Recommendation for PCT thru-hiking shoe (to replace Inov-8 Roclite 315)

Bummer, that's what I wear, too, though much smaller size. I'd go to the Roclite 295 then. I had waffled between the two to begin with and I think the only difference was the soleplate was a bit more robust on the 315. They don't seem to mention that kind of thing now. The 295 has Meta-Shank II but don't recall what the 315 had. On the other hand, I've seen several comments on the bad design changes Inov-8 has been making to the Roclite series so I may look elsewhere once my last pair wear out.

ETA: Unless they call them by different names now the 315 was done on the (E)ndurance last while the current 295 uses a (S)tandard (?) last so the fit may be different. Drop is also 3 mm less I believe.

Inov-8 has indeed changed the lastname and Endurance and Natural then is now Standard. But little known is that there were also differences in fit between models that had theoretically the same but that was not always the case in reality e.g. although the 315 and 295 have theoretically the same last, the actual fit is different.

And what do you mean by the word 'soleplate' ?
Both had the Metashank II, but the 295 had/has a 6mm drop and (much) softer (and less durable) Sticky-rubber while the 315 had a 9mm drop and Endurance-rubber.

The new Roclite 295 is a massive improvement over the donkey inov-8 put on the market in 2013-14. Gone are the nylon upper with minimal give, and the durable but ungrippy lugs on the sole. Imagine wearing metal cleated rugby boots on ice, you'd have the same sense of security as wearing the previous model on wet surfaces. The new model has a softer, more breathable and malleable upper, and returns to the less durable but actually grippy sole of the model that was phased out in 2012. inov-8 say they haven't changed the shape of the sole, but I can tell you that the new upper feels makes it feel wider than the previous model. I was advised to go up 1/2 size over my 2012s, suggesting that the old Comfort last was slightly wider than the Standard fit.

The only question I have is how well water will drain out, as it has a high rand that almost circumnavigates the shoe. I've had mine for a couple of months but haven't had a chance to soak them yet. Mud season's around the corner, so we'll see how they handle that pretty soon.

I used to wear the roclite 295 after trying on both 295 and 315. I made the switch TO THE Trailroc series and find that the 255 is a lot more forgiving than the roclite series. The rubber is not as sticky as they use three different kinds depending on location of sole. It does have a semi roc plate that I find works just as well as the roclite 295 with meta shank 2.

I recommend the Trailroc series. A little bit less durable but the upper also seems to be more breathable.

No personal experience with them (I have a pair on the way), but there's now also the Roclite 280, which has a 9mm drop. The same sticky rubber as the 295, so less durable than the 315.
I find the Trailroc 255 very comfortable but I was not at all happy with the the sole; poor grip and not very durable – the lugs on the black part popped off in no time and the different coloured trim on the side soon delaminated. I have the original black and red ones.

@Eric
1) how is the grip on muddy soil as the lug depth is only 4,5mm instead of 5,5mm on the Roclite-soil ?
2) how do they drain ?
3) how good is the heelcup-design in giving stability ?

@ David
Have you tried UK or Europe sources?

I see that Ultralight Outdoorgear UK (who sold me my 400s) still has some in 315s stock.

Also you can get to the Amazon UK and Amazon EU sites with some clever typing.

Cheers
bruce