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A number of people in our office are loyal Inov8 fans but I had never tried any of their kit before. However, I was in need of some new footwear and thought this could be the time to see what I was potentially missing out on. Having always gone for footwear with a Vibram sole I had planned, as ever, going to play safe with the same tried and tested but had heard some very positive things about the Graphene-Grip that Inov8 use.

I’ve now had my  Roclite G 345 GTX V2 boots since March and I am very pleased with my choice. They’ve been used on a daily basis for taking a young hyper Golden Retriever on walks and then really tested during training for and the day of my Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge.

I’m not a fan of the taller boot form options as I often feel like I’m clamped in to those. These however are more a mid-boot and I am happy to slip them on every time, come rain or shine. One of the bonuses of this Roclite is that as your walk progresses and your feet swell they have a flexible upper called Adapterweb which adapts to your foots movement meaning there isn’t any pressure from the fabric on at all. An addition to the boot that makes it very comfortable for longer walks.

The only thing I did change on my boots were the midsole, opting for a thicker and more supportive option. The one that comes with the boot, for me was too solid for my liking and I didn’t feel like I received any cushioning from it so my feet felt tired quickly. A quick change to some Superfeet and my only complaint about these Inov8’s was resolved.

I have tried these on a couple of grotty days and so far, so good. No wet feet to complain about so the Gore-Tex protection holds up well.

The grip really is excellent too. I’ve compared this boot, with a Vibram option, on greasy wet stone. My pace was much slower and at times my heart skipped a beat as I tried keeping my balance using Vibram but with the Graphene Grip I felt stable and confident that I was going to get traction and stay on two feet whilst still being able to maintain a good pace. It’s designed to be a strong durable, lightweight material too so hoping it lasts quite some time. The lugs also discard mud and any loose ground you happen to stand on almost instantly.

Inov8 was the first sports footwear brand to use Graphene as their soles back in 2018 for fell running. Since then, they have won numerous awards for this design which is included in all of their running and hiking footwear.

On the day of my longest walk the boots never let me down. Amazingly, for me, I didn’t have to use any blister plasters, something I had just got used to doing on a regular basis with other footwear.

I’ll be using them throughout all Spring to Autumn excursions. There are so many choices when it comes to footwear but now, after four months, I won’t be looking at any other footwear manufacturers other than Inov8 for my hiking needs. They’ve made me realise that my ‘tried and trusted’, from before, actually were just ‘tried’ options. Now I can say my choice of footwear is trusted and I’ll keep trying these on again and again.

Rob Farquhar
Rob has always enjoyed being on a bike ever since he was a child. It started out with road bikes but he now prefers mountain biking. Since moving closer to the Yorkshire Dales and now the North York Moors he’s started to do more walks and is hoping his 18 month old, stubborn, dog will start to join him on some soon. He has completed the Coast To Coast (C2C) on his mountain bike, the Yorkshire 3 Peak challenge twice, has attempted to hike up Ojos Del Salado; the highest volcano on earth and highest peak in Chile. He also enters at least one mountain bike event a year, just for a laugh. Rob has been working in the outdoor retail industry since 2012. Read more from Rob Farquhar