Portable treadmills are popular with people who frequently move and those who would like to travel with their workout equipment. They’re also preferred by people who have limited workout space. Portable treadmills tend to be very basic machines; users sacrifice many features in order to have a small and lightweight machine.
What We Like
Portability: Portable treadmills are so slim that they can easily be stored under a bed or in the back seat of a car. For instance, Horizon’s Evolve treadmill is just 10” thick and 59” long when folded. Portable treadmills may also come with retractable wheels.
Price: Portable treadmills are among the least expensive treadmills available.
What We Don’t Like
Weak motors: At about 1.5 HP, the motors installed in portable treadmills are less powerful than those of traditional treadmills. This means that they’re less useful for runners, frequent users, and heavier individuals.
Tracks: Portable treadmills have relatively short track lengths. They also have less cushioning than full-size models, so users might notice more stress on their bodies.
Instability: Portable treadmills are generally shakier than non-portable treadmills.
Overall features: Portable treadmills have significantly fewer features than traditional treadmills. For instance, they usually lack a second motor to control the incline, so users need to manually adjust the track for tilted walking. (The LifeSpan Fitness TR200 Fold-N-Stor Compact Treadmill is an exception and has built-in incline training programs.) Portable models also tend to have fewer and less complex workout programs. The Merit 715T, for instance, only comes with two workout programs.
Our Verdict
Portable treadmills are inexpensive and are convenient for people who frequently move to new workout spaces. However, they should probably only be purchased by people who don’t have other options. Portable models tend to be shaky and are best suited to smaller users. Also, most treadmill users find that exercise is much more enjoyable when the machine has extra features.
