Inov8 G270 Trail Running Shoes

My standby shoe for on- and off-trail

This is about the previous generation, the Inov8 G260s, so I’ll focus on what seems to be the same between the G260s and G270s.

Use:

I’ve done about 2k mi in several pairs of these shoes hiking across swampy tundra, talus, mud, snow, forest trails, sandstone, sand, scrub, sediment-clogged rivers, plus some running on paved roads.

Highlights:

• Superb grip across a wide range of terrain — great for slickrock or steep granite
• Comfy with a roomy toebox but secure — none of the looseness of, e.g., Altra Lone Peaks
• Fairly durable — seems like 450mi is about the upper limit for mixed on- and off-trail travel
  • The toe protection on the G260 was solid — it’s heavy duty fabric. It looks like the G270 will be even more durable based on the photos.
  • The tread is about what you’d expect — no issues there but the graphene marketing seems to be all hype when it comes to durability.

Issues:

• But not that durable…
  • The side mesh panels will reliably blow out (see photo). The G270s look to be built similarly, so I would expect the side panels to also blow out starting at about 125 – 150mi depending on the terrain. With these holes, the shoe remains very usable, though if you’re in sandy terrain you’ll be emptying out your socks often. The shoe in the photos was probably at about 275-325mi of tough desert terrain.
  • The fabric behind the last lace hole frays and then splits open. Repairs seem to last a week at most before getting destroyed.
• The stock insole absorbs a lot of water

I’ve used these shoes for a while and I don’t plan on switching.

A very well-balanced, versatile shoe

Not impressed with the graphene hype. The outsole is wearing as expected of any non-Vibram trail running shoe. Durability of the uppers has been great, midsole cushioning is springy and has stayed springy for 200+ miles – which I think is this shoe’s best selling point, making it an extraordinarily comfortable shoe for backpacking on trails. It’s less sloppy than Altra Lone Peaks, bigger toebox than Hoka Speedgoats, more durable than Topo Ultraventures.