Quick Take Review

Over the past few months, GearGuide reviewed a range of footwear – everything from trail runners and light hikers to minimal road shoes. Sixty to seventy percent of these shoes could benefit from an improved insole like Superfeet.

Unlike gel or other padded insoles, Superfeet eschews extra cushioning and goes for orthotic-like stability. In fact, the company grew out of the Northwest Podiatric Laboratory with a mission to bring affordable orthotics to the masses. That they’ve done with a range of color-coded products tailored for different arch types and shoe styles.

At GearGuide, we had the chance to try just about everything in the Superfeet line-up over the past several months. From the orange designed for high-volume footwear and high arches to the black for low-volume shoes. The company also makes a women’s specific insole (berry) which we also put to the test.

I don’t know about you, but I am constantly tweaking my shoes looking for a little better fit. I’ve tried the inexpensive air insoles to improve cushioning. I’ve also used custom-cut pieces of neoprene to reduce the volume of EE wide fly fishing boots. At times, I’ll combine these elements with a Superfeet insole (the best example being again fly fishing boots). Or more often, I use the Superfeet insoles alone in a regular volume shoe.

The Superfeet insoles definitely improve things, adding arch support, stability and comfort in the vast majority of cases. For instance, in the recent trail runner roundup, two out of three of those shoes benefitted from a Superfeet insole. Both the women’s hikers we tried this year (the Keen A86 and Ecco Ultra Terrain) also improved once the insole was added. The only instance where I felt the Superfeet didn’t improve performance of the shoe was in the minimalist category.

Two thing in particular that I like about Superfeet – the heel cup and the forefoot padding. The heel cup aligns and stabilizes, and allows the shoe’s built-in cushioning to do a better job of shock absorption. The forefoot padding helps adjust the volume in the toe box which I find particularly helpful.

And one more thing, I’ve found the Superfeet insoles to be exceptionally rugged. Case in point, those fly fishing boots again. I’ve had a pair of Superfeet green insoles in my Simms Rivershed boots for two seasons. They’ve been submerged in water for days on end, hiked untold miles and they still look and perform like new. Can’t beat that.

Rating:
[Rating:5/5]

Thanks for reading another outdoor gear review from GearGuide. And thanks to Superfeet for providing product for this review. Written by Matt K.