Inov8 Roclite 305 Long Term Durability

I have been using Roclite 295s for both trail running and hiking, including a JMT trip last year. I have also tried the 305s and 315s but the 295s are more comfortable on my feet. The 305s have less room in the toebox. The 295s worked well for me on the JMT and they have less cushioning then the 305s and 315s. I get about 200 miles out of a pair. No problems with the mesh, sole, or insole, but the failure point for me has consistently (3 pairs) been the lacing webbing. I started the JMT with a new pair. One lacing loop broke about 2/3 of the way through the hike. A second loop broke the last day of the trip. I contacted Inov-8 about my experience and received this reply:

"Thanks for your feedback and I'm sorry to hear this has consistently happened for you. It is strange as I have only seen a couple of other examples where this has happened but we will look at increasing the durability on production going forward."

Hey Ken, the Roclite 285 doesn't have lace loops. They have eyelets more like the 305. Also noticed that the 295 is on sale at acmeclimbing.com for $65, if you happen to be looking for another pair.

Jonathan, I doubt that the mesh will give you any durability issues. It's pretty tough!

Jonathan,
I did the entire JMT in 10 days in the Rolite 305's and they were GREAT shoes and held up well even though they looked a little worn by the end of the trip. The cushioning with some green insoles worked great. The only thing that could have been better was the toe cap protection. Moving fast to cover 22 to 25 miles a day made for some misplaced steps in the steep rock sections and my toes got a little beat up.
I also have several pairs of the 315's and that shoe definitely has better toe cap protection but not quite as much cushion. Love those shoes as well. If I was going to do the JMT again, I think I would still go with the 305's !! Light, fast, great ventilation, great traction!

AWESOME thanks Kevin, just the input I was looking for. Doing the JMT in 10-11 days as well. Thanks again!!

I wear a size 9.5 in the 09 Montrail Hardrock (size 10 in the 07 and 08 versions) should I go with a size 10 or 10.5 when ordering the Inov8 Terroc? Any thoughts will be appreciated.

I don't think any pair of shoes should fall apart inside of 200 miles or so. But, it's been my experience (so far) that Inov-8's are on the fragile side of footwear. Before I passed them on to someone else, my Flyroc's were showing more wear both on the soles and the uppers than any other trail shoe I've worn. I had maybe 100 miles on them and I wasn't really pleased with how they were wearing.

FYI, I got rid of them because of fit, not wear. Perhaps I'll give them another shot because the breathability and traction were the best of any shoe I've used. They ate up trails like snow tires on my jeep. And they sure dried out fast!

>>>The 295s worked well for me on the JMT and they have less cushioning then the 305s and 315s. I get about 200 miles out of a pair. No problems with the mesh, sole, or insole, but the failure point for me has consistently (3 pairs) been the lacing webbing.<<<

I have experienced the same failure point with the 295s at roughly the same milage – 200ish or so. That would be awesome if they beefed up the lacing system because I think the rest of the shoe probably has another good 100 miles left in it.

I recently got a pair of 295's that I've only put 20 miles on.

My initial impression is that the sole's rubbe ris very soft. The thread and grip is excellent partly because of this. But the rubber reminds me of that found on my climbing shoes. I suspect that the type of surface you hike on will determine thread and sole life. hard surfaces will probably eat them up much faster, I will not be using mine on any type of pavement.

Can anyone comment on the interior durability?

Even considering my expensive packs, shelters, 800 fp down bags, titanium gear, etc, I've come to the conclusion that the most spendy part of hiking is replacing trail runners.

You might want to hit the seams on those Roclites with McNett Seam Grip for added durability.

All the models I've tried with the lace loops (330, 310, 295) have all torn fairly quickly (within 10-15 days?), it's a real weakness of the shoes. But using a thin bit of hot metal (eg titanium peg) you can melt a new hole through the actual shoe and route the lace through this instead.

Frankly I'm sick of patching up my inov8s and replacing them so often. After my first 4 days on my last pair of 330s:
– a lace loop wore through
– the heels started peeling off
– the stitching I didn't bother dousing in Seamgrip around the back came out
– bits coming off the tread

problem is, I want to move to _lighter_ more flexible shoes, not anything heavier and more durable. My first weekend (2 days walking) experimenting with the NB MT840 wasn't that promising, stitching on the front coming out, already lost one of the knobbles on the sole.

Maybe next summer I'll try no shoes at all, would sure save a lot of money. Feet heal, shoes don't. If I lined up all the pairs of busted and worn out shoes next to my feet, the idea that feet need 'protecting' would seem sort of ridiculous.

> Frankly I'm sick of patching up my inov8s and replacing them so often. After my first 4 days on my last pair of 330s:
– a lace loop wore through
– the heels started peeling off
– the stitching I didn't bother dousing in Seamgrip around the back came out
– bits coming off the tread

Holy crap!