Inov-8 Women's Roclite 280 Trail Running Shoes - Lightweight Hiking & Outdoor Adventure Footwear for Women | Perfect for Mountain Trails, Hiking & Rough Terrain

I am looking for a good hiking shoe for intermediate hiking with loads.This is lighter weight and more flexible than some of the other trail running shoes I have seen.I think it runs about a half size small.It is on the narrower side, but not enough for me to say it runs narrow.Seems comfortable out of the box.Laces are a little thin (good for people that want lightweight) both in width and thickness and I am not sure how they would hold up.The shoe otherwise looks well made.Holding them it feels more like a running shoe because it is so light and flexible. The sole seems thinner than typical trail runners and the upper seems a little lighter weight and more flexible, too, with less reinforcing.I was mainly interested in this shoe because of the deeper lugs on the outsole that look like they may provide good traction on steep slopes with loose soil. Inov8 seems to have the greatest lug depth for trail runners.There is not enough room in the toe box for these kinds of conditions (my toes are too near the front of the shoe and there would be stubbing/toe jam on steep declines). This problem may be resolved by sizing up. It's hard to recommend how much one should size up because shoe sizing seems to be all over the place these days.I think this would be a great shoe for actual running on trails with no loads, shorter day hikes where you are not carrying much weight, people who like the barefoot concept, or possibly for fit ultra light backpackers with good ankles who are willing to sacrifice a fair amount of comfort for reduction in shoe weight.Love these -- only 4 stars because 10.5 is a tiny bit too large - but glad I sized up! I hike the red rocks a lot in Sedona and the tread is perfect for the variations in rock-stepping. The 10s would have been a tad too small. A friend of mine with same size feet did not size up and went with the 10 - and she notices her toes hitting on the trail hikes ... she wishes she sized up a tad.Right out of the box these shoes were a perfect fit. I have not worn them outside yet because I want to "test drive" them first. I had to return the first pair I ordered because they were very tight. I wear a 7.5-8 in all of the shoes I own -- from athletic to heels, flats, boots, sandals, but those pinched and also felt too short. I was going to order an 8.5, and noticed that original colour, blue/grey said they run small. Oddly, that wasn't the case for the black/purple in the same size and style.I will let Inov-8 know about this issue since that detail is in the product description, and not a personal comfort one.These are now my favorite trail running shoes. They do not have a lot of cushion but that's how I like my running shoes. I love the grip that they provide as I can tell the difference when I am not wearing them. They really bite through the mud and slippery terrain that I put them through. They grip the slick grass on the hills I am running up. These are shoes that I would gladly purchase again and again. I did have to go up a half size though to get the proper fit. I normally wear a 10 and had to get a 10.5A shoe that works for my "low volume" foot! However, can't express how disappointed I am that the shoe is well made across the board, accept the heel! I've only had them about 2 months and I've worn through the back of the heel already. The soul and the uppers seem high quality, why must they be made useless by the cheap inner material? They do have very minimalist soles, so I had to put a softer insole in them for long-distance comfort. They also came with totally unusable laces which I promptly replaced with my favorite Salomon quick laces.I have been wearing the Vibram Five Finger shoes for years now and love them...except for the smell and the stares. So, I have been looking for an alternative shoe to wear in public that still has the flexible sole I love in my VFFs. These Inov-8s were attractive and flexible, but way too narrow in the toe box. I was uncomfortable just standing in them, never mind trying to run. I suppose I could have ordered a size up, but I don't like having to buy my shoes too long in order to have the width right. Too bad, because otherwise, they seemed great.I was excited to try these Inov-8 shoes because I have been wanting to get a pair for years - I was a bit disappointed. They boast about having a wider toe box which this particular shoe definitely does not have. I have a pair of Altras that I've been wearing for the last 3 years and I have always loved their wide toe box, but I wanted something with a little more grab for rocky terrain and thought I'd give these a try. I normally wear a women's size 11 (even in the Altra), but these were too small - I had no problem getting them on but my big toe was pushed uncomfortably into the front of the shoe, especially when I walked - definitely no room for my toes to spread. I'm sure the Inov-8 brand is great, but I think I'll stick with my Altras from now on.Fit as expected. I'm used to hiking boots so these have a different feel. When walking on rocky surfaces I could feel every stone underneath which wasn't the case with my other boots. But I like how lightweight it is.I bought these to replace proper walking boots. I already have a pair of Inov8 246 trail running shoes so I knew they would be good quality. They're slightly on the narrow side for my wider feet so I ordered a size up. They're roomy but comfortable. I needed some shoes with hood traction in slippery conditions. These are amazing. Twice now I've been out in slush and snow, this morning I ran 2 miles this morning in slush and snow with no hesitation. I was very sure footed, if you're looking for off road running shoes with grip, these are great.Having to send them back. The top cap is hard, plus there is a stronger piece of material at the base of the lace. Between the two, the fabric is a thinner breathable mesh type. Due to the two harder pieces, it cause the softer material to make a hard crease into the foot every time you bend you foot in the shoe. It would hurt a lot after a long run, constantly digging into you. Have been walking around on carpet to test them out. These will have to be returnedSadly the shoe was at least one size too small. Returned.die lieferung war sehr schnell, dieser schuh ist optimal für trails, weich, aber doch stabil, preis leistung finde ich angemessen, hoffe das er lange hält. ... und hübsch ist er auch nochideales para trail,tienen muy buen agarre.las recomiendo