NB 876, La Sportiva Wildcat, Montrail Rockridge or similar Innov-8? Sizing?

I'm totally unfamiliar with Innov-8 models so any guidance would be very helpful. I'd love to compare the Innov-8 model that is closest to the other shoes on my list.

So clearly I'm not looking for one of the more minimalist shoes, but an Innov-8 shoe that has more torsional rigidity/foot protection, cushioning, good forefoot width, etc.

I was wearing Salomon XA 3d Ultras and recently switched over to the LaSportiva Wildcats. I can contrast those two. The biggest difference seems to be the generous toe box on the wildcats. It is huge. Also the width of standard Salomons seem a bit narrow though they worked for me. I had locked into wearing the salomons on my PCT hike this summer until I wore a pair of Wildcats for a week. I went out and bought 5 pairs, broke them in and put them back in the box ready to roll. In retrospect these shoes don't even need a break-in they are comfortable out of the box. But more important there were no issues with any of the ten shoes. (I have seen small differences in individual shoes add up to big problems.)

I do like the Salomon lacing system though it can get a bit finicky to get it tight enough without cause a rubbing of the top of the big toe on the eyelet of the lace. I never saw this with either my GTX pair or my second pair, perhaps it is a slight misperfection in the shoe.

I highly recommend the Wildcats. Also being they use metric sizing there is smaller increments between sizes. I took advantage of this a went up a size on pairs 3-5 for my hike.

i like my inov … but i really dont recommend buying without trying … the fit and sizing varies between models

im a 8.5 US in my terrocs which are nice and roomy, yet an 8 US in some of the roclites which have a narrower toe box

you can luck out and get it right the first time ordering online … just make sure you can return them easily

I have found the LaSportiva model of shoes far superior to Inov-8 shoes with my wide forefoot. I have tried a couple of different approaches to th Inov-8 sizing dilemma because everyone seems to go 'ga-ga' over them on BPL, but oversizing only left me with ill fitting shoes in other parts of my feet. I have given up on them until they come out with wide models. I have also had very good luck with Brooks, Cascadia 4 trailrunners. They have a wide forefoot and lasted me my JMT hike last year and are still in use.

Thanks Robert. Eric I'm essentially trying to find out which innov-8 models have a generous forefoot (not overall wide fit), better cushioning and good underfoot protection from rocks. Unfortunately even a specialist long-distance trail running store near me doesn't carry much of a selection and they are missing some sizes. So I'm trying to narrow the field so I don't have to order too many shoes at once to try on.

My feet are 11D, but I find many shoes that are supposed to be "D" too narrowly cut to allow my forefoot enough room and enough space for expansion after walking all day.

I got rid of Salomon trail runners because the supposedly "D" size shoe wasn't giving my forefoot and toes enough room. And the Salomon lacing system didn't help – it's very difficult to make the toebox lacing looser at the same time the ankle and top of instep lacing is snugger.

I typically wear Vermont Darn Tough light hiking socks (not very thin like a liner, not thick).

Robert at the end of the day it very well could be the Innov-8 shoes are not for me. I served in an elite airborne unit and carried a lot of weight over long distances on rough ground – my feet and joints took a real bashing (one of the reasons I started to lighten up). Going minimalist will probably never work for me – I need that extra padding and protection, and I need a shoe that can take a custom orthotic insole.

I’ve tried most of the popular brands and models. The only brand I’ve found that has an anatomically correct forefoot is GoLite. Unfortunately, the durability just isn’t there….even on the newest models. With Sportiva, I found the Crosslite had a better toe box than anything else they offer, including the Wildcat, which has a wider toe box on paper. I just recently got Inov8 240s for road running and they are doing well, but I haven’t pushed them beyond 4 miles at a time yet. Since no one but GoLite currently has a shoe with an anatomical toe box, what I’ve found works best is something with a very stretchy mesh upper. This is why I believe the 240 and Crosslite do well. The problem I had with the Crosslite was that they’re very stiff. Given your requirements though, they may work well for you. The 240 definitely doesn’t meet your requirements as it’s essentially a racing flat.

With all of that said, I’m looking forward to Altra’s shoe releases this Spring.

Thanks Chris. I just edited my original post to include "flat rocker – not an aggressive rocker that lifts the toes up and exposes the metatarsal heads to more pressure and bruising. The NB 876 looks like it's quite flat. I'm hoping the others on my list are.

The Altra shoes look quite flat as well. Just read about their Zero Drop – heel and toes at same height – I think this = no rocker, which is a good thing. Any other benefits to their shoes? What have you heard/read about them?

I own the Wildcats and LOVE them. They are very different than than my traditional running shoes. The heel is not overbuilt (or overly tall), the toebox is wide, and the shoes feel solid when wearing them. They lace up fine and fit snug against the top of my foot, keeping my heel in place without restricting my forefoot. There is definitely a lot more "ground feel" with these when compared to traditional hikers. However, they have a lot more protection than the La Sportiva Crosslite. I was trying to decide between the two, and after spending about 15 minutes in the store with each of the models, it was obvious that the Crosslite is designed to be a minimalistic speed shoe, and the Wildcat is a more stable, protected feeling shoe. I have had no problems or abnormal foot soreness when using the Wildcat on some gnarly rocky rooty and generally hellish trail conditions.

Forget my two cents, that was the whole buck. Wildcats will not disappoint.

Chris, which Golite shoe have you used and how long did they last you? Did it have good cushioning and protection under foot?

Only problem with the Crosslite is that I heard it had much less cushioning and protection than the Wildcat. Do you find this true? I'm going to check them both out.

Wish the Altra trail running shoe was out already – looks very promising.

I'm looking for something that is in a narrower subset of minimalist shoes or of traditional shoes – a flatter shoe with flatter sole that still has good protection and cushioning. As long as the sole inside the shoe is relatively flat, even if the insole has a high arch I can always replace it with a flatter arch insole, or make my own flatter one from EVA foam.

Tyler, any sizing guidelines you can offer on the Wildcat? Do you wear 1/2 size up from your actual foot size, wearing lightweight hiking socks (like Darn Tough or Smartwool PhD)?

Thanks all for the very helpful feedback and info.

Would have loved to compare the Wildcats, Altra trail runners and New Balance 876 and 740 side by side.

The GoLite I have is the AmpLite. They're not completely shot, but I started losing some of the outsole after a couple of short trail runs, and a thru-hike of the Art Loeb in NC. They also have too much arch support in the insole for my taste so I hiked in them with no insoles.

I'm used to little to no cushioning in all of my footwear, so I didn't notice it lacking in the Crosslite. They were far too stiff for my liking though.

I'm holding high hopes for the Altras.

GoLite is supposedly reworking the outsoles on their shoes in response to feedback from myself and others.

I can try to help with fit info:

I tried these on about 3 hours after finishing a thru-hike of the Art-Loeb trail in NC (30-ish miles of steep up and down), so my feet were the 'size' they would be during normal backpacking or hiking conditions. I normally wear a EU size 47 in all my shoes, regardless of brand or US-size conversion, but I wear a 46.5 in Wildcats (listed as US size 12.5).

I can't tell if that is a common sizing situation or not, as most of the reviewers on sites like zappos seem to write that the shoe feels smaller than advertised (which would be true if looking at the US-converted size).

Tyler what's your actual shoe size, Euro and U.S., say in the late afternoon on a normal day, and after a long hike?

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Thanks Rog, sounds like it's worth ordering your size, one below and one above.

I'm also going to check current reviews to see if there's any consistent sizing feedback (I love reviews where one person says it's the smallest-cut shoe they've ever tried from this maker, and another says their feet are swimming in the shoe).

Their boots are exceptionally well made. Haven't tried their shoes yet.

As I sit here writing this I'm wearing a pair of Innov-8 240 Talons, and I find the toe box to be roomy enough. Unfortunately, I fear they'll be too light for backpacking but ok for dayhikes, as they don't seem to have a proper soleplate. My other Innov8s – 315, 370 & 390 Rocklites – have a more protective sole, flat rocker and good cushioning and perform well backpacking.

I have experience with Montrail, too, and find them to be stiffer than the Innov8s and with more of a rocker. The old Namches wore like a boot and had a narrow toe box, while the Innov8s wore like moccasins and had a roomy toebox. I didn't give up in Montrail though and got a pair of Jawbreakers this fall, and they were great! Lighter, more flexible in the forefoot and thus less rocker, and roomy. These were Mid-height so probably not what you're interested in; I just mention them because Montrail seems to be changing their designs.

The 240s came from Zombierunner, who have a pretty good return policy. They give a 30 day return window, no questions asked, which gives me plenty of time to decide if I want to keep them. Happy Trails!

Oh, I almost forgot. I usually wear merino lighthikers and get my shoes 1/2 to a full size larger than street shoe size. The idea is to be able to easily slip a forefinger between the heel and heelcup while the foot is pushed all the way forward into the unlaced shoe. That guarantees enough space to keep my toes happy! Unfortunately there is no industry standard, so one company's size 11 is another's 10.5…so ya gotta check.

Thanks Monty. I'm compiling some very good info I'll share on the shoes from these makes and several others that don't have too much rocker up front and are fairly flat (not too much drop) but still have good protection and cushioning.

According to Matt at Montrail, the AT Plus is the best in their lineup for generous toe box, not too much drop (10mm), very protective foot plate and good torsional rigidity, good cushion and generous toe box. He says that when you remove the insole, the sole underneath is very flat as it is in most high quality traditional European boots. I haven't handled it myself, this is just what he relayed.

Which current Inov-8 models do you think are most protective with roomy toe box, good protection and some cushion? I've emailed the company and have yet to get a response.

In addition, I'm getting info from 2 experts on shock absorbing shoe foams (a talented pedorthist and prosthetics maker) to make and try out DIY flat closed-cell foam insoles. Will likely drill air holes throughout for better breathability.

Actual shoe size for afternoon/after hike conditions is 47. The Wildcat shoes I own are a 47.5. I tried the 47, but it was just too short. And it does have adequate cushion for hiking. I have never once felt that the shoe were too minimalistic or so thin that I had to take any extra caution.

You won't find an Inov8 that meets your requirements. The toe box in all of the more protective and cushioned models (295+) is narrow. All of their current models have a narrow last, and the reinforcements in the toe on the more protected models prevent the upper from stretching.

"I do like the Salomon lacing system though it can get a bit finicky to get it tight enough without cause a rubbing of the top of the big toe on the eyelet of the lace. I never saw this with either my GTX pair or my second pair, perhaps it is a slight misperfection in the shoe".

Good to hear that others have had this issue. I didn't have this problem until well after they were broke in though. Not sure how many miles I put on them…then one day, there's a blister on my big toe.

EJ,

What shoe did you end up going with? I was reading your post, and apparently we have the same foot type: wide forefoot, relatively low arch—and are both looking for rock protection in a trail running shoe.

I tried on a pair of Brooks Cascadia and Montrail Rockridge today and found both to have a generous toebox. Both a neutral trail runner. Rockridge seemed to have a slightly higher arch–didn't try removing the insole though. Still looking at alternatives, though…