Best walking shoes for men

What’s the number one factor in having a good backpacking trip? Great scenery, good company, perfectly roasted marshmallows for your s’mores? No, no, and… well, that one’s a real contender, but the most critical factor is one that’s often overlooked: happy feet. It doesn’t matter how beautiful the landscapes are if you’ve got sore, blister-covered feet and every step feels like it’s going to be your last.

While backpackers have traditionally worn high-top hiking boots, many are now moving toward more minimalist walking shoes. Modern equipment weighs a lot less than older gear, and mainstream hikers have also started picking up tips from the ultralight backpacking movement, making our packs lighter and rendering that extra ankle support superfluous.

So, you’ve settled on getting something lighter than your typical burly hiking boots, but now how do you choose? For the most part, when choosing walking shoes for men you’ll use the same criteria you would for a pair of boots, while keeping in mind that you want to move fast and keep your footwear lightweight.  (For tips on how to stay cool when camping, check out our guides to the best tent air conditioners and the best camping fan!)

Walking shoes can be made from many different materials, but most can be grouped into two types: leather and synthetic.

Leather is a classic choice, used for centuries to create very durable shoes that can also breathe, allowing them to shed both moisture and heat. Nubuck leather is one of the most common materials used in walking shoes - it’s relatively lightweight, durable, and most importantly, it has a lot more flex than full-grain leather (think police boots or older military boots). It’s a little heavier than synthetic materials, but you’ll definitely notice the difference in durability: leather shoes typically last twice as long as ones made from synthetics. 

Many shoes actually contain both leather and synthetics, as leather walking shoes usually have a few synthetic vents to get heat and moisture out even quicker. These vents are made with Gore-Tex, a breathable membrane that lets moisture from your foot out without letting anything from the environment in. The alternative is for the whole shoe to be made from Gore-Tex, which is usually best when breathability and minimizing weight are paramount.

How comfortable your shoes are depends on few different factors, but there are three main ones: sole thickness, sole stiffness, and the stiffness of your uppers.

Walking shoes typically have a thinner and more flexible sole than walking boots (which may have a hard plastic or steel shank inserted to provide even greater rigidity). The thinner sole allows your foot to flex more naturally with each step, which is especially important on steep slopes where that flex will allow you keep a foothold. However, the lack of rigidity also means that you’ll feel more of trail; every little rock and root will transmit more force through your shoe than it would on a thick-soled boot.

The stiffness of the uppers is also important, and is usually determined by the material they’re constructed from. Leather is stiffer than synthetic materials, though many synthetic shoes now have reinforcement ribs that are meant to give them the same stiffness as leather. Stiff uppers are good if you’ll be hiking long distances, since they prevent your foot from slipping around and possibly causing blisters. However, they prevent your foot from flexing as much, changing your stride to more of a march, which is much less comfortable.

Basically, if you’re going to be hiking long distances - think 10-15 miles per day - you’ll need a shoe with a thick, rigid sole and upper to protect your feet from those little annoyances on the trail. For shorter hikes, though, something more flexible will feel better on your feet and help you to move faster on the trail.

The toe box and cap is located at the point of the shoe and provides protection against the inevitable stubbing that occurs on a rocky or root-filled trail. Walking shoes sport a thinner and less protective toe box, which is one of the major differences between walking shoes and walking boots.

When choosing a pair of walking shoes, think about what your trails will look like: are they soft dirt and grass, or are they granite staircases and boulder fields? The rockier the terrain, the more protective of a toe box you’ll need.

Additionally, if you think you might do some trail running, it’s imperative to choose a shoe with a more substantial toe box. The higher speeds involved with running can cause serious damage to your toes (possibly even broken toes) if you don’t have something thick covering them.

Traction is probably the single biggest difference between walking shoes that are made for hiking and a pair of sneakers designed for the city. Start by studying the lug pattern on the bottom of the hiking shoe; larger lugs are good for hiking muddy trails, while smaller ones will serve you better on a slippery scree slope.

From there, look at the material used on the shoe’s sole; quite a few footwear companies have outsourced this part of their shoes to Vibram, a leader in the outsole manufacturing industry. But that in itself doesn’t tell you much, since Vibram (and many other companies) make their soles out of a variety of materials. Softer rubber is better for traction as it’s quite “sticky,” which is good if you’ll be doing a lot of downhill on rocky terrain. However, soft rubber deteriorates quicker, with a little bit wearing off after each time you hike. If you don’t require aggressive traction and prefer more durability, go with harder rubber instead.

By choosing a hiking shoe rather than a boot, you’re already forgoing a certain amount of ankle support. However, most shoe models come in a few different varieties - low, mid, and high-top - so you’ll still have some choice in how much support you get.

The major difference between boot and shoes, though, is the stiffness of the upper; even a high-top hiking shoe won’t have much more stiffness than you’d get in a basketball shoe. Most of the ankle cuff is just padding rather than any kind of supportive material.

When you’re choosing shoes, be honest with yourself about how strong your ankles are. You can build up their strength over time, but you’d never want to take a shoe with too little support deep into the backcountry (especially with a heavy pack). A sprained ankle will ruin your trip, and if you have weak ankles and your shoes don’t offer much support, that’s a real risk.

Whether or not to wear waterproof boots has led to heated debates in the hiking community ever since Gore-Tex was introduced in the late 60s. On one hand, waterproof shoes should lead to greater comfort - no one likes having wet feet. Damp skin blisters faster than dry skin, and fungus loves a moist environment to grow in. So it would only make sense to wear waterproof shoes if you’ll be crossing shallow creeks or walking muddy trails.

All of that would be true if Gore-Tex worked the way it’s supposed to, acting as a barrier to external moisture while allowing your sweaty feet to breathe unimpeded. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case - waterproof boots also prevent moisture from getting out, leaving your feet hotter and sweatier than they would be in non-waterproof shoes. If you’re hiking in a hot climate with dry trails, you should definitely choose a non-waterproof shoe.

Of course, most of us don’t hike the same type of terrain week in and week out, so there’s a trade off to be made. You’ll need to decide which is more important - getting your sweat out or preventing moisture from getting in.

The best all-around shoe is probably Salomon’s X Ultra 3 GTX. They’re lightweight, comfortable, and easy to move quickly in - all the qualities you look for in a hiking shoe. These shoes are also very waterproof, so you know you can use them in just about any environment. Admittedly, they’re not great when it comes to durability or carrying a heavy pack, but that’s the sort of trade off you make when choosing walking shoes over a pair of boots.

If you need a more substantial shoe, the Hoka One One Tor Summit might be a better choice. However, at that point, you’ll need to consider whether it would be better to upgrade to a full-fledged hiking boot. No matter what footwear you go with, keep their limitations in mind, as failure to do so will almost certainly lead to blisters and an unpleasant backpacking trip.