Ads allow content creators to provide free useful and compelling content to the public. We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. See the Affiliates and Disclosures page in the top menu of this website for detailed information.

Long stride walking pad with incline

I have had my eye on a walking pad purchase for several months. They have come down in price quite a bit since they were first introduced and my eye turned to serious consideration.

My main concern is finding one long enough. I am already relatively fit. I like to walk and do walk jog intervals regularly outside but the busier I get with work from home work the less time I have to get out and do my “legwork”. Also to be more efficient as a crochet designer, I want to be able to crochet while I walk and I can’t really do that outside. I can on a walking pad though!

Now, for non crocheters, let’s talk the practicality of the walking pad I have-and I happen to love it. I have had it for four months and I use it every day except three days that I had a bit of a issue with my si joint and I couldn’t take strides while it was out of place.

In this post on Eight ways to change your life, exercise is one of the components.

I picked the walking pad I picked after many days of research. From what I could tell the majority (as in over 70% ) of the pads I looked at seem to be made by the same manufacturer as they all had the same specs and a similar price. Some have no warranty, some don’t go as fast as others, etc. Many are the same length , most of which won’t work for someone in the 6′-6’4 height range.

As time goes on the length option I suspect will become more competitive with more offerings but as the date of publishing this there aren’t many aside from the one I am covering (currently using) here.

What makes a standout walking pad?

What matters to me:

• Maximum speed
• can it incline?
• “runway” length
• warranty

A fast walking pad

on average the over 20 walking pads I looked at, almost none go higher than 3.7 mph. Nothing wrong with that but if you want to bust out into a jog you are SOL. This one goes a full 4.0 mph.

The readout area will constantly update with speed, time, calories burned and distance.

Walking pad with incline

With only the exception of the walking pad I purchased, none of them have an incline. This one has a manual incline of up to 4%, not a lot but believe me you will feel it. The halfway point of the walking pad , each side has a screw you twist up or down so the “foot” will give a bit of lift to the pad. Not high tech but it works. You cannot adjust it while you’re on it but it’s a simple adjustment before and after your walk session.

The manufacturer says. “Specifically designed to shape your hips and legs, with which the effect of fitness and fat-burning can increase by 60%.” I live in a hilly state or part of the state so I am accustomed to some hills when I walk outside so this is exactly what I wanted.

A hand held power and speed remote

This seems to be a standard feature. A remote about the size of a roku or firestick allows you to start, stop, adjust speed, and pause your workout. It has a wrist strap. I opted to crochet a lariat and wear it around my neck so it’s not moving around my wrist while I crochet or jog or walk with heavy hands hand weights.

Is the walking pad noisy or quiet?

The on/off sound is quite loud but once it gets moving it’s almost undetectable motorwise. I couldn’t hear it from the next room but my cats notice it with their super hearing powers. They are used to it now but the change in environment had them a bit shook the first few weeks. Now they lay on it when I am not using it. LOL

How to set up a walking pad

This one came ready to use. A plug and play type of situation. It comes with oil when the belt needs it but as of yet I haven’t needed to oil it. It weighs 44 lbs and has wheels on the front so you can tilt it to slide it under a sofa, bed or lean it on a wall.

I use it in 10-20 minute increments throughout the day to keep my blood sugar stable so I never put it away. I hop on it and go sometimes losing track of time when I am crocheting or I have even been known to play a little candy crush while walking.

It is recommended to wear athletic shoes when walking on your pad. I have occasionally done it barefoot or just in socks and each method feels different as you’d expect. If I plan to do intervals I definitely wear athletic shoes.

Walking pad warranty

Oh goodness, the warranty options on walking pads are all over the place. Some have none, some have short warranties and this one I am recommending has an 18 month warranty. That is what gave me the confidence to pull the trigger and buy it. It met all my other requirements so what did I have to lose? I am so over the moon happy with it and maybe a bit sorry I didn’t get it sooner.

I was thrilled during the long painful pollen season to have it and now that it’s over 90 degrees and humid every day I am so happy to have it. Also I wake up at 4-5 am when it’s still dark and I am energetic in the morning so I can get on it when it’s still dark out and be safe. Storms have been bad this spring and my walking never was interrupted by the bad weather.

Currently for summer I am doing this walking pad challenge!

Additional info

It’s not recommended to use it for extended amounts of time such as more than 45-60 minutes to avoid overheating. I haven’t gone more than 30 minutes at once as I break up my workouts throughout the day.

Check out my walking pad for tall people with a bonus incline feature here.