inov8

Following some advice on here last year I've been enjoying the liberation of lightweight footwear in the form of inov8 roclite 295s.

Although initially having to endure the leg pain I'd been warned of when moving to this type of footwear I now find them extremely comfortable, so much so that I even wear them as my main footwear of choice at work: I'm a primary school teacher.

However, as expected, they're wearing down on the soles much quicker than previous footwear (not surprising when I wear them all day at work!) so I'm now considering which direction to go next. My main quandry lies between sticking with the unlined route or going for a lined alternative. For the former I'm leaning towards the terroc 330 as I gather the last is identical to my current 295s, which fit me perfectly, but are more hard-wearing. However, from browsing the internet I've found some sites offering them much cheaper but the shoes looks a tad different ie older version?

Although I've enjoyed the breathability of the 295s there have been times when, due to weather or ground conditions, my feet have been wet for the entire walk and although I've found this less irritating than I expected it wasn't as enjoyable in Winter even down near the south coast. For this reason I'm tempted by the 288 (or 286: once again I'm presuming it's just a new version of the same boot) and the 400. I've only been able to try both on once, last year in Kountry Kit, but unfortunately they didn't quite have my size. I'm an 8 in the 295 and the 8 and a half I tried in the 288 and 400 were both a tad large. However, although, of the two, I found the 400 more comfortable, I've found very few positive comments about them in internet reviews whereas the 288s seem very popular.

So, any advice re unlined 330 vs lined boot or 288 vs 400 would be much appreciated. Many thanks in advance.

Thanks Kelvin and Neil. Of the three I'm most tempted by the 330 simply because I like my 295s so much but feel the 330 would be more "jack of all trades" and with added durability.

With regards the 286/8: I was hoping the 8 would fit but based on your advice I think I'd definately need to try them first.

Maybe I'm missing something but I'd have thought the terroc sole would be a better option for a long distance lightweight boot which is what the 288 and 400 seem to be. Having said that, the grip on my roclites is great...only slipped once and that was a particularly slimy, moss covered, fallen tree.

I imagine they'll have released another 6 varieties of shoe by the time you come to a decision, so you'd best try those too...

Pete.