caused by shoes that are too narrow and push the big toe inward. When the big toe is pushed inward, the joint is pushed outward. On the other side, you may have corns caused by the little toe being pushed inward. This includes the shoes you wear when not running.

Many shoes have wider sizes now. I wear size 12 EEEE in Nike's. Asics also have wide sizes. New Balance has a wide size, but not wide enough for me.

Bunions will take a long time to go away. Eventually, you will develop a space between the big toe and the next toe like people who wear sandles. This is considered ideal.

People who have bunions often have hammer toes. This is caused by a shoe that is too short. Again, this includes shoes you wear when not running. Most people wear shoes at least half a size too short. 

When in doubt, select shoes that are too big. They do far less damage to the feet than shoes that are too small. Try to resist going longer to get wider as the heel may not fit properly. 

Socks are important, too. I wear thick wool socks during all seasons. There are some synthetic brands, like Thorlo, that work well, too. They are about $15.00 a pair, but they are worth the money. 

[bcalvanese]

I power walk on asphault and had some cheap A$$ shoes. One day I was half way through a 5 mile power walk at a state park and my feet where killing me sooooooooooo bad. At that point, either way I went I still had 2.5 miles to walk to get back, so I pained my way through it.

I thought to myself... **ahem** I gotta get some good A$$ shoes if I'm going to get serious about this power walking thing.

I went on a quest and now own about 14 pair of realy good shoes.

Brooks

Hoka Ones

Nike

Adidas

Under Armour

Asics

Ecco

My favorite ones right now are the Brooks Trancend 3's, Brooks Glycerin 13's, Adidas, and Under Armour's

I did try a pair of the Sketcher Go Walk's, and they were quite good, but after about 2 intense power walks, I crushed all the little pillars to pulps (i think they are made for more casual walking and not the pounding that I put them through).

[WholeJourney]

I wear New Balance 0880v6 running shoes.  They are a little heavy but they the cushioning and support that my feet need (my Dad's nickname for me as a kid was "leadfoot" lol!). I mostly do treadmill and trail/power walking but hope to gradually start running on the treadmill.

My shoes are extremely comfortable and absorb the shock very well.  Getting a good pair of shoes has really made a difference!