Best Hiking Shoes For Flat Feet

Hiking is unquestionably one of the best physical activities you can do to maintain your physical fitness. For a person with flat feet to have amazing hiking experience, you need to invest in shoes that offer great support for your feet, comfort, good traction, and durable.

There’s nothing medically wrong with flat feet. Still, prolonged periods of activities such as hiking or standing at work can cause excessive strain on the foot muscles as your body struggles to compensate for the balance usually provided by the arch.

That is why people with flat feet need special shoes designed specifically for them. We have taken the time to find you the top five shoes for people with flat feet to save you the trouble and time. Go on ahead; we know you will enjoy this beginning of comfortable hiking, running, and working in one of these shoes.

Here are Best Hiking Shoes for Flat Feet

Salomon Authentic LTR GTX Men’s Waterproof Boots

We kick off our list with these 100% waterproof boots constructed with split leather and an air mesh upper. Having been designed for flat feet hikers, these awesome boots guarantee premium experience during hikes. The technology that goes into their making is one to get you to go for that extra mile.

The liner inside has a “ClimaShield” waterproof feature that makes the entire boot waterproof, thus keeping your feet dry and warm. The instep is slightly contoured to allow for less pressure on your feet while keeping moisture and trail debris out. The interior lining itself is padded to ensure that your feet remain comfortable as you trek on any terrain. There is enhanced protection against abrasions and bumps that comes from the rubber toe protector and the heel slings.

For long-lasting comfort, they have a double-density and rare-to-find EVA technology midsoles which cushion your feet. They have also been rated as one of the best shoes with perfect grip for excellent traction in any hiking terrain.

Since hiking involves a lot of physical pressure and strain, blisters associated with other boots are a non-issue for these ones. This is due to comfortable cushioning in the interior part with a comfy grip reducing friction between the feet. You can check out https://www.globosurfer.com/ for more information on comfortable cushioning for hiking boots.

These boots also boast superior support from the contoured footbed relieving you of any foot pressure. The Otholite sock liners are excellent for shock absorption during impacts on objects, surfaces, jumps, or runs. So that you don’t feel the need to take them off, there is also a well-circulating airflow that keeps your feet cool and dry that minimizes odor from sweaty feet.

Pros

They boast of the best support system for any flat feet hikers.
There is shock absorption, which protects your feet from sprains and other strains.
The mesh liner guarantees good airflow to keep your feet cool and dry.
The soles are long-lasting and durable.
They offer superb comfort during use.

Cons

They are expensive compared to other hiking shoes.
They are unsuitable for any wide-footed flat-feet hikers.

Verdict

Don’t let sticker shock put you off just yet. The Salomon GTX shoes have indeed been designed to enhance your hiking experience while delivering the best support, comfort, and general foot health. The incredible features on them make them a must-have hiking shoes.

Merrell Men’s Moab 2 Vent Hiking Boots

Another excellent option for flat-feet hikers is the Merrell Men’s Moab 2 Vent Hiking Boots. With a stylish design and finish, these 100% suede leather boots with mesh uppers offer the best ventilation system and comfort during hikes. Their high-grade construction materials make them an improved version of the earlier models. Their robust construction materials may make them a little heavy, but nothing professional to average hikers can’t pull off.

Starting from the front of the shoe, the toe cap has a toughened material to offer protection against chips and rocks on rough terrain. This is further enhanced by using the air cushion technology around the heel area to add to its shock absorption and stability. While not being waterproof, the meshed uppers have air membranes that dry quickly after trudging in wet or soggy environments.

There is also awesome cushioning material around the soles of your feet ensuring that they fit snugly, are comfortable for all-day use, and guaranteed support. The excellent traction system on them is well constructed, offering a good grip on rocky or rugged terrain. These make them ideal for use, especially during daytime hiking for men having flat feet.

Pros

They have an excellent tread system with lots of traction, ensuring that your feet have excellent grip on rough surfaces.
Their air membranes on the uppers ensure that they deliver premium breathability and air circulation.
They have protective toe caps with toughened material making them abrasion-resistant.
They have an inner padding system, which makes them comfortable to wear during an all-day hike.
The stylish design will complement your hike look.

Cons

They are heavier due to their robust construction material, which becomes accentuated if you are hiking with cumbersome hiking gear.
They are not waterproof.

Verdict

These sweet kicks have been designed for any professional to average flat feet hiker intending to hike during the daytime. They also are great for hiking in extremely jagged terrains. However, you have to carefully choose your hiking load as they tend to feel bulky, especially if you are carrying other weights.

Salomon Men’s Quest 4D 2 GTX Hiking Boot

Another great shoe from the Salomon brand is the Quest 4D GTX Hiking Boots. These excellent trekking boots are popular with professional hikers, having over 1563 reviews on Amazon. The design used is similar to the Authentic LTRs, featuring a stylish with a seamless design guaranteed for the best hiking experience.

As a flat-footed hiker, you will fall in love with their removable footbed. It can be customized for a comfortable fit. The covering material is made of high-grade full-grain synthetic leather for maximum foot protection against debris and abrasions. Synthetic laces ensure that these shoes can be tied to fit as snugly as possible when hiking.

The boots are also famed for the mesh on their uppers, making them breathable with good airflow systems. This feature helps to keep your feet cool and dry from sweaty feet as you trek.

To add to their versatility, they are waterproof, keeping your feet warm and dry. It makes them perfect for hiking even in wet and soggy environments.

The foundation of the footbed extends through the entire boot and is designed to offer great support for your feet. This means that you can say goodbye to foot exhaustion and hello to hiking extra miles.

For stability, you have the non-slippage outsoles to thank, which ensures that you have a firm foot grip on your hiking trail. These combine with the tough covering material to protect your feet from all kinds of impacts and abrasions.

These high-end hiking boots also boast of the Sensifit technology which is specially designed to enhance your comfort. The wrap technology bolsters your confidence with increased comfort, thanks to the snug foot-hugging, contoured footbed. As a hiker with flat feet, these shoes guarantee you a relaxed, blister-free, and healthy feet up to when you remove these shoes at the end of your hike.

Pros

High-grade toughened construction offering maximum feet protection. The choice of robust materials also makes them durable for long-lasting use.
They are waterproof and can be used in wet or soggy hiking environments.
They are incredibly comfortable with breathable mesh for good air circulation.
They have an excellent traction system for stability and support.

Cons

They have a slightly longer breaking-in period.

Verdict

If you are a professional flat feet hiker looking to have an amazing hiking experience, then shoes are for you. Guaranteed to keep your comfortable, warm, and dry, these awesome boots will handle just about any terrain. They may be slightly expensive for some hikers but you could never go wrong with donning a pair of one of these.

Columbia Women’s Newton Ridge Plus Waterproof

The naming of these shoes doesn’t even begin to describe the awesome features that these hiking boots have. Designed for women hikers with flat feet, these boots are known to deliver premium comfort during use. They have an extremely short breaking in a period which makes them suitable for use promptly out of the box.

The sturdy boots with leather tops boast of being waterproof which serve to keep your feet dry should you find yourself in wet, soggy, or damp hiking trails. They take the cake when it comes to long-lasting rubber soles making them durable even after repeated use. The rubber soles also ensure that they have good traction systems that keep you stable in any chipped hiking terrain.

This good traction is facilitated by the famed Omni-Grip technology making them suitable on trails, hike terrains, and swampy or slippery places. The technology makes use of the multi-directional tread zones found on the outsoles making the boots perfect for forward traction and scrambling during hikes. They are the to-go-for shoes for stable hiking with solid footing and balance during weighted treks.

The midsoles are cushioned and durable making them an instantaneous hit with flat feet hikers. Their interiors are lined with the same cushioning material, which gives them a feel like wearing a comfortable pillow. This also helps with over and under-pronation conditions.

Ideal for snow, muddy or rainy conditions, they are guaranteed to keep your feet warm and insulated from the harsh weather. These waterproof boots are easy to clean and tend to dry faster if they do get wet. The flexible soles along with the extra cushioning offer great support and stability for your feet ensuring that feet are healthy at the end of the day.

Pros

They are good looking and very comfortable flat-feet hiking boots.
They are waterproof and easy to clean.
They have excellent traction on slippery ground.
They have an extra cushion lining for a warm and snug fit.
They are tough against unforgiving weather conditions making them very durable.

Cons

They do not have any breathability.
They lack an underfoot support system.

Verdict

If your hiking trails tend to be slippery and in wet locations, the Columbia Women’s Newton Ridge Plus Waterproof are the best fit for you. The incredible Omni-Grip feature ensures that you remain stable while being flexible while hiking. The comfort that comes with its cushioning technology and insulation ensures that you get to complete your hiking milestone.

KEEN Men’s Targhee II Mid Waterproof Hiking Boot

The KEEN utility brand is also known for releasing experience-customized shoes. This model of hiking shoes from their brand boasts of being waterproof, comfortable, and breathable during hikes. They are able to balance between being waterproof, tough, and lightweight for light hiking. Their design makes them a favorite with flat feet hikers especially when it comes to the comfort that they deliver.

The boots themselves are made up of nubuck leather which grants them their waterproof feature. While being able to keep water out, they also have breathable membranes that let out any vapor build-up. We guarantee you that these features will keep your feet warm and dry regardless of how wet your hiking trail is.

The insoles are made up of removable double-density EVA-technology footbed which provides superb support for hikers with flat feet. The footbed is also cushioned enough for excellent flat foot support ensuring that all pressure exerted on your feet during hikes is well-distributed to the entire feet. They also offer great shock-absorbing capabilities ensuring that your comfort and hiking experience is uninterrupted by ill-fitting hiking boots.

The boots weigh 12 ounces making them really lightweight hiking shoes. This makes them a fan favorite for folks with over-pronation feet. The interior is padded with thick cushioning material providing the best ankle support. The smooth and flexible nubuck leather with the padded lining ensures that there is no break-in period making them fit snugly straight out of the box.

There is great stability that comes from the double-density midsoles and enhanced comfort in any terrain. However, the midsoles and the entire footbed are a standard size in that there are no narrow- or wide-feet options. There have also been people recommending that you order half the size larger than your usual size as the sizes listed are often inaccurate. This means that the boots have to be tested first to ensure that they are the right fit prior to any use.

Pros

They are lightweight hiking boots.
They have a short breaking-in period.
They are very affordable.
They are comfortable to use in any hiking trail.
They are waterproof hiking boots.

Cons

There is a problem with the correct fitting sizes in that size 10 people need to order size 10.5 or 11 for the correct fit.
They tend to feel a little tight for people with wide feet.

Verdict

These awesome hiking boots offer great value for your money. They deliver exactly what they promise. Should you get the right or perfect fit, they are a great arsenal to your hiking gear. The nubuck leather ensures that they are tough and durable, protecting your feet against abrasions or chipped trails.

The Top 5 Best Hiking Shoes for Flat Feet: Buying Guide

Support

Hiking is an activity that you should enjoy despite your feet’s arch type. That can make finding the right hiking shoes a daunting task. You need to find the best shoes that offer you great support during hiking. Therefore, there are different buying considerations depending on the pronation of your feet.

Hiking shoes for neutral pronation

For people with neutral pronation, going for shoes with more stability is the right choice. This is because these types of flat feet hikers have an evenly distributed body weight. Hiking shoes with a balanced insole cushioning area will keep your body balanced during use in walking and running even with flat feet.

Hiking shoes for overpronation

For people with overpronation, their steps tend to fall across the outer regions of the heels and the inner balls of their feet. The body weight tends to move inward because the step falls on the outside of the heels during a walk or a hike. Flat foot hikers with these feet type should therefore go for more durable shoes. This is because there is increased wear and tear happening right under the big toes all the way to the inner heel areas.

Hiking shoes for underpronation

Flat feet hikers with under pronation tend to have archers found higher up. This makes them have increased weight right outside of the feet area. If you have this type of pronation, then you should go for shoes with studier outward soles. This is because these shoes provide you with support and comfort that you need for your ankles.

It, therefore, becomes imperative to pick lightweight hiking boots with flexible shoe soles for maximum support of your arches. This ultimately makes it easier to trek through most of the hiking trails.

Comfort

Comfort is one of the uncompromised aspects of excellent hiking experiences. The health of your feet can better be facilitated with comfortable shoes, which can take the extra physical pressure exerted on your feet during ascending and descending. It is especially important to provide comfort for the entire heel to toe areas.

Durability

Since hiking involves strenuous movement on rough terrains and in harsh weather conditions, durable shoes will go a long way into ensuring a memorable hiking experience. The right shoes have to be reliable and have high-grade quality in that they can be used over and over again. Depending on your feet type and shoes you find to be comfortable, shoes with the most durable materials are the best to go for.

Fitting and Shoe type

This means that you have to find the right balance between durable shoes that offer comfort, best arch support, and those which fit snugly. It helps to know your foot size to know the shoes that you go for. This is important to avoid unnecessary swelling of the feet that come with wearing incorrect shoe sizes.

Having the correct shoe types that fit comfortably and are suitable for the intended terrain will help you avoid disappointments or discomfort during your hike.

Bottom Line

Hiking is one of the most enjoyable natural activities that you can do to enjoy nature. However, having flat feet should not be a hindrance to a great hiking experience.

Our top 5 best hiking shoes for flat feet list guarantees a well-researched selection of hiking shoes that will ensure that you enjoy yourself in any hiking terrain. This is because the health of your feet is just as important as hiking is to you.

First, you need to identify your feet type as this will go a long way into determining the kind of shoe type that will be most suitable for you. Different flat feet hikers with varying types of pronation will require different types of shoes with different features to facilitate safe, comfortable, and healthy pronation. Shoes that also guarantee comfort will ultimately ensure that there are no discomforts while walking and running.

Apart from comfort and understanding your feet type, finding the balance between durable, fitting, and terrain-suitable shoes is the way to go. Thought has to be put in the kind of gear or load that you have during your hike since the weight has a bearing in choosing the correct hiking shoes, especially for flat feet hikers.

This list of the best shoes for people with flat feet has been curated in consultation with medical professionals. While you should always consult your doctor for any health and wellness-related problem, these shoes for flat feet are the perfect remedy for foot pain and strain. Get one for yourself for a new level of comfort and health.