Walking With a Weighted Vest: Benefits, Optimal Weight & Best Vests

If you ask me, walking is one of the best ways to increase your daily activity. Regardless of age, gender, or fitness level, everyone should be doing more of it. But what if you want to make those same walks more challenging without necessarily walking farther?

That’s where a weighted vest can come in.

By adding a relatively small amount of weight to your body, you can increase the intensity of your normal walks without turning them into an entirely different workout. But heavier isn’t necessarily better, especially when you’re just getting started.

In this article, we’ll look at the benefits of walking with a weighted vest, how heavy your vest should be, and three weighted vests worth considering.

Best Weighted Vests for Walking

If you’re considering adding a weighted vest to your walks, you don’t need anything overly complicated. For most people, comfort, weight distribution, and choosing an appropriate amount of weight are going to matter much more than having dozens of extra features.

Below are three options worth considering depending on your budget and what you’re looking for.

1. ZELUS Weighted Vest — Best Overall for Walking

If you’re mainly looking for a weighted vest for walking, the ZELUS is probably the option I’d start with.

What I like about it is the simplicity. Instead of buying a heavy vest and removing individual weights, you can choose from several fixed-weight options ranging from 6 lb to 30 lb. For someone new to weighted walking, I’d lean toward one of the lighter options rather than jumping straight to 20 or 30 lb.

The vest also has adjustable straps to help keep it secure while you’re moving, reflective strips for visibility, and a small storage pocket for things like your phone or keys. The main downside is that the weight itself isn’t adjustable. If you buy the 8 lb version, for example, you’re walking with 8 lb. You can’t gradually add weight to that same vest as you get stronger.

Best for: Someone who wants a simple, relatively affordable weighted vest primarily for walking and doesn’t care about changing the weight frequently.

Check the ZELUS Weighted Vest on Amazon →

2. CAP Adjustable Weighted Vest — Best Adjustable Option

If you want more control over how much weight you’re carrying, the CAP Adjustable Weighted Vest makes more sense than a fixed-weight option like the ZELUS.

The biggest advantage is right there in the name: the weight is adjustable. Rather than being stuck with one weight, you can remove or add weight as your fitness improves. This makes it particularly useful if you plan on using weighted walking as a regular part of your routine.

The tradeoff is that it’s a much bulkier design. If your main priority is having something lightweight and unobtrusive for casual walks, the ZELUS will probably feel more comfortable. But if adjustability matters more to you, the CAP gives you considerably more room to progress.

I also wouldn’t recommend loading it up as heavily as possible just because the vest allows you to. For walking, starting lighter and gradually increasing the load makes much more sense.

Best for: Someone who wants an adjustable vest that can become progressively heavier as they get used to weighted walking.

Check the CAP Adjustable Weighted Vest on Amazon →

3. Hyperwear Hyper Vest PRO — Best Premium Option

If comfort and a lower-profile design matter more than price, the Hyperwear Hyper Vest PRO is the premium option I’d consider.

Unlike the bulkier CAP vest, the Hyper Vest PRO is designed to sit closer to the body and uses small removable weights, so you can adjust the load while keeping the vest relatively slim. That makes it particularly appealing for walking, where you probably don’t want a bulky vest bouncing around for an hour.

The obvious downside is the price. It’s considerably more expensive than the ZELUS and CAP options, so I wouldn’t say you need to spend this much just to start weighted walking. But if you plan on using a weighted vest regularly and want something adjustable without the bulky feel of a traditional weight vest, that’s where the Hyperwear makes sense.

Best for: Someone who wants a more comfortable, low-profile adjustable vest and doesn’t mind paying considerably more for it.

Check the Hyperwear Hyper Vest PRO on Amazon →

Benefits of Walking With a Weighted Vest

The biggest reason to wear a weighted vest while walking is pretty simple: it makes an easy activity harder without completely changing what you’re doing.

You’re still walking the same route at roughly the same pace, but now your body has extra weight to move around. That means your legs and core have to work a little harder, and the overall intensity of the walk goes up.

You’ll also burn more calories compared with doing the exact same walk without the vest. I wouldn’t buy a weighted vest expecting some massive increase in calorie burn, but over longer walks the extra effort can add up. Another thing I like about weighted walking is how easy it is to progress. You can start with a light vest and then gradually increase the weight, distance, or pace as the walks become easier.

There’s no complicated program to follow. And that’s really the main benefit for me. Walking is already one of the easiest forms of exercise to do consistently. A weighted vest simply gives you a way to make those walks more challenging. That doesn’t mean more weight is always better, though.

If the vest is so heavy that you’re leaning forward, changing the way you walk, or cutting your normal walks short, you’ve probably gone too heavy.

How Heavy Should a Weighted Vest Be for Walking?

For most people, there’s no reason to start heavy. If you’re new to walking with a weighted vest, I’d start somewhere around 5 – 10% of your body weight and see how your body responds.

For example, if you weigh 180 lb, that would mean starting with roughly 9 -18 lb. You don’t have to hit an exact percentage, though. The goal is to add enough weight that you notice the difference without completely changing the way you walk.

Your normal walking posture should still look and feel pretty much the same. If you’re leaning forward, taking awkward steps, or feeling like you need to compensate for the vest, that’s a good sign to reduce the weight.

I’d also increase the load gradually rather than jumping from something like 10 lb straight to 30 lb. Give your body time to adapt first. You can always make the walk harder later by adding a little more weight, increasing the distance, or simply walking faster.

For longer walks, I’d generally stay on the lighter side. A weight that feels perfectly manageable for 10 minutes can feel very different after you’ve been carrying it for 45 minutes.

A Simple Starting Point

If you’ve never used a weighted vest before, start light enough that you can complete your normal walk without noticeably changing your posture or walking technique. Once that feels easy for several walks, you can consider adding a little more weight.

Downsides to Walking With a Weighted Vest

A weighted vest can make walking more challenging, but that doesn’t mean everyone needs one.

The most obvious downside is the additional stress you’re putting on your body. Your joints, muscles, and connective tissues now have to deal with more load during every step. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s another reason why I wouldn’t start with a ridiculously heavy vest.

Comfort can also become an issue, especially during longer walks. Depending on the design, a vest can bounce around, rub against your shoulders, or simply get hot and sweaty. This is where having a vest that fits securely becomes more important than having one that can hold a huge amount of weight.

And then there’s the temptation to turn everything into a progression. You don’t need to keep adding weight every week just because you can.

If walking with 10 lb feels challenging and you’re enjoying it, there’s nothing wrong with staying there. Your goal isn’t to eventually walk around your neighborhood wearing 50 lb.

I’d also be more cautious if you already experience pain while walking or have an existing joint, back, or balance issue. Adding external weight isn’t something I’d use as a solution to an existing problem.

Does Walking With a Weighted Vest Burn More Calories?

Yes. If you take the same person, walking at the same speed for the same amount of time, adding external weight increases the amount of work their body has to do.

But I wouldn’t get too excited about trying to calculate exactly how many extra calories your vest burns.

The difference will depend on things like your body weight, the weight of the vest, your walking speed, the terrain, and how long you’re walking. Wearing a 10 lb vest for a relaxed 20-minute walk obviously isn’t the same as carrying 30 lb uphill for an hour.

And if weight loss is your main goal, I’d still look at the bigger picture.

A weighted vest can help increase your energy expenditure, but it isn’t going to compensate for consistently eating more calories than you burn. Think of it as another tool you can use to make your walks slightly more demanding, not as some kind of shortcut to fat loss.

If you’re already walking regularly and don’t necessarily want to add more time or distance, that’s where I think a weighted vest becomes particularly interesting.

How Many Steps a Day to Lose Weight?

Is Walking With a Weighted Vest Worth It?

I think it can be.

If you’re barely walking at all right now, I wouldn’t bother buying a weighted vest. Start walking consistently first. You can make plenty of progress without adding anything.

But if you’re already getting your steps in and want to make those walks more challenging without running or spending more time doing cardio, a weighted vest is a pretty simple way to do it.

Just don’t turn the weight itself into the goal. I’d rather walk comfortably with 10 lb and maintain good posture than drag 30 lb around just because it feels more hardcore.