6 Best Saucony Walking Shoes in 2023

After expending time and energy walking and testing Saucony walking shoes, the one that emerged victorious in snatching the spot for the bestest out there is the Saucony Ride 15. This neutral shoe took us by surprise with its steadiness, securing our feet and ankles in place every stride. When it comes to underfoot experience, we couldn’t find a better word to describe the combination of impact resistance and all-day comfort than sublime!

There is no denying that Ride 15’s heel is so packed with cushioning. When we plied our caliper, it recorded a 31.4 mm stack height. While it is 1.8 mm short of the average, we found it abundantly padded. It didn’t matter where we wandered - cobblestones, trails, or smooth surfaces - we didn’t feel a thing beneath the shoes.

We also loved how reinforced our feet were in Ride 15. We realized that its stiffness was one of the factors for our nicely rooted ankles. In our lab, we confirmed this using our digital force gauge which showed that at a bending resistance of 29.0N, it is super close to average, making it a little less stiff by only 1.7 mm.

The lightness of Ride 15 during our strolls was also fascinating. With our digital scale, we found that it only weighs 8.9 oz (253.0g), 5.3% lighter than average. However, good things come with a price and that price is $130 and 35% more expensive than average. If you prefer cheaper shoes, we advise checking out other selections.

Saucony Endorphin Shift 2 Men's Running Shoes is not only the best Saucony walking shoe for flat feet but also the most extraordinary one. With Guide 16, keeping the ankles in a neutral position and being supported on the heels and arches do not automatically correspond to rock-hard midsoles and overall rigidness. It equates to all-day-long pleasure minus flimsiness, ideal for flat footers.

Our ankles were glued to place, thanks to the excellent heel support of Guide 16. We further tested its containment capacity by subjectively assessing its stiffness. Compressing and squeezing it didn’t do any good: the heel was unbudging, scoring 5/5 for stiffness.

While pushing our durometer down, the midsole logged a softness of 20.0 HA (18.7% softer than average), but we still found Guide 16 supportive of our arch. We cracked the shoes open and discovered that one of the elements that took the strain off of our arches was the HOLLOW-TECH system. This, along with the other reinforcing elements of the shoe, surprisingly didn’t turn it into an immovable shoe. We substantiated this using our digital force gauge. It reflected a significantly lower force of 20.5N compared to the 30.7N average. This means that Guide 16 is 33.2% more flexible than most.

Our only concern is the shoe’s ability to last. It didn’t take us long before we realized that its outsole was already moderately grounded away. If this also concerns you, we recommend looking for other alternatives.

Based on our subjective and objective evaluations of Saucony walking shoes, the best lightweight one out there is the Saucony Kinvara 13. Apart from being strikingly easy on the feet and legs, Kinvara 13 also knocked anything that signifies comfort out of the park. What’s more, is that it’s all for a responsive ride. Combined with lightness, Kinvara 13 is just terrific!

Kinvara 13 scarcely titled our scales at a weight of 7.2 oz (204.0g). Up against the average, it is 23.4% airier, and on foot, this translated to load-less strides. Complementing this lightness is superb airflow. Back in our lab, we used a bright source of light to examine the upper and we noticed that the light still shined through the material, showing how porous the upper is.

Underfoot, we felt that the cushioning of Kinvara 13 was soft yet bouncy. We turned to our durometer to see how soft the midsole really was. At 21.5 HA, confirmed! It is soft and less firm than most by 12.6%. 

The flip side of being light is that Kinvara 13 is not much packed with cushioning. Its heel has a thickness of 26.9 mm and compared to other walking shoes we measured, it is 19% thinner. Therefore, for people who find shock absorption more important than responsiveness, we suggest searching for other pairs.

In our search for the best Saucony trail walking shoe, which involved hours of outdoor quests and lab tests, we stumbled upon the excellence that is Saucony Girls Shoes for Kids. It’s the best out there because of how it turned complicated trails into easy-peasy ones. The insole and cushioning even concealed the constant impact when landing on rocks and roots, making our treks as smooth as possible.

We looked into the cushioning system of Peregrine 13 and found that the heel and forefoot stack heights were below the usual by 13% and 2.5%. But still, at 27.5 mm and 23.6 mm, respectively, we felt that these were healthy amounts of cushioning that buffered shock while trail walking.

The impact wasn’t the only thing Peregrine 13 protected us from but also treacherous pathways. We didn’t miss our footing on any trail we went, may it be snowy, muddy, rocky, or icy. Thanks to our handy durometer and caliper, we learned two things: the outsole is almost as hard as the standard and it caters to 4.8 mm lugs (1.3 mm thicker than average). Combining the two made it easier for the outsole to clasp hard onto any surface.

Our feet had natural placements on the terrain, allowing us to maintain our balance on uneven ground. We inspected the shoe in our lab and we discovered that what made this possible is the superb flexibility. Our digital force gauge reflected a 20.8N force, which we calculated to be 34.2% more flexible than average.

However, we do not advise sporting this shoe in scorching hot weather because it only scored 3/5 on our breathability test. We recommend searching for other more breathable pairs if you are to tackle long trails in the warm season.

Laborious testing of Saucony walking shoes led us to the decision of surmounting Saucony Endorphin Shift 3 as the best for all-day wear. We found that it isn’t only perfect for day to night because of its unbelievable in-shoe feel but because of its versatility and stylishness. No pain, all gain - this is what this shoe is all about!

One of the many reasons why we didn’t mind being in Shift 3 for hours was its fantastic ventilation. The air smoothly circulates in and out of the shoe as clearly shown in our breathability test. We pumped smoke inside it and the upper easily coughed the smoke out, scoring 4/5 in breathability.

Whether we were touring or working, we didn’t feel like we were carrying weights down our legs with Shift 3. Our weighing scale displayed a 9.4 oz (266.0g) weight, which is only 1.9% lighter than average. This was surprising for us because it felt so much lighter than on paper.

We also loved the cushioning of Shift 3, which made it seem like we were stepping on pillows. We turned to our durometer and we discovered that the midsole is 22.0 HA soft, which is 10.6% softer than average. What sucked was that the shoe wasn’t that accommodating. Using our caliper, we learned that the widest part of the toebox measured 94.2 mm. This is 3.7 narrower than the average. So if you have bunions or generally have wide feet, we suggest skipping this pair.

Saucony Triumph 20 is nothing short of brilliance in underfoot pleasure, which is one reason why it is best in cushion softness among other Saucony walking shoes. It is generously loaded with cushioning but the real kicker is the responsive and shock-absorbing ride we experienced in Triumph 20. Moreover, traveling long distances is such a joy because the midsole’s super soft but we didn’t lose the spring in our strides.

We poked our durometer into the midsole to confirm its plushness. At 18.8 HA, the midsole is 23.6% softer than average, which is pretty much what we expected since our walks felt dreamlike and bouncy. 

Thanks to its super-packed cushioning, we lived in an impact-free world with Triumph 20. We referred to our caliper and we were right – the heel and forefoot stack heights are both above average. Heel’s 35.4 mm and the forefoot’s 25.0 mm, making them 6.6% and 2.9% thicker than the standards. The comfort didn’t stop at the bottom of our feet, it carried on all over. The other parts of the shoe were also well-padded. One proof is the tongue which we measured to be 7.9 mm, 2.1 mm thicker than average. 

However, all these extras manifested in price. Triumph 20 costs $160, which is 25% more expensive than the other Saucony running shoes. Unless you are willing and capable of paying this price, we do not suggest investing in this pair.