Inov8 Roclite 370 - First Look
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Price:
£79.99
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692 grammes (pair 43)
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Features:
Ultralightweight trail walking and running boot, highly
breathable mesh upper -with proetctive rands front and back
plus ankle reinforcement, Fascia-band construction,
Metaflex, Meta-shank, Meta-cradle, High loop lock lacing
system, Roclite sole unit, Endurance last fit.
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What's It For?
Like its Gore-Tex lined bro, the Roclite 390, the Roclite 370 was
developed initially with paragliders in mind, but has morphed
seamlessly into a super-lightweight trail walking and running
boot.
The 370 uses a mesh upper with no Gore-Tex liner making it ideally
suited to summer use when breathability is a priority. It's an ideal
choice if you want to go lightweight underfoot but retain ankle
protection.
The Techy Bits
We could be here all day, but Inov8's philosophy is to produce
footwear that allows your feet to work as naturally as possible
within the constraints of a shoe. That means, for example, that the
sole unit incorporates a Meta-flex groove that matches up with
the point where your toes flex for natural movement.
The Meta-shank is a five-fingered - toed? - polymer shank behind
the metatarsal heads designed to give extra support for each
metatarsal, but stil allowing natural movement.
Then there's the Fascia-Band construction, that's claimed to give
an extra spring to the push-off phase of your stride. Think support
for your foot, but without compromising mobility.
How They Perform
We're big fans of the Gore-Tex-lined Roclite 390 and it's bonkers
'jet propulsion for your feet', so we're expecting big things from
the 370s and so far, albeit with only brief use, they haven't
disappointed.
Apart from the lack of waterproof liner, the 370s also differ from
the 390s in having a slightly thinner, less cushioned sole unit. The
combination is enough to save around 100 grammes making these boots
bonkers light. To put that in perspective, a pair of typical approach
shoes weighs 900 grammes a pair compared to the 370's 692 grammes -
everyone who picked them up was astonished by their lightness.
Fit is based on Inov8's all-day endurance last and is snug but not
tight on a typical medium volume UK foot. One point we noticed with
the 390 as well, is that while the heel cup on the Inov8 shoes is
quite aggressive and doesn't suit everyone, the boot version seems
more forgiving, so if you don't get on with the heel fit on Inov8's
shoes, the boots are worth a try.
Underfoot the 370s give the same nimble, jet-heeled feel as the
390s, but the thinner sole unit makes them more sensitive to trail
irregularities. They're absolutely brilliant on rock where the
combination of grippy sole and flexibility gives an almost
rockboot-like feel as you pad along. Grip is excellent elsewhere too,
reflecting their fell-running heritage.
The mesh up top really is super breathable. You can see light
through it - that's sunlight inside the boot above - and feel the
wind through the uppers, which is great on really hot days. You still
have some puddle clearance though as the all-round reinforcement sits
about an inch and a half above the ground.
If you're used to conventional walking boots then the Roclites may
take some getting used to. The 370s in particular are very flexible
underfoot, but the pay-off is great sensitivity and nimbleness, but
without losing ankle protection.
Like the Roclite 390s, but much more breathable, the 370s are
an ideal hot weather, ultra-lightweight choice as well as a good
half-way house for traditionalists wanting to dip their toes into the
ultra-lightweight pond, but wary of going the whole hog and swapping
to low-cut trail shoes.
We love the jet-heeled feel, reduction in fatigue over longer
walks and the fantastic combination of all-terrain grip and
sensitivity. We can't really comment on durability yet, but our 390s
are holding up fine so far.
What you can't realistically expect is the same level of
durability as a much heavier, traditional walking boot if, for
example, you regularly hammer through scree or for the sole to last
as long as a traditional hill-walking Vibram unit.
Next stop for the 370s is the Edale to Marsden event. We'll let
you know how they get on...
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Super lightweight, very breathable with great underfoot grip
and sensitivity.
Untrained feet may take time to adapt, not as durable as
traditional boots.
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Know more or want to?
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product check out our user review system and post your opinions to
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us direct, ask
Richard Gear or try a posting to our
gear
forum.
pkeiths
