The 7 Best Waterproof Running Shoes for When the Going Gets Wet
They’ll trap more sweat, sure, but these shoes will also keep out most moisture.
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There’s no source of discomfort in running that’s unsettling in quite the way that water breaching your shoe is. Even in warm months, that unwanted moisture can feel frigid, leaves your socks damp, and cause chafing. If you want to avoid that abhorrent sensation, you have options, the most reliable being to invest in a pair of waterproof running shoes.
Depending where you live, waterproofing might be a necessity for one season or the entire year—Summer isn’t always hot and dry either. For rain and mud (and even stream crossings), a good pair of waterproof running shoes helps eliminate weather-related excuses for skipping a big training run. In terms of comfort, performance, and actual waterproofing quality, the models we’ve rounded up below are the best.
The Best Waterproof Running Shoes
- Best Overall Trail Shoe: Saucony Peregrine 14 GTX
- Best Overall Road Shoe: Brooks Ghost 15 GTX
- Best Long-Distance Training Shoe: On Cloudrunner 2 Waterproof
- Best for Road and Trail: Nike Pegasus Trail 4 Gore-Tex
- The Versatile Hybrid: Hoka Challenger 7 GTX
What to Consider When Shopping for a Waterproof Shoe
Getting the Basics Right First
Just like you would when picking any other running shoe, you want to ensure the waterproof models you’re reaching for actually meet your other needs, such as having ample cushioning for long runs or grippy lugs for technical trails. On top of that, it’s critical to try shoes before you buy them whenever possible to ensure the upper fits the way you like—you don’t want to drop 100 bucks on a shoe that rubs funny on your heel or cramps your toes a far-too-small space.
What Makes Shoes Waterproof
Waterproof running shoes have a membrane sandwiched between the outer fabric and the liner, similar to a three-layer rain jacket. Gore-Tex, which you’ll see as “GTX” in many model names, is the most popular waterproofing material. Its ePTFE (expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, if you’re nerdy) membrane has microscopic pores that are big enough for water vapor to evaporate through while small enough to keep liquid droplets out. Every shoe we currently recommend has this tech save for the On Cloudrunner 2 Waterproof, which uses a similar but proprietary membrane, and the Altra Lone Peak ALL-WTHR Low 2, which relies on an eVent waterproof barrier.
This membrane is technically both waterproof and breathable, though it’s not a perfect system, and the shoes get sweaty once you heat up or the temps rise above 65 degrees. For this reason we suggest wearing non-waterproof models on warmer wet days and leaving these shoes for cold or rainy runs.
Other Waterproofing Options
Waterproof shoes aren’t the only recourse for runners looking for protection against wet conditions or stream crossings. Waterproof socks from brands like SealSkinz, DexShell, and Showers Pass work well in rain and on wet trails. We pair these with a set of trail-running gaiters that covers the tops of our shoes so we can run through a creek without water or debris getting in from above.
Both methods will keep you cozy and dry for longer, particularly when combined with waterproof shoes. Just keep in mind that both waterproof socks and gaiters suffer from the same breathability issues as shoes. In warm weather, it’s often better to have airflow to help with evaporation than sweat-soaked feet without drainage or ventilation.
How We Selected These Shoes
Author Caitlin Giddings wrote the initial version of this guide. She spent eight years living and running in Portland, Oregon—a part of the country known for consistently rainy weather. In subsequent updates, Maggie Slepian tested more shoes on the wet trails and winter snow and slush in Montana, where she lives.
In addition to that field testing, we also relied on input from Runner’s World editors and testers who trained and ran in these shoes and others like them. The RW test team lives and runs in some rainy, snowy corners of the Northeast and elsewhere, and we test the limits of every shoe that comes through our door.
For this most recent update, I leaned on the expertise of our other two authors to find updated versions of the models they recommend, and I consulted our test team’s library of reviews and testing notes to ensure those new iterations are up to snuff. (We have longer reviews of the non-waterproof versions of a couple of these shoes, so I linked to those below.) All of these shoes have an excellent combination of comfort, performance, durability, and weather protection for everything from rainy road runs to slushy trails to unpredictable conditions on your next ultra. And while some of them are tough to find in stock, they’re still worth hunting down for the assurance they offer on a rainy day.
Adam Schram is an Assistant Editor of Commerce at Runner's World, though you might see his byline on Bicycling and Popular Mechanics, too. A lover of all things outdoors, Adam's writing career comes after six years as a bike mechanic in his hometown of State College, PA. His journalism experience is steeped in cycling and running gear reviews, and he's also a published creative nonfiction and satire author. When he's not writing, riding, or running, you can catch Adam at home mixing cocktails, watching Star Wars, or trying in vain to do the Sunday crossword. You can check out his latest work below.
Maggie Slepian is a full-time freelance writer in the outdoor industry and has tested gear professionally for almost ten years—she is an avid backpacker, trail runner, bikepacker, and horseback rider and has thru-hiked thousands of miles on the Appalachian, Colorado, and Ouachita trails, along with backcountry travel on terrain including coastal trails, the desert, and high alpine peaks. Maggie has written for New York Magazine, Huffington Post, REI, and Outside. She is a columnist with Backpacker Magazine and is the co-founder of BackpackingRoutes.com. Contact her at MaggieSlepian.com.
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