If you don’t have time to read the entire review and just want to find out what Best Insoles for Walking All Day is, then we recommend the Powerstep Mens-Adult Pinnacle Insole as the best choice.
Each day, your feet take a hell of a lot of punishment. Think about it. All your body weight while standing, walking, or running is carried by your feet. This equates to significant amounts of pressure, especially if you’re on the heavy side.
In this respect, an often overlooked aspect of foot comfort is right there — at the soles of your feet. Yes, we’re talking about insoles.
As a rule of thumb, most shoes don’t come with the greatest factory insoles. Getting a pair of awesome insoles, even if you only need them for walking, is essential for the health of your feet.
In this article, we’ll put 5 excellent walking insoles up against each other to help you choose the best insole for walking for your needs. These Are:
- Best All-Round Insoles: Powerstep Original Full Length Orthotic Insoles
- Best Walking Insoles for the Money: Sof Sole Athlete
- Best Walking Insoles for Runners: Superfeet Blue
- Best Walking Insoles for Prolonging Your Shoe’s Life: Spenco Polysorb Cross Trainer
- Best Walking Insoles That ‘Hug’ Your Feet: Powerstep Pinnacle
Benefits of Solid Insoles for Walking
By default, the vast majority of walking shoes come with relatively flat insoles. Unless you’re looking at a professional running shoe, you won’t be too happy in this department.
Good insoles, like the 5 listed below, will provide better support for your feet, more comfort, and will allow your feet to breathe.
For instance, some flat insoles made from soft cotton or vegetable sheep leather will do a great job of absorbing moisture. Then, you have foam insoles, which are fantastic at supporting your feet and fit most footwear types.
Foam insoles perfectly adapt to your feet. Additionally, they prevent walking fatigue and protect your joints.
Therefore, finding a perfect insole for your walkabouts is essential. Without further ado, here are 5 great insoles for walking.
Best Insoles for Walking
Best All-Round Insoles: Powerstep Original Full Length Orthotic Insoles
Powerstep Original Insoles aren’t the best sports insoles out there. In fact, the best thing about these walking insoles is that they’re great for work, sports, and everyday activity. Oh, and they’re excellent for men and women.
The Powersteps are all about comfort, ankle stability, and arch support. This is what makes them so well-rounded.
Most people with foot problems are in need of more stability and support. Comfort goes without saying, right? You wouldn’t want insoles for walking that don’t make it comfortable for you.
Let’s get a bit serious and talk about the medical benefits of Powerstep Originals. If you’re suffering from plantar fasciitis, a condition that causes a stabbing pain in the bottom of your foot, you’ll find these insoles helpful.
The elevated heel of Powerstep Originals, as well as plantar contouring, help reduce plantar facia tensile stress.
These insoles are built to “cradle” the heel, rather than focus on supporting the inside or the outside of the foot.
Therefore, Powerstep Originals provide support for the entire foot, which means that they help with many other medical issues. For instance, bunions, flat feet, arch/heel pain, over-pronation, supination, and many others.
The support shell for these insoles is made from polypropylene and the polyester fabric features antimicrobial protection. This means that the Powerstep Originals work great with sports- and sweat-inducing activities.
The base here is made out of a dense foam polymer, called Ethylene Vinyl Acetate or EVA. EVA is excellent at shock absorption and incredibly durable.
Pros
- All-round insoles
- Great for Plantar Fasciitis
- Provide stability to the entire foot
- Features EVA
- Antimicrobial protection
Cons
- They don’t excel at anything in particular
Best Walking Insoles for the Money: Sof Sole Athlete
Yes, the Sof Sole Athlete was primarily built for physical activity that involves running. But don’t let the “Athlete” part fool you. This Sof Sole model is the best insole for walking for the money.
First of all, it features a neural arch, which is built to meet the comfort demands of most arch types. This arch increases the insoles’ stability, making it ideal for sport and non-sport activities.
To top things off, the Sof Sole Athlete insoles are made out of polyurethane foam. This means that certain parts of Sof Sole Athlete insoles adjust so that your foot remains in its most natural position.
Although this part may not be so crucial for your casual walkabouts, it’s still a giant plus. When you look at these closely, you’ll see a blue area covering the forefoot and heel part of each insole.
This is a kind of gel that helps absorb the shock made with each foot strike. This is what makes Sof Sole Athletes so great for physical activity.
They also boast moisture-wicking technology that helps keep your feet dry. This not only makes Sof Soles great for physical activity, but also for long hours of walking during the summer months.
The Sof Sole Athletes come with a substantial range of features. Whilst not the best walking insoles on the market, they’re certainly the bang-for-the-buck choice.
With these brilliant insoles, you get a multi-purpose product that will set you back less than $20. To put that into context, there are many insoles out there with a higher price tag and fewer features.
Pros
- Very affordable
- Great for walking and physical activity
- Moisture-wicking technology
- Prevent odor-causing bacteria
- Suitable for most arch types.
Cons
- May need replacement in a few months, depending on intensity and frequency of use
Best Walking Insoles for Runners: Superfeet Blue
Yes, “walking insoles for runners” does sound a bit, well, weird. However, runners need to walk as well, right? Although most runner’s insoles do a great job at providing support for walking, none do it as well as the Superfeet Blue Insoles.
When you look at these insoles, there’s nothing too complicated about them. They have a deep heel cup and their upper side is clearly made from some kind of foam.
So, at first glance, Superfeet Blue definitely don’t look like $40 insoles. However, nobody gets insoles for aesthetics.
But what’s so awesome about the Superfeet Blue insoles? Well, the mentioned deep heel cup provides brilliant natural shock absorption for your feet.
It may look like a typical heel cup, but this one extends over more than half of your foot. This provides a great deal of support and “cradling.”
These insoles also come with an encapsulating stabilizer system. This system ensures substantial underfoot support. As for the apparent foam, it’s much more than just any foam. This foam is very dense and gives you comfort and support that can last for a very long time.
However, Superfeet Blue are built for tighter-fitting footwear. This is excellent for running. If you’re used to wearing your casual footwear loose, you may find the Superfeet Blue a bit awkward.
However, every runner knows how important it is to properly secure your feet in a good pair of shoes. This goes for walking, not just running. This is why Superfeet Blue are the runner’s choice for the best insoles for walking.
Superfeet Blue are also a perfect fit for people who have low-to-medium arches. They provide extra support on the trail and anywhere else. If you have a tendency to roll your ankles while walking or running, these insoles will suit you perfectly.
Pros
- Excellent arch support
- Very long-lasting
- Works wonder with neutral wear
- Deep heel cup for stability
- Perfect for low-to-medium arches
Cons
- Not ideal for loose footwear
Best Walking Insoles for Prolonging Your Shoe’s Life: Spenco Polysorb Cross Trainer
Most insoles are made for protecting your feet, which is perfectly acceptable and certainly preferable. After all, paying compliments to your feet is the whole point of insoles.
That said, not many insoles ensure that your shoe remains untouched. In fact, most insoles will change the shape of your shoe, to the point where you’re going to have to get a new pair.
Getting a $20 pair of insoles that will help protect your expensive footwear makes great financial sense. But that’s far from all that the Spenco Polysorbs specialize in.
These insoles are actually built for improving your athletic performance. We’re talking shock absorption, foam cushioning, as well as a “crash pad.”
The crash pad itself is located where the ball of your foot is and provides advanced shock absorption for this part of your foot.
Apparently, the Spenco Polysorbs are fantastic insoles for runners.
However, the neutral arch makes these insoles perfect for walking too, especially for those with low arches. If you have a high arch, they won’t be any less comfortable, though, especially for walking.
Some features that make Spenco Polysorb insoles great for runners make them perfect for long walks. For instance, these insoles stretch in all four directions, and this reduces feet abrasion.
This is very useful for uphill and downhill trails. Furthermore, the materials here are antimicrobial. This feature reduces moisture, sweat, and odor buildup, making Spenco Polysorbs ideal for long walks.
The Polysorb foam fully supports each step you make. The shock absorbers keep you comfy even if you decide to speed up and do an impromptu jog.
Pros
- Affordable
- Awesome shock absorption
- Antimicrobial materials
- Crash pads
- Great for people with low arches
Cons
- Wide-fit issues
Best Walking Insoles That ‘Hug’ Your Feet: Powerstep Pinnacle
Unlike most insoles, Powerstep Pinnacles cover your feet from front to back. They provide equal support and stability in every part of your foot. The heel cradle allows perfect motion control and really cushions your heels.
Powerstep Pinnacle’s shell is made of polypropylene and the base is EVA. The polypropylene ensures that the shell is strong and durable, but without compromising the insoles’ light weight.
Unlike many other insoles, Powerstep Pinnacles are built in a particular manner. They are perfect for reducing pressure and total-contact orthotics. While this is ideal for specific foot-related issues, continuous use may cause compression. If your feet are too flat, these insoles may cause pain.
The Powerstep Pinnacle insoles, unlike many others, are full-length. This is what emphasizes their full-contact support. As such, you need to be particularly careful when choosing the right fit.
The best way to go is to take out the shoes’ original insoles, measure them and use these measurements when ordering your Powersteps. Of course, wearing flexible athletic shoes goes without saying, even if you take the regular insoles out.
When considering shock absorption in insoles, the first thing that comes to mind is sports activity. While shock absorption is widely used for sports, these insoles use it to distribute your weight evenly.
This can work wonders for feet, leg, ankle, even back pain. However, you should definitely consult your doctor before using the Pinnacles to alleviate any pain.
Powerstep Pinnacles feature the VCT or Variable Cushioning Technology. After a certain period of usage, the VCT foam on these insoles will start conforming to the shape of your feet. The more you use these insoles, the more comfortable and supportive they become.
Usually, insoles that stretch for the entire length and width of your foot tend to cause sweating. But Powerstep Pinnacle insoles are built with antimicrobial fabric on the top layer. This fabric prevents sweating, stops bacteria appearance, and reduces foot odor.
Ultimately, the Pinnacles bring a lot of pain relief to the table. They can help with heel, knee, and ankle pain. Additionally, they alleviate overpronation, plantar fasciitis, hammertoes, neuroma, arch pain, calluses, bunions, and many other ailments.
With that said, it’s essential that you consult your doctor before resorting to Powerstep Pinnacles for pain relief.
Pros
- Foot-wide and foot-long support
- Antimicrobial
- Fantastic shock absorption
- Pain relief
- Can alleviate a variety of foot conditions
Cons
- May aggravate certain conditions
Final Thoughts on Best Insoles for Walking All Day
All of the mentioned products on this list are excellent insole choices for your walkabouts. In fact, most of these are a solid choice for runners. However, the Powerstep Pinnacles take the cake here.
While the Powerstep Originals are great all-round insoles, the Pinnacles have the same features, and then some. Sure, they’re more expensive than the Sof Sole Athletes, but the difference is around $10. The extra features that you get are more than worth the money.
The Superfeet Blue may look like they’re built for your casual walker, but they’re primarily intended for runners. Plus, their price tag is almost double.
Finally, the Spenco Polysorb Cross Trainers are much more durable than the Pinnacles. Still, if you’re a wide-fit, you can forget about them entirely.
Ultimately, Powerstep Pinnacle insoles provide support, comfort, and allow your feet to breathe, helping avoid sweat, bacteria, and bad odor.
