7 Best Cushioned Walking Shoes in 2024 (2024)

After logging countless hours in our lab and walking around the city, we finally decided which is the peerless cushioned walking shoe of all: Hoka Transport. To say that its cushioning is heavenly is to put it lightly. But what’s even more riveting is the support, steadiness, and surefootedness we felt while taking our walks, whether on roads or light trails.

While we discovered that our durometer punched in a midsole softness of 21.9 HA (23% softer than average), on our strolls, we felt a hint of firmness. We adored this underfoot as it made us endure whole days of walks without any pain.

Although the 34.1 mm heel cushioning (3.2 mm thicker than average) noticeably elevated us from the ground, we didn’t sense any wobbly or flimsy feeling from the shoe. Instead, we experienced exceptional stability – thanks to Transport’s stiffness and wide base. Our digital force gauge detected a 30.4N resistance, stiffer than average by 45%! On the other hand, the forefoot and heel base measures 112.8 mm and 92.5 mm, which are 5.3 mm and 7.3 mm wider than the mean values.

The downside is, wearing Transport can get hot. As evidenced by our smoke test, it is not breathable. It scored only 2/5. Looking at the upper under our microscope only confirmed this: the image showed an incredibly interlaced fabric. We hate that we can’t enjoy it during warm weather. Therefore, we do not advise traveling in the Hoka Transport during summertime.

For us, the best slip-on cushioned walking shoe should be one that provides a nice and pleasant ride quickly and easily. From all the shoes we’ve tested in the lab and on our feet, we found the On Cloud 5 to reign supreme in this regard. Its combination of balanced cushioning, breathability, and secure fit makes paradise for feet available in a snap!

The On Cloud 5’s status as a slip-on makes it a very convenient shoe to have. It's a shoe that can be worn quickly and in a hurry. What made us appreciate it even better is the fact that it secures feet exceptionally well. We didn’t have any experience of heel slips at all! From our experience with it, we’ve found that its fully gusseted tongue is what makes it very reliable in this regard.

Having the On Cloud 5 on our walking sessions made us appreciate the work that a cushioning unit puts in. To push it to the limits, we tested it for long hours, but we still couldn’t feel any hint of discomfort! To look into this further, we pressed our durometer to its midsole. Its hardness places it at a great spot, being only 4% stiffer than the average walking shoe. This firmness - while not exactly marshmallowy plush like other walking shoes, provides excellent comfort and structure underfoot.

As our hours with the On Cloud 5 piled up, we expected some heat to build up in the interior of the shoe. This certainly was not the case for the On Cloud 5. Its upper is well-perforated, letting us literally feel the air between our toes. To test this further, we pumped smoke into its interior and found that the particles had no problems escaping from the vents in the On Cloud 5’s upper and lace section.

While the On Cloud 5 has the cushioning to go the distance, it isn’t ready for long-term wear and tear. We found that its foam scuffs quite easily in the outsole. Its mesh upper also feels pretty flimsy especially when considering the long run. We don’t recommend it for those looking for a shoe to beat around with.

In our search for the best lightweight cushioned walking shoe, we looked for a shoe that feels extremely well-cushioned, despite its weightless build. As we pushed the Allbirds Tree Runners to its limits in the lab and on our feet, we came to realize that it’s head and shoulders above its competition in this regard. What drove us to pick it for this category is its ultralight construction, its soft insole, and its generous amount of cushioning underfoot.

As we thoroughly tested the Allbirds Tree Runners on the streets, we didn’t have any doubt in our minds that the shoe was lightweight. True enough, when we put it to the test in the lab, we measured its weight at 245g (8.6 oz), which makes it 23.1% lighter than the average walking shoe.

Despite all that, it doesn’t skimp at all when it comes to cushioning. Walking with the Allbirds Tree Runners on foot felt amazingly cozy. Its underfoot comfort is what particularly stood out to us, prompting us to take a deeper look into it in our lab. We measured its insole thickness to be 7.2 mm which is 1.7 mm thicker than that of the average walking shoe - quite a significant amount!

When we put in the miles in the Allbirds Tree Runners, we discovered another great thing about it. We found it great for extended walking sessions because of a good amount of cushioning overall. To take a deeper look into this, we cut the shoe in the middle to measure its stack height. With a heel stack height of 31.1 mm, there’s a lot of volume underfoot, considering its much lower weight.

While the comfort afforded by its cushioning makes it a great partner for pounding the pavements, an adequate amount of gentleness is needed when walking on rough surfaces. When we pressed our durometer to its outsole, we found that its hardness was at 62.1 HC, which is 13.6% softer than that of the average walking shoe. Therefore, we don’t recommend this for those looking for a walking shoe to beat around in.

On our prolonged walks all around town, the one that really stood out from the rest is the On Cloudnova. This walking shoe surpassed the standard we set for cushioned city walking shoes. In touring mostly on concrete, we require something that’s incredibly cushioned and moderately flexible, so it still offers steadiness minus any wobbly feel. Luckily, On Cloudnova understood the assignment!

In our lab, we checked what was beneath our well-sheltered feet. Using our durometer, we discovered that the midsole has a hardness of 29.9 HA, transcending the average by 4%. On our casual saunters, this manifested in superb cushioning with a firmness that wasn’t overpowered by plushness, and vice versa. Moreover, we adored On Cloudnova’s level of pliability. During our city walks, we felt that the bending of our feet is reasonable. Looking at our digital force gauge, our impression got validated. The tool recorded resistance to bending of 29.9N, which is sitting around the average - only 2.6% more flexible.

Consequently, we felt Cloudnova’s great stability, especially on cement. We found it even more impressive because it is actually a neutral shoe. We realized that one of the factors that made it so stable was its wide base, which we measured to be 116.9 mm and 91.1 mm at the forefoot and heel. The platform is quite wide compared to the average: 4.5% and 2.6% wider, respectively.

Our only concern is how much its midsole firmed up when we shoved it into our freezer for 20 minutes: 29.9 HA to 42.8 HA! This is a 47.6% change from room temp. Therefore, in freezing temperatures, the Cloudnova might feel different - best to store it at room temps.

Having tested different cushioned walking shoes during brisk and drizzly walks, we found that the best waterproof out there is the On Cloud 5 Waterproof. We greatly appreciated how the shoe’s resistance to water plus ample cushioning allowed us to enjoy it beyond all day but through all seasons. Bear in mind that our feet absolutely remained sheltered without even the littlest sign of exhaustion.

We loved two things about Cloud 5 Waterproof’s footbed: non-stingy cushioning along with a responsive feel underfoot! We examined this more in our lab and the result didn’t surprise us: heel and forefoot stack heights at 28.9 mm and 22.4 mm, which are close to averages of 30.9 mm and 21.4 mm.

On the other hand, pressing our durometer on the midsole got us a value of 30.4 HA – 10.1% firmer than average. On our walks, this equated to a balanced feeling between support and plushness, as well as bouncy rides.

Although we are already certain about the shoe’s water tightness from our trips on dampened grass and other waterlogged areas, we still subjected it to our smoke test. The shoe then scored only 1/5, further proving its imperviousness. The downside is it can get hot. So, while you can still wear it during summer, we recommend it best for cool weather.

Concluding our search for the best cushioning walking shoe that granted us the most eminent slip-proof experience is the Hoka Bondi SR. We are so unbothered by where we are stepping on because the outsole guards us from stumbling while the cushioning locks the comfort inside. Also, walking on tiled floorings, may they be oily or splashed with water, is a piece of cake with this shoe.

With a 73.1 HC outsole softness, it’s 1.1% harder than the average. This small difference evinced that the outsole isn’t too hard nor too soft, just right to clutch, and never easily let go on slippery floors. Utilizing our caliper, we gauged how dense the shoe’s cushioning is. With an overloading thickness of 39.4 mm in the heel and 31.2 mm in the forefoot, Bondi SR got ahead of the standard thicknesses by 25.9% and 48.6%. This delivered outstanding support and shock absorption.

We also used our durometer to determine the midsole’s softness and it turned in 20.4 HA, demonstrating 19% more plushness than average. Our walks are certainly more pleasurable because of this. However, the durability of the outsole is sacrificed. We applied our Dremel to it and it caused a 2.5 mm indentation, which is 56.3% deeper than the average. If you highly require wear-resistant outsoles, we recommend searching for other pairs.

Hinting us already with what’s about to come, Skechers Max Cushioning Arch Fit’s name is a true reflection of what it is in on-foot journeys. It really does offer us a maximum level of cushioning and incredible arch support that contours our feet perfectly, which is the primary reason why it sits atop the throne of the cushioned walking shoes with the best arch support!

Utilizing our caliper, we discovered that this shoe is very lavish with foam, elevating the heel by 36 mm and the forefoot by 27.4 mm. These even bested the averages by 15% and 30.5%, respectively, leaving us on cloud nine – unharmed by any impact.

The shoe’s midsole is also unstinting when it comes to plushness. Cross-checking it with our durometer, we realized that at 17 HA, this shoe is 32.5% softer than most walking shoes. The great thing about it is, that while it’s soft, it still braced our arches very well, thus sparing our feet from stress.

Even in chilly conditions, the midsole didn’t become hard as ice. Although it firmed up by 37.5% after putting it in our freezer, at 23 HA, it’s still softer than at the room temp average by 7.1%. The drawback is this shoe carries a weight of 11 oz (312g), which is heavier than the standard by 21.9%. If you prefer lighter shoes, we recommend disregarding the Max Cushioning Arch Fit.