I walked about 3000 kilometers over the last 12 months. Walking is my exercise+meditation combo, and I plan to keep doing it. My goal is 10K steps/day. I also do some mild weekly hikes, that have recently started reaching the 20K step mark.
When I started walking daily, I used regular Sketchers shoes with memory foam. These were very convenient for driving and hanging out in Starbucks but turned out to be unsustainable for longer walks. Switching away was a tough choice. However, my wife, who is chasing a similar walking goal as me, started having the same type of pain I had. So we decided to try new shoes.
What I got was the Nike Wildhorse 8. I didn’t know these are running shoes when I bought them. I guess most people who buy these shoes don’t run and walk instead. So I walked in mine until they started breaking. Here is my experience from walking about 2000 km with them.
Walking
- They’re very comfortable in most seasons, except the coldest days of the winter
- The slightest drops of rain go through and reach your sock, which I find pleasant
- They keep your feet cold and dry from sweat
- The sole has no visible signs of wear after no less than 2k km.
- The pain in my feet fully disappeared in about 3 weeks of use, and started coming back after ~10 months, perhaps due to insole damage
- The visible damage on the shoes after a 11 months of chasing steps every day is minimal
- Sufficiently comfortable for driving and shopping, no sacrifices over the Sketchers
Hiking
The shoes are light and the sole bends a lot. This has some pros and cons for my use:
- On a road like the one on the photo above, I would avoid the stones. The traditional hiking boots have hard soles and you can step wherever you like
- They’re light and you don’t need to think about them
- Okay on gravel
- Slippery on snow, don’t ask why I did snow hiking with them. It’s very easy for the snow to get in and then it hurts
Verdict
I didn’t use these shoes for their intended purpose. Can’t run yet. But they’re great for walking and easy hikes. I’m happy with my purchase and got a new pair.
❤️
Update 03/2025
The second pair of shoes broke after about 3 months of 10k/day use (the other 2-3 since I bought them I wore winter shoes). The first signs of insole damage was visible after less than a month and they started hurting not long after. I don’t know why the first pair lasted much longer. My use didn’t change.
💔
Veselin.blog 
Sounds like a great pair of shoes!
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Yep, at least for my use case. There are actual humans who run on mountain trails and are supposed to be the primary customers for Nike Trail. No idea if one of those people can be happy with my shoes.
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Trail running shoes were recommended to me for hiking, since I had serious toe issues with hiking boots. But then, I rarely have the opportunity to hike in rough or steep terrain. Currently wearing Asics Gel Kayano 9, liking them a lot, but mostly walking on pavement or hard paths.
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Last time I was an active hiker, I changed multiple hiking boots. It’s a big hit-and-miss, with the chance of a miss in the 80%s. My biggest achievements were done with light sneakers. Yeah, I did 5-6 hikes in rain but I’d rather stay at home if it rains these days.
Some problems I dealt with – too warm, feet too sweaty, bad smell, too heavy, way too heavy. You don’t have these with sneakers.
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