Inov 8 TerRoc 330 Trail Running Shoe - Men's

I used a pair of these almost out of the box new on my thru hike of the Long Trail last year. I'd used Inov'8's before, but to say I was impressed with the 330's would be an understatement. Never had a blister on the entire hike, even after hiking for days on end in the rain. This year I'm going to do a thru of the Colorado Trail and already have a new pair of TerRoc's ready to go.

Just bought my 15th pair. Very durable with well over 500 miles on each pair. Some layers of the tread can peel, but no notable difference in performance. They have always fit well right out of the box. I am a supinator to neutral. Used primarily for ultras and running through Oahu's muddy, rocky and rooty rainforest. I also use this as my primary road shoe for getting to the trails or mixing it up a bit.

I love the look and feel of this shoe but it does not hold up. pieces of the sole have begun to fall off. The right shoe has a hole in the side wall fabric (which is very thin) and the tongue is tearing in both shoes. The shoe itself is very comfortable and light weight but it is not durable.

This is a comfy shoe with a roomy front but more a light hiker/walker than a runner. Plenty of cushion for those that need it. The traction isn't anywhere up to par with the Flyroc or Mudrock or Mudclaw - I slipped out on too many fast switchbacks that I retired this one to flat trails.

Lightweight, good traction. No opinion on durability...yet.

While I already knew and loved Inov-8 shoes, this pair was a surprise for my husband shortly before a 75 mile hike. Even though he didn't want to like them, he loved them--he found them instantly comfortable, sublimely light, and good looking. When these shoes get wet, they wet through quickly which is fine if one stays moving and is in wool socks. Although they dry fairly quickly, we are going to experiment with Sealskinz waterproof socks for fall/winter hiking in the Cascades. The sizing runs pretty close, perhaps a tad small--husband had extra room at the toe, but his feet are very low volume (IMHO a wider foot would have no trouble); still this shoe was very comfortable for hiking with practicaly no break in period.

These shoes are great! Very comfortable right out of the box. I tried on about 12 different pairs of shoes (from several different brands), and I liked these the best. I like the level of padding (your foot is fairly level in the shoe instead of sloping forward like many running shoes), the traction, and the stiffness/flexibility of the shoes. The do work well on both trail and road. I typically run about 30 miles per week, and these shoes seem to be holding up well, and not causing any adjustment problems.

These shoes have a long break-in period. I'm a long run out of the box kind of guy, but don't do that with these. Aside from that, I do like these shoes a lot. They look great with jeans, and fit me perfectly. The Flyrock 310 are more suited to the extreme trail running that I do, however. Get the TerRoc if you want a durable shoe for moderate terrain.

Your first problem was buying them from REI! I'd recommend wearing the shoes around the house for a week or so before any gnarly runs - this keeps them in "new" condition and makes returning/exchanging them easier. Next, start slow! Make gnarly 6 mile up hill runs after the shoes have been broken in. New footbeds (ex: Montrail Eunduro's, Super Feet) are sometimes an easy fix for ankle/achilles rub. The extra thickness gives a bit of additional height which will relocate the rub zone.

As soon as I put on the Terroc 330's, purchased online at REI, I knew I'd end up returning them. As some reviewers have mentioned happening to them as well, the side of the shoe, on my right foot only, rubbed against the bottom of my ankle bone, as if the shoe was cut too high. But because of one review where someone had the same problem and said that it went away on trail, I decided to keep the shoes and wear them out. On my first hike of six steep miles on trail I experienced initial irritation leading to debilitating stinging pains as the shoe struck my ankle bone at each painful step. I tried to massage the top of the shoe in an attempt to soften or bend the side down, to no effect. The next day my ankle bone is sensitive even in my old shoes, which never caused me any problems, and I'll have to switch to sandals until it heals. Even if you try these on in the store and don't feel any irritation I noticed the soles of the shoes, while sticky and grippy, also collect mud and small rocks. Otherwise I thought they were fine, lightweight shoes, but only for my left foot.