Finding the perfect balance between flexibility and support can be difficult. A shoe that is too flexible will not help support the foot during the pounding it takes while running or walking. It should be flexible at the ball of the foot to provide natural motion. The flexibility involves several factors.

First, looking at the ball of the foot, your feet naturally roll when you run or walk. Some offer a rocker bottom which really enhances the correct motion of your foot. Support in the arch is, typically, a bit stiffer leading to the front where you see more flexibility. If the support in the arch is too long for your feet, you may find decreased flexibility, and that can lead to painful shin splints and days out of the activities you love.

A shoe that is too flexible will not support the foot as well as it needs to. Some people believe in the minimalist shoe. A minimalist shoe will not offer the support and cushion of other footwear, but they are, however, extremely flexible. Minimalist shoes make your feet do all the work and for some, that is an excellent feature, especially in the realm of ankle and foot strengthening.

The arch and heel of your lightweight shoes will be a bit stiffer. This is where extra cushion and support will help in force dispersion and pressure release. Your foot rocks from the back to the front. A supported heel means when you strike during your stride, your feet and joints will not have to absorb all that pressure. You want to make sure your footwear feels great and moves with your feet. A stiff shoe may break in after time, so do your best to find one that flexes correctly from the start and your feet will be able to hang with you through the toughest challenges.

Our feet swell as our days go on. Depending on what your day looks like and what you do, you can see a lot of swelling by the end of the day. If your footwear is too tight, it can lead to pain, pressure sores, hotspots, and in general, uncomfortable feet. A shoe that is too loose can lead to a lot of the same problems. In addition, you will find ankle stability to be a real problem with shoes that are too loose.

Know your feet. That is the first step to making sure you are getting a fit that really promotes good posture, correct foot positioning, and of course, a comfortable ride. So, what do I mean by knowing your feet? Let’s start by talking about width.

Narrow
If you have narrow feet and have ever worn a shoe that was too wide, I’m sure you noticed your feet slipping and sliding around inside them. Why is this a problem? When your feet slide around, you lose stability and can, also, cause abrasions and blisters from excessive rubbing. If you find, even after tightening your shoe that your feet and ankles move around easily, you need to find different footwear. It is, also, important to note that extra ankle movement can lead to injuries like rolling or spraining of the joint. If this happens, you may find yourself out of the game for a while. The moral of the story here, my narrow-footed friends, is your shoe needs to hug your foot and support it, not let it wiggle around wherever it wants to.

Medium
Medium sizing is probably the easiest to deal with. Not really narrow and not really wide is easy for shoe companies to accommodate. Finding yourself in this category, you still need to make sure your footwear is not too wide or too narrow. As we stated above, if your shoe is too wide, you will not have the support in your ankle, instep, and other areas of the foot, because there will be too much room and your feet will have the ability to move around in the shoe. On the other side, if your footwear is too narrow, you will have pinched and painful toes. You may find, also, if a shoe is too narrow, it squeezes the arch which will make you very uncomfortable. Lastly, with a medium width, you still need to look at how the foot sits in the footwear to make sure you get that hugging feeling when you tie them up.

Wide
It used to be very difficult to find a quality lightweight shoe that fit wide feet. In recent years, however, it is becoming easier; due to the fact a ton of manufacturers listened to their customers and started giving the option for wide width. The point made with standard width and narrowness goes for wide feet, as well. You need a bit of room for your toes to spread out naturally and you want a comfortable, supportive, hugging fit on the rest. If you have wide feet, I am sure you have pushed into a pair of lightweight footwear, just to find your feet screaming because your feet were suffocating inside.

After you figure out the width you require for a great fitting shoe, then it’s just a matter of time until you find exactly what you have been looking for. Our guide gives options for all widths in life, and hopefully, you can find the perfect match.

How your lightweight footwear is constructed can really make the difference in any activity you find yourself in. An average adventure, or one that you crush because you are walking on air and your feet feel great, depends on the construction and performance ability of your shoes.

The outer panels of your lightweight footwear should be made of mesh and synthetic leather. Mesh is very breathable and helps to keep water out, due to its structure and design. Synthetic Leather is much lighter than natural leather. It aids in keeping water out and attaches well to the bottom of the footwear. In addition, synthetic leather is very flexible, durable, and it dries very quickly.

The outsole, also, plays a huge role in the construction and overall performance ability in light shoes. When we say outsole, we literally mean the bottom of the shoe. If in need of lightweight footwear, you want an outsole that is made of a shock-absorbing, lightweight, even pressure dispersion, material. Typically, you will want to look for something made of blown rubber, polyurethane, or a mixture of the two. Blown rubber is definitely the lightest, followed by a mixture, and Polyurethane outsoles tend to be the heaviest.

Construction is not just about the outside of the shoe. It is, also, about how it fits on the inside. You need footwear that has an insole that keeps your feet cool, dry, comfortable, and doesn’t add a lot of weight. EVA insoles are great in all of those categories.

A lot of footwear, also, offers a sock-like liner. This hugs your foot and helps wick away sweat. Keeping your feet dry is always a top priority when trying to keep your feet healthy. A mesh or synthetic blend sockliner can help ensure your feet feel great at the end of a long day.

Last but not least, let’s take a minute and talk about the heel and toe of your footwear. The toe box should allow you enough room to stretch your toes out. Your feet naturally grip with your toes, as you walk. That natural movement is important in keeping your feet feeling good. If your toes are pinched, not only will your feet hurt but you will have a reduction in stability. The heel cup of your footwear should securely cup your heel. Holding your heel in place while you walk, run, hike, or participate in other activities, will stop painful blisters from forming and help in your performance; due to a lack of slipping around inside.

To assess each of the products on our list for durability, we not only read through thousands of customer reviews on our recommended products, but we also looked for some of the hallmarks of quality construction. From brand name reputation to their initial smell out of the box, there are a few ways of identifying a well-built, made-to-last product.

The Details
A zipper that doesn’t zip or snaps? Poor threading technique? A smelly, chemical residue on the shoe when you open the box? All these details were looked for an evaluated when assigning a score for durability.

Materials
Certain materials last longer than others, even if that comes at the expense of a higher score in the “comfort” criterion. Materials that are synthetic, thicker and firmer tend to score higher on durability.

Product Purpose
A shoe made for running and high-impact sports will not likely last as long as a good pair of general activity shoes and that’s okay. Being aware of the shoe’s purpose is critical for you as a reader and for us as a reviewer. Although shoes that will last longer score higher on this criterion, you might also see high scores to shoes with a more limited durability, if that product was specifically designed for certain purposes that involve high-impact and high-stress motions. We take into account the type of shoes you are trying to purchase when assigning scores to shoes in this criterion.

Brand Name
A product is a promise made, but a brand is a promise kept. A brand name is often a signal of quality and consistency in construction and durability from product to product. Although there are always exceptions to this rule, quite often brands that perform continue to perform. Brand names on our list tend to score higher in the durability score.

The final word on durability is that a higher score on this metric means the product will last longer than its competitors, given similar shoe purpose, type, age and usage. Again, it never hurts to read some customer reviews before hitting the “buy” button.

While style is often a matter of personal taste, we've checked thousands of online reviews to see what people are saying about each of the products on our list. Some things, such as sleek design, seamless construction and overall weight and shape of the shoe, were common likes or dislikes among buyers of each product.

To evaluate style, we considered everything from the design, color, shape, weight, lines and overall construction of the shoe in question. While no one wants to wear an uncomfortable shoe, they also don’t want a comfortable shoe to be ugly on the eyes. We’ve selected all of those on our top 10 to be not only stylish, but also comfortable, true-to-size, supportive and durable.

The higher the score on the “style” metric, the more fashionable we and the community of buyers we surveyed deemed the product to be.