Best walking shoes for men

Under Tips and Trip Reports there is an entire section on walking shoes.

Cowboy boots .... Ouch.

PS besides being comfortable it seems the next most important feature on this board is they must be cute. For some though cute may be the priority.

My husband's take on your question: They're his feet -- he will figure it out.

Maybe you could take a multi-mile walk this weekend while he wears the boots ?
If all else fails, there are shoe stores in Europe.

Changing to walking boots or shoes may or may not be a good idea depending on the usual heel height of his "cowboy boots". If he has been wearing high heeled boots, switching to walking or hiking boots with normal (shorter) heel height just before a trip involving more walking than normal may not be a good idea. High heels abnormally shorten calf muscles and Achilles tendons. Switching to standard heel height boots will suddenly tension those muscles and tendons. Check with his podiatrist before doing something drastic.

Consider training by walking/hiking in the footwear you plan on taking. Increase distances by 10% a week. Include some stair climbing and up hill and down disgtances. Got both feet and cardiovascular system ready for the trip. Bring aspirins: http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/aspirin-for-heart-attack-and-unstable-angina

I wear and love cowboy boots. (Raised in cattle country, live in Colorado.) I also have toured and walked many, many miles in cities and pathways in Europe. I would not take or wear my cowboy boots to Europe for a couple of reasons. First and simply ... they weigh bunch and take up a lot of packing room. And going through security and airports and some exhibits??? Not! Next, walking with the Spanish heals and smooth soles does not work on cobblestones, worn smooth steps and Metro and Underground escalators would be problematic with them. If driving a small car with a manual clutch, good luck on not hitting the brake or accelerator. I use and highly recommend ECCO men's walking shoes. They are probably the best I've had, (and worth the price). If you keep them polished or buffed they can pass with a pair of nice slacks for an evening out on the town in Paris or London. Tell him I totally agree that most people totally underestimate the amount of walking one does in cities and small towns of Europe. Tony Limas are great, but not for Europe.

Ecco........
Unless he really wants to present an American / Texan / Cowboy image which could be a good conversation starter. The conversation will probably be about how much his feet hurt from all the walking....and Trump.

Athletic shoes are the best and you can have shoes to fit your feet. It depends on how high is your arch. There is a wealth of data on the internet regarding how to choose the best walking shoes. They are not boots.

I'm also a big fan of ECCO walking shoes, and I've been using the Trac II Low for many years. They're a rugged shoe that are suitable for not only walking on streets but also light hiking.

SAS shoes. I have worn them for the past 25 years. I have put on a new pair and done a 10 km walk with no break-in.

Thanks for the information I will try to get him to look at some SAS or ECCO shoes.
It won't be easy cowboy boots are his trademark. He has them made to measure in AZ at a ridiculous price and brags about how comfortable they are. He walks a lot at work and has done fine on other trips but I am worried about the boots this time.

I have my boot shipped over in advance and I only wear them when I have to get dressed up for something. You know, the oprey or similar. I have more problems transporting the old Silver Beaver I am fond of. But it always works out.

Hey gls58 ... What can I say? I understand the feeling. When I used to go down into Mexico to buy cattle with my dad, I'd get custom pointy toed "roach killer" boots made then. Loved them. Guess I'll use my ECCOs and he'll use his customs. Happy trails to you guys!

"They're his feet -- he will figure it out." Exactly. Reminds me of a hike of a few miles along a rocky trail. The guide advised proper footwear and one lady was adamant that flip flops were the best ever footwear for her. After a brief discussion, the lady refused to reconsider. She never uttered discontent with her decision despite the obvious owies she endured en route. Humorous to us. Oh well.

Whichever boots/shoes/footwear husband decides on, he should train using the boot/sock/insole combination he plans on using for the tour. The starting point is trying out the boots/shoes with the socks and insoles he plans on traveling with for the distances and duration anticipated.

Using the same socks and insole as planned for the trip is important. Minor changes in volume can affect boot fit. While training for a walk, I decided to go with premium insoles with thicker cushioning a month before the trip. The increase in volume caused the boot above my toes to cease down into the toes while it had been creasing up with the factory insoles.

Another walker that we encountered on the trip was experiencing massive blisters on both heels. He said that he had been training with just one thickness of a quality wool sock. At the last minute, he decided to do the walk with thin liner socks. The liner socks appeared the be the difference that led to heel blisters. Ironic in the sense that liner socks are suppose to reduce foot friction.

Lessons learned, try before the trip and if it works, don't change what you are doing. And carry extra socks of the same brand and style that works for you.

He may be better off in his boots if he wears them all the time and walks in them regularly. I agree with the statement above that they aren't ideal travel shoes because of their size, weight and potential difficulty pulling off for security lines. I like jeans, at home, but don't consider them good travel pants.

There is a risk, not a small one, in buying new shoes for a trip. If you haven't walked miles in the shoes and know they are comfortable, you could end up in pain and miserable.

I normally pack two pairs of shoes, both picked to be light weight (pick up a couple of shoes and compare, the difference in weight can be surprising) - one a little more casual, one a little dressier, but hopefully both can be worn with everything else I'm packing. I also pick shoes that are sturdy enough to walk miles on cobblestone without killing either the shoes or me.

Each person's foot is different, so it's really not one brand is best - it's what shoe fits his feet best. Brands I've really liked include Ecco, Merrill, North Face, Nike and Dockers. I used to really like Adidas. For some reason the Rockport/Adidas shoes kill my feet and the running shoes are now to narrow in one part of my foot. The Rockport/Adidas walking shoes were comfortable at home for relatively short distances. When I took them on the road for more miles, however, an old ankle injury really started hurting (I guess something about the way they affected my stride?) in a way I hadn't experienced with other shoes. I've also packed running shoes that were fine at home but discovered a pinch or rub that really hurt when I walked in them all day.

Okay, in February my tennis blew out a heel and I had to purchase a pair of shoes in Budapest. I went to the mall and found a pair of ECCO shoes. The idea was I would buy something that was suitable for walking and maybe a nice dinner and that I could leave in Budapest for future trips. So I got a fairly conservative pair of lace up oxfords. Out of the box I wore them for the next six days and they were great. As I write I am sitting at home in the states; wearing them. They were just too comfortable to leave behind. Pretty much ideal for city sightseeing or nicer and they have held up well.

Good shoes for a man to wear in the airplane and for walking in Europe : black Reebok Tennis shoes. Those shoes might be stiff when they are new.

I got my husband to try on some sas shoes but he insists that his cowboy boots are more comfortable. I give up.
I guess if his feet hurt on the trip he can deal with it or find a place to buy walking shoes. lol

"I guess if his feet hurt on the trip he can deal with it or find a place to buy walking shoes."

Buying walking shoes in Europe is certainly an option, but they won't be broken-in so could be as uncomfortable as the cowboy boots for several days.

It's certainly his choice, but you could mention that you don't want to hear any whining if he has foot problems!

In the boots and the hat he can always say he's Texan if you guys get any anti-American sentiment.

You can frequently see people in a crowd whose appearance screams "I'm an American". Even ignoring real or imagined terrorism threats, you remain a easily identified target for any petty criminals. I'd ditch the native costume and try to fit in. You don't see German tourist wearing lederhosen in NYC, or the Dutch tourists wearing wooden shoes in San Francisco.
An article in todays Washington Post, "What to wear — and not to wear — on vacation".

Going123; from what I have seen in San Francisco I doubt someone wearing wooden shoes would draw any special attention.

The article is an interesting point of view; but goes well beyond anything dictated by my comfort zone. But each to their own. Do what you have to do to feel comfortable and enjoy yourself.

Quality walking shoes are best, but my attitude is "his feet, his decision". On trip to France last year we had a gal who insisted that her wedge sandals were comfortable. Halfway through trip she bought gray sneakers that she wore the rest of the time! Happy travels!

"his feet, his decision"

Reminds me of the Red Green Show "Men's Prayer": I'm a man, but I can change, If I have to, I guess.

Red Green needs a travel show.

http://us.shop.ecco.com/outdoor-men-everyday/ecco-track-ii-low-001944.html?dwvar_001944_color=00741#cgid=men-classics

'nuff said.

Hey guys,

My husband is also trying to find the best walking shoes for our next travel trip to Prague in just under 2 weeks time.
I found this list of walking shoes at https://www.top9rated.com/best-mens-walking-shoes/ but not sure which would be the best for him as we will be walking on cobbles a lot (lots of cobbled streets in Europe!)?

Would love to hear your opinions.

Thank you. Meg

@meganjobson, it's probably best if you start a new topic so you can get notifications when someone answers your question. Since you are leaving in two weeks, the best walking shoes for your husband might be the ones on his closet which are already broken in. My husband took a pair of shoes from Costco which had hiking-boot-style soles and they were great on cobbles and city streets.

My husband wore his cowboy boots every step of the way on our trip to Europe. He never complained about his feet hurting so I guess the boots were OK or he didn't want to admit that he should have taken my advice to buy walking shoes. I was worried about him walking on cobblestones with the rather high heels on his boots but I never saw him stumble. One tour guide did ask him if he didn't have some more comfortable shoes to wear on a all day walking tour.
My feet were hurting by the end of most days so not sure how he did it. He is on his feet walking and standing all the time at work and in good shape so I guess going all day wasn't as hard on him.
At any rate we got to see a lot and really enjoyed the trip

My husband wore his cowboy boots every step of the way on our trip to Europe. He never complained about his feet hurting so I guess the boots were OK or he didn't want to admit that he should have taken my advice to buy walking shoes. I was worried about him walking on cobblestones with the rather high heels on his boots but I never saw him stumble. One tour guide did ask him if he didn't have some more comfortable shoes to wear on a all day walking tour.
My feet were hurting by the end of most days so not sure how he did it. He is on his feet walking and standing all the time at work and in good shape so I guess going all day wasn't as hard on him.
At any rate we got to see a lot and really enjoyed the trip

A good pair of boots that fit correctly will work. I own a pair of Justin Ropers which fit like a glove; you can walk/stand in them all day.