Would this survive a month of good trail...say in the Alps or Sierras?

What is it?

Two separate and not necessarily related questions:

Are your feet strong enough for the shoe/terrain pairing?
Will the uppers hold up?


I've found the later to be a bigger issue than the former. Have some Sportiva X Countrys on order and am hoping they perform.

This is an important distinction. I did a 65 km hike in vibram five fingers and the soles of my feet were bruised and incredibly tender half way through the trail.

It looks like the Baregrip 190 to me. I hike in the X-Talon 212s and have found them to be just fine.

http://www.inov-8.com/Products-Detail.asp?PG=PG1&L=27&P=5050973171

http://www.inov-8.com/Products-Detail.asp?PG=PG1&L=27&P=5050973028

I hike in vibram trek sports at 5.5 ounces a pop there pretty darn light. but keep in mind there minimislt shoes and I built my feet up to them. So I have very strong feet but I have no problem with doing lots of milage in them sometimes up to 40 miles a day

Inov-8 Bare-Grip 200. I think I will like them. They aren't all that minimalist. The upper is sturdier (and heavier) than many and there seems to be some reinforcement of the mesh around the edges. Also, the toe is constructed in such a way that I don't think sole will readily peel off. They are flat :)

http://www.anotherfnrunner.com/2011/03/inov-8-offers-insights-on-transitioning.html

http://minimalistrunningshoes.org/sneak-peek-inov-8-bare-x-lite-150

http://www.goodforthesoles.com/catalog/womens_shoes/minimalist_shoes/inov-8_bare-x_200.html

wiiawiwb nailed this one. The ones displayed are the BG190.

Unless you have already conditioned your feet for those shoes I think you would end up having serious foot damage after being in the Sierras.

I migrated from: Boots -> Brooks Cascadia 5 -> Inov-8 X-Talon 212 -> Inov-8 X-Talon 190

But even than, I would not take the Inov-8 X-Talon 190 into the Sierras.

Too much shale for too thin of a shoe.

I took the photo above with my iphone -- it is a picture of the inov-8 Bare-Grip 200 in my hand. The box is on the desk next to me.


http://www.inov-8.com/Products-Detail.asp?PG=PG1&L=27&P=5050973171

So far, I am comfortable running in NB Trail Minimus. I use NB Road Minimus on road. By comparison, this is a beefy shoe. Suppose I'm looking to go less minimalist :) The question was in regard to durability of light footwear over the long haul. Yes, the mesh especially.

Also happen to have X Talon 190 on my desk. I think the BG 200 will make a better tramping shoe for my purposes. I have an X Talon 212 (not as flat as BG 200- 6mm vs. zero) on the way. Ryan made an interesting, and quite timely from my perspective, comment about these models today on another thread.

Edited by backpackerchick on 08/06/2011 15:57:32 MDT.

Anna, thanks for the scoop! Now, that's gotta be pushing the limits for tramping! No? Mesh looks very delicate.

Have you been wearing Inov-8s for a while. I completely ignored them until now figuring that they would be too wide and high volume being men's sizing. I am pleasantly surprised.

Edited by backpackerchick on 08/06/2011 15:45:44 MDT.

I have been wearing inov-8s for about 3-4 years now and love them.I don't know if the 150s look like they would last long but it will be interesting to see them when they come out.

I've been transitioning to a minimal shoe for the past year or so, and I'm a not totally clear what the limit is for me either. Last year, I used an NB 101 on trail runs and backpacking trips, and it was fine, although not all that minimal IMO.
This year, I started with a merrell trail glove on day hikes/runs. I love the feel of hiking with these especially on rocky/technical terrain. You have to choose your footing more carefully, which I think adds to the fun. I did one 3 day trip a few weeks ago on the colorado trail, with three 27 + miles a day. My feet and muscles felt great at the end of each day. I'd say fresher than normal, I suspect from a softer/more efficient stride.
However, the following week I went for another 3 day trip on the CT, this time with 30 + miles each day, and by the end of the 2nd day my feet were bruised and I was miserable. I bailed. I attribute the bruising partly to 20 miles of fast hiking/jogging on the first night done with a headlamp over rocky terrain. I've since reconsidered footwear, but more so my itinerary for weekend trips ;)

From what I can tell, if you are attentive about foot-placement over a long day of hiking, you can get away with a very little shoe. For me, I think the trail gloves are perfect for hikes less than 20 miles a day, and I'm still experimenting with mileage beyond that. I think the most challenging terrain for minimal shoes is little bits of loose/sharp shale. Hard to pick your way through that without slowing down quite a bit.

I'm weighing taking the merrells on a two month trip to new zealand this nov/dec. At this point, they are my preferred mountain footwear, but I'd hate to have to deal with bruised feet on a long trip like that.

A lot of people seem to love the innovates on these forums, but IMO the lugs on even their most minimal shoes make them pretty lousy for rocky trails. I think these were specifically designed for fell running over muddy UK terrain. Having soft rubber lugs like that leaves your feet more vulnerable to pronation, like more built up shoes, and can make for some sloppy footing on rocky terrain. Just my experience/opinion, I'm sure they work well for others, and maybe they have some less lugged shoes in their lineup that I haven't seen.

Sorry for the ramble....in summary: toughen your feet as much as possible and make sure whatever you take is well tested on the type of terrain/mileage you expect to cover. Hope that helps!

Yes they do have shoes without lugs look at my links above,you might also be interested in Ryans thoughts
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=51444&skip_to_post=435891#435891

In the past two years I have gone from Inov-8 315's to 212's and now am trying the Bare Grip 200's. I hiked on the AT for 30 miles, some parts very rocky with the 212's and IMHO a tough foot is needed. I have been wearing the 200's around the woods and a wrong step on a root pains my foot a bit. I will probably use my 212's for 2 weeks in Yosemite at the end of this month. I plan to do about 60 miles all over the park with about 32 miles over three nights. I agree with Ryan about lugs on the soles and love the grip of the 212's and 200's. I felt the 315's where slippery.

Serge,
What are you tramping in NZ this summer?

Serge,

Good progress. You are way, way ahead of me. But I'm going to keep working on increasing my mileage.

Here is some inspiration...

http://www.barefootted.com/index.php?q=/2010/08/2010-leadville-100-trail-race-report.html

Hartley,

Exactly. A friend and I are going to be exploring the south island for a couple months starting late October. Can't wait! Have you been?

George,

Cool video. Did you read Born to Run? That Ted seems like quite the character. Nice finish with McDougal by his side, who has pretty much changed the face of running by writing a book. Impressive all around.

I spent 2 months in New Zealand,beautiful place and nice hiking.I was on both the north and south island,unfortunately the exchange rate is terrible now.

Serge,

Was a very inspiring book to me!

Read it right after I had begun my transition.