Shoe to replace the Inov-8 Terroc 330

[Jim MacDiarmid]

I was already thinking about switching away from the Terroc 330s before Inov-8 made my decision easy by going and radically designing them.

I've transitioned into minimalist shoes for running(Merrel barefoots for running and the leather versions for work and everyday) and going to the 330s for hiking felt like putting on hiking boots again.

I tried wearing the Inov-8 TrailRoc 235s for a 20 mile hike in Bryce Canyon and the mesh about 1" past the outer little toe mound on both sides of the shoe was wearing through on both feet by the end. This is after running probably 150 miles in them in the easy terrain of Central Park NYC with no wear and probably 200+ miles since returning without the wearing getting worse. So it was the on-trail hiking terrain of Bryce that was the problem. Also my feet started to hurt after 16 or so miles, so for long hikes I may just need a bit of a heel rise or more underfoot cushioning. I switched to my 330's the next days and my feet were fine.

It seems I need a toe-cap that extends past the little toe mound, but otherwise would like a minimal shoe with just enough padding. I'm not married to Inov-8, though I like their shoes. I gave away a pair of Roclite 295s because my feet just never felt right in them. That probably excludes then the Roclite 243's, which otherwise look appealing.

The TrailRoc 255 looks like it has the extended toe-cap I'm looking for and also looks relatively mesh-y in the upper for hopefully decent drainage.

Are there other shoes I should consider before giving Inov-8 another spin?

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