Inov8 370 arrived today. Bought them thru Zombierunner.com. Good shop.

P.S. i'll get around to answering your WTS requests later. I'm going to go for another short hike to try these boots out. So far they feel true to size and look like they are very well made. Like all my other Inov8 shoes and gear.

No Hype from Inov8 they make great products and therefore need not BS the public. Highly Recommended!!!

Peace,

RIchard.

Edited by roninpb on 06/11/2008 19:58:34 MDT.

What is the durability of your inov8 shoes? I have read less then 500 miles in other threads. I love New Balance shoes and my last pair lasted me over 1 year(this is trail and work total, everyday use if you will). For the $49 price tag on sale and the longevity of use I find myself hard pressed to switch. I guess if I had lots of money burning holes in my pocket I might be inclined to try new things!

I'm hoping some folks can chime in on these shoes as I'm thinking about pulling the pin a pair

thanks

Mike

Edited by mtwarden on 08/23/2009 14:32:12 MDT.

I've been wearing these all summer and have been pleasantly surprised. They actually have better traction on steep, rocky scrambles and steep, yucky heather than my leather scramble boots. When I care about wet, I wear my Rocky goretex socks. When I don't care, I just get wet and change socks in the evening. They don't dry real fast, but this is the Pacific NW, after all. They may dry quicker in warmer areas. Comfort is tops and the fact they weigh a pound less each than my Zamberlans puts them in the Wonderful category. They're too new for me to know about longevity with only 2-300 miles on them.

"What is the durability of your inov8 shoes? I have read less then 500 miles in other threads."

Inov8 uses two kinds of rubber on their products.

The shoes with the firmer rubber ("E" for Enduro, I think) might last up to 500 miles or more. I have a pair of the Terrocs with about 50 miles on them with no visible sign of wear.

The "S" shoes (for Sticky, I think) are great on wet rocks, etc., but they seem to get only 200 miles or so. My Mudclaws are superb on wet surfaces, but the price I'll have to pay is soft rubber and therefore short-livedness. With about 30 miles on them, they already show visible signs of wear. Still, it's worth it not to end up on my glutei on the wet, wet surfaces of the Shawnee State Forest. I won't wear them as long-distance hiking shoes. They wear appear out too quickly.

Stargazer

"No Hype from Inov8 they make great products and therefore need not BS the public. Highly Recommended!!!"

They do, I love my Inov8's!

However, some (many by some acounts) of the models have what might be considered a fatal flaw: Their toebox is too tapered, i.e., too small. My Mudclaws squeeze my toes fretfully on steep downhills. My Terrocs have an adequately-sized toebox. I suggest trying on the various Inov8 lines before you buy.

Stargazer

Kathleen- thanks for the review, there are not many non-gortex mids to choose from (seems like quite a few gortex ones though)- sounds like these might do the trick :)

Thomas- my foot is relatively wide across the toes so thanks for the heads up- I'll try a + .5 on size and see what that feels like

I have both the 370 and the 390Gtx and couldn't be happier with them! The lightness belies the support, sole protection, and traction afforded by these shoes, and to hike in them is a whole 'nother experience compared to heavier, stiffer shoes...about the next best thing to going barefoot I'd say.

Until this summer I always wore Superfeet, but Roger C. talked me out of them. Wow, that really improved the performance of those Inov8s! Without the Superfeet I could "feel" the trail so much better and my foot could flex along its entire length, hence the comparison to being barefoot. Try 'em, your feet will love being liberated!

Another mid-height non Goretex shoe is the Montrail Namche, sadly discontinued, but still availaable at Mountaingear.com for around $49, a steal at that price.

"I have both the 370 and the 390Gtx and couldn't be happier with them!"

+ 1

Monty, have hiked rough trail terrain like the JMT in the 370s with or without the Superfeet insoles? I'm curious how hiking such rougher trails are with these boots. I have the 370s but left them at home for the JMT, I wore the Keen Mid-Targhee II mid-height boots.

The Terroc 330s have both types of rubber I think. Most of the sole is E while there are 2 length-wise strips of S rubber in the middle of the sole divided by the arch area. After only a month of relatively harsh off-trail conditions (loose scree and talus; glacial moraines; etc), the lugs on the S strips had start to shear (almost like it had been laid down in 2 passes - the outer had become separated from the inner) and, at the central jog of the S strip on one shoe, the strip had become disconnected from the rest of the sole. Eventually, I needed to pull the whole strip off because it was becoming a hazard. There hasn't been any noticable decrease in the comfort because of this. If you are wearing your Inov8s in hard off-trail travel, stay away from shoes with any S component in their soles. My Roclite 330s lasted 1.5yrs under similar conditions and had to be retired because the upper was wearing out - the sole had some wear but had another year left in it at the time of retirement.