The Shoes Strategist Editors Walk 20,000 Steps In

The New Balance 530 is the most comfortable sneaker junior writerBella Druckmanhas ever tried. She has worn them to hang around Soho, on weekly Trader Joe’s runs, and on a hike in Massachusetts. “On the days when I walk more than 10,000 steps while wearing them, my feet are never sore — only my legs,” she says. Druckman’s not the only Strategist staffer who relies on her New Balance 530s. Our writer Amelia Jerden calls hers the “ultimate ‘basic’ sneaker — not a technical shoe for any particular sport but sportier than a true fashion sneaker.” That in-between style has made them handy for short workouts, a “not overly strenuous hike,” and going around stages at a music festival. Just note: These run big. Druckman usually wears a size 6.5 and went down to a 6 for the perfect fit.

The Nike Pacific was on senior writerLiza Corsillo’sbrainearlier this month as they got her through two days of Toy Fair appointments “at the enormous Javits Center.” (The convention center “spans five city blocks,” she points out.) Corsillo checked out all the stuffed animals and board games while in her Pacifics. “I felt bouncy all day,” she says. (And it wasn’t just the excitement of spotting aquarter-size Magic 8 Ball.) She compares them to theNike Cortez(which writerDominique Parisoalso has), “but they’re designed with a puffy swoosh logo and to be a bit wider.” She feels like a “stylish ’80s mom” in them.

I traveled the equivalent of theGrand Tourlast April with an itinerary including Vienna, Budapest, Milan, Porto, Lisbon, and Madrid. For the nearly three weeks I spent in Europe, I packed only three pairs of shoes, and two of the pairs were Puma Speedcats. I can’t remember a day I wasn’t in my Speedcats, which I had on when I walked the grounds of theSchönbrunn(the Hapsburgs’ summer residence), jumped between the halves of Budapest (the western Buda and eastern Pest), and was rained on seemingly every five minutes in Porto while trying to find the Claus Porto store. Not once did I complain about my feet hurting — and I didn’t have to wear a Hoka! Back in the States,they’ve virtually replaced Air Rifts.

I understand that Mostro Feys have a face only a mother could love, but I love them. (I used the wordfuglyaffectionately in our recently publishedmary-jane report.) I take great pride in wearing them on neighborhood strolls — sometimes the aimless kind, other times when running errands. I think they’re more dignified than a Samba. (That said, I wouldn’t be opposed to aSamba Jane. I think they’ll be a future purchase.)

I know what you’re thinking, and it crossed our senior writerEmma Wartzman’s mind, too: “It felt random to go withEverlanefor this (and like it would maybe be a mistake).” But she’s now on her fourth Court Sneaker pair since buying her first in 2021. “Crucially, and as is the point of this story today, I’ve walked all around the city with them from noon till night and never had any issue,” she says. One time, she even wore them all the way from Citi Field to Williamsburg. And unlike easily identifiable Onitsuka Tigers or ubiquitousSambas, the trainers don’t have a big logo (a small “Everlane” marks the back tab). It may even be unseen under the hem. “I like that they don’t have any label showing,” she agrees. They’re available inall white(which she has gotten a couple of times) or combinations of eitherwhite, green, and beigeortan, taupe, and blue.

As her feet are “wide and bunion afflicted,” she says, writerKitty Guoneeds a roomier toe box — at least when dealing with thousands of steps. A fair bit of research led her to Altra’s LP Alpines. The toe box in all Altras (a brand founded byrunners) is designed with some wiggle room to “avoid squished toes.” The LP Alpines share a few traits with theVivobarefoot Motus Flex(in which Guo does her cardio): “a lightweight, flexible profile, a zero-drop heel, and a wide, natural toe box that allows all my toes to splay out.”

Jerden spent years in Converse but upgraded to platform Chuck Taylors a few years back. While Chucks may not seem like the most obvious choice for a lot of walking, Jerden says the chunky sole makes all the difference. “These are basically the classic Chuck Taylors but with a thicker platform, which makes them more comfortable to me,” she explains. “Even though they are still fairly flat — there is no arch support to be heard of here — the thicker sole provides some cushioning.” And that makes them ideal for walking around at concerts (she’s aregular concertgoer).

“If you have wide, flat feet or weak ankles like me, listen up: These are the walking sneakers for you,” Pariso says. “I can keep the laces loose on the foot for comfort and then tie them up tight through the ankle for extra support.” She now ownstwopairs of Rasants. (And aUPS driver once literally chased Pariso downthe street to ask about them.)

“My podiatrist would be mad at me for saying this, but I have absolutely walked 20,000 steps many times over in these,” says senior editorHilary Reid. She’s on her second pair now, but her first lasted five years. Initially, they may feel a little tight, but “after a couple of days of walking, they will mold to your foot.” She adds, “I’ve rarely had achy feet after wearing them on big-walk days.” And once they’re broken in, they never leave blisters.

Margaux’s Phoebe is a little bit better for Reid’s feet than her French Soles “thanks to the memory foam–ish sole.” “You feel like you can really pound the pavement in them,” she says. Plus themary-janestraps keep them securely on her feet. In fact, she calls them the most comfortableflatsshe has: “I wore them all over Vienna last summer on our honeymoon, I’ve worn them all over New York, and I’ve packed them as my only shoes for weekends out of town.”

“I have bad feet: collapsed arches, weak ankles, blister-prone skin,” says Pariso. “If shoes aren’t comfortable, I will not wear them.” Normally, she andloafersare not simpatico — they’re “usually reserved for quick jaunts or dinner dates only.” But right out of the box, M.Gemi’s Sacca Donnas wereperfette. “No breaking-in time,” she says. Maybe it’s because the Sacca Donnas are made of Italian kid suede and are unlined — which should make them more forgiving than leather Weejuns (which, from my own experience, need a few wears to break in).

Walking is our writerKatherine Gillespie’s primary mode of transportation in New York City; she walks at least an hour a day. And while she’ll do this in any shoes — “as my blisters can attest,” she says — the ones she actually recommends to “other big-city walkers who also enjoy putting together little outfits” are Camper’s Brutusmary janes. Not only do you not feel them with every step but their height puts some distance between you and “getting your socks wet during accidental slush-puddle encounters” or just about anything in the middle of a Greenpoint sidewalk. And “they look good as new” even after two years of wear. “I get a lot of compliments on them from random women on the subway. I’m sure people admire them when I’m out walking, too, but I usually stroll too fast to be hailed down,” she says.

[Editor’s note: Gillespie’s original style of Brutuses is sold out — a few size 38s are available atNordstrom— so we’ve linked to this near-identical pair. If the Brutus had a bouncy sole, then the Brutus+ (which she thinks of as the “new and improved” version) has more traction with Camper’s registered Bridge Xtragrip outsole.]

If our senior editorWinnie Yangisn’t wearing socks (“which, since I dislike socks, is most of the year,” she says), chances are she’s in these T-strap flats. Yang got them in 2021 and has “worn them for hundreds of thousands of miles since.” It’s impressive considering she has bunions that can become painful after a lot of walking. And she takes them on nearly every trip, “no matter the season or climate”: “I’ve worn them in the rain (not on purpose) and on cobblestones and sand, and while they look a little beat-up, they still feel sturdy on my feet.” Admittedly, they’re overdue for a resoling (Aurora, which makes its shoes in the rural upstate town of King Ferry, itself offers the service — which includes repairing stitches and buffing the leather —for $50 plus $10 return shipping and tax). “But I’m not sure I can part with them for that long,” she says.

ComedianKate Berlantcalls Merrell’s Jungle Mocs “a direct portal to the erotic.” Say what you will, but they’re a favorite of Vermonters and Greenpointers alike. “They have the perfect combination of comfort, grip, and controversy,” says senior writerMichael Zhao. (The original Jungle Moc launched back in 1998, and Zhao even talked to the man behind the shoe, Clark Mathis, back in July.) “They definitely don’t make them quite like they used to,” Zhao says, but he can still get a few years out of every pair. He keeps each in rotation “until the outsoles wear through the foam.” And it’s his honest opinion that “the suede uppers only look better the more thrashed they get.”

Like the platform on her Chuck Taylors, the Teva Flatforms help Jerden get around. The added height “makes these great to wear after it’s been raining, as they’re tall enough that my feet aren’t getting splashed in puddles,” she says. They keep her feet happy the same way aBirkenstock Arizonadoes.

Pariso has a lot of fisherman sandals (from Church’s, Eledera, Sabah), but her Pikolinos may be the most “insanely comfortable” among them — not only for their cushioned footbed but the straps that don’t cut into the top of her foot. “In the summer, I rely heavily on them to get me through,” she says. She has packed them for Europe two years in a row now on separate trips to Southern Italy and Northern Spain. And she’s planning to do the same this year when traveling to thebel paeseagain in September.

[Editor’s note: Pariso’s exact style has sold out, but we’ve linked to a similar pair.]

Several members of the Strategist team rely onCamper sandals, including lead editor Lauren Levy, senior editor Ailbhe Malone, and senior writers Liza Corsillo and Lauren Ro. Ro might have had the most Campers of anyone on our staff — between her Twins, Kiaras, Koras, and Bonnies. But the Bonnies are “so walkable,” she says, even with a heel. She strolled all over Paris and Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny in her Bonnies last year. “I would choose them over my sneakers because they were just that comfortable,” she says. (It may help that the Bonnie comes with OrthoLite footbeds — the same kind found in Puma’s Speedcats.) And she wears them “anytime it’s warm enough to wear sandals.”

[Editor’s note: Most sizes — except for 36 and 38, which have low stock — are sold out now, but you can sign up to receive a restock notification on theproduct page.]