Good Sneakers for walking

[sophiesmom]

Hi! I'm looking for some recommendations for sneakers for walking. Walking in the neighborhood, on a treadmill, and Disney in July!

I have a pair of Avia, but my my pinky toes always seem to hurt in them. My feet are a bit wider after having 3 babies! so looking for something w/ more room width wise (i don't think i'm considered wide, but actually never tried to figure out if i was!)

Thanks!

[MontrealMum]

New Balance are supposed to be wonderful for walking, and do a number of different widths - but they are not terribly fashionable ;) Although I do wear them for my bigger walks, I prefer my Tretorns and Merrell Jungle Mocs (maybe not for a treadmill tho) for when people are going to "see" me.

[ahrimie]

i was just looking into this too! i wore my nikes all day and still my feet were aching (sigh* being 37 weeks along doesn't help). i asked my bro, who's run a few marathons, and he highly recommends asics. they're not the cutest shoes, but he said he never gets blisters with them and he has with nikes. he said to get the higher end ones, but they usually run around $130+.. if you can get last year's model though, they're around 70 or 80.

another mom on one of these recent threads mentioned getting insoles from rei (i think?? she mentioned a brand but i'm going to have to look it up myself).. i'm wonering if i could just buy those and put them in my nikes too.

[caheinz]

If you have a good store that specializes in running shoes nearby, it might be worth trying there.

I love the one here. They had me walk around with only socks on, to see how my foot fell when I walked. Your foot can come straight down, or it can roll in, or it can roll out. Different shoes are better for the different patterns... and they'll be able to tell you which you are, and what the best shoes are!

I was actually looking for running shoes when I went, and I went ahead and bought from them, since they were sooooo helpful. Turned out that they put me in for a discount code (shows up every time), and once I got home, there was nowhere online to get the same shoes for less.

The one here does have shoes other than running shoes, so I think they'd be able to do walking shoes, too. I do remember that they had me walk to see how my foot fell, so I think that applies equally to running and walking.

[ahrimie]

found it!! the other mom recommended "super feet" www.superfeet.com

they sell them at rei and some running stores, she said.

[GeekLady]

Frankly, ones that fit well and wear well, it doesn't matter who makes them. Your shoe needs will be different from anyone else's.

I've learned not to buy sneakers with fabric over the toes, I can somehow put a hole there in 6 months, and I need something with a wide width and a high gore. Right now I'm wearing Nikes, but only because I couldn't find my favorite New Balance model, and I needed a pair ASAP.

Oh, and if a salesperson tells you to go try on men's shoes because the ladies don't fit, (they're all flat across the gore!!), just leave the store. You also have my permission to use rude hand gestures.

[sophiesmom]

Thanks all! I will use your recommendations and head out looking. :-)

[citymama]

New Balance are supposed to be wonderful for walking, and do a number of different widths - but they are not terribly fashionable ;)

I am a huge fan of New Balance. And I've found some funky looking (relatively speaking for sneakers) NBs on Zappos.com. http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/22952995/c/128592.html I find the trail runners cooler looking as well as more comfy. I would recommend going to a B&M store to try on a pair of sneakers, and get a sense of fit and sizing, even if you end up ordering online.