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.

💔