A big draw with On Cloud shoes is the brand’s CloudTec system, which uses air pockets in the midsole (the layer between the insole and the outsole), to create the shoe’s cushiony feel. Those pods compress with every step to help reduce impact on your joints, and lowers the odds of achy feet after a long walk.

My college track team was sponsored by a different sneaker brand, so I had to wear it throughout school. But once I graduated and tried my first Hoka running shoe —all bets were off. The King of Cushion was unlike anything I'd ever tried before—its thick cushioning,